Four Brewer sisters find common ground ‘breathing’ softball

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BREWER – For some sisters, hand-me-downs pertain to clothes. For the DeFilipp sisters, the phrase pertains to softball skills and love of the game.

“We kind of live and breathe softball,” said Michelle DeFilipp, describing the involvement she, her husband, Barry, and their four daughters – Sandra, Sarah, Dominique and Allison – have for the game.

For the four DeFilipp sisters, softball is fun. For the parents, it’s a busy, but happy time.

“It’s been hectic at times,” Barry DeFilipp said. “We have quality time with the kids. It’s a lot of fun.”

Michelle said it started when the oldest, Sandra, began to play, and the family went to watch.

“[The younger girls] must have seen something they’d like to do and picked right up on it,” Michelle said.

Sandra, 18, said she “started when I was 5 or 6 or 7 in the Brewer instructional league. “Then I went to Police Athletic League and started to play second base.”

She played there through PAL, middle school, and up to the junior varsity team.

“I was on the JV team, not very long, and the coach moved me to center field,” Sandra said. “I moved up to the varsity soon after that.” She’s glad softball has become an family affair.

“I like seeing the littler sisters like the game as much as I do,” Sandra said.

Kelly Cookson, Brewer High School varsity softball coach, spoke highly of Sandra, who had played center field for Brewer for four years.

Sandra earned high school honors of Penobscot Valley Conference All-Star for the last two years, and was selected to the East-West All-Star game this past year.

“Sandra has a great work ethic, great attitude. She is a joy to coach,” Cookson said.

Sandra described this past season she played with her sister on the varsity team – “That was cool.”

Sarah, 15, started out young, playing softball in kindergarten in an instructional league because Sandra was in the PAL. Sarah wanted to try softball because her sister was doing it.

Sarah started pitching in fifth grade in PAL. She started lessons with Larry Seaney at the same time, and has been practicing it ever since.

She said she likes pitching because “you have some control over the game.”

At the varsity level last season, where she earned PVC Rookie of the Year, Sarah pitched. She also played third base and liked it.

“You’re close to the batter. There’s always line drives and everything,” she said.

Having siblings involved is helpful, according to Sarah, because she and Sandra can help their sisters with fielding and hitting, and can help each other by critiquing the other’s performance.

Cookson said Sarah, coming from the middle school to the high school, “loved it, and she loved the intensity of the game. She enjoyed it, and learned a lot so she’ll be ready to take that jump next season.”

Cookson added that the sisters have good attitudes.

“They’re always positive, never say anything negative,” she said.

Twelve-year-old Dominique is carrying on that positive outlook.

“I play softball because I enjoy playing the game,” she said, having started out in Brewer PAL at 7 or 8.

“They move you around to see what you’re good in,” she said.

The coaches decided to put her at second base, and now she plays that position, as well as shortstop and pitcher.

They also have her “bunt a lot because they think I’m a fast runner,” she said.

One of the reasons Dominique enjoys playing on the same team as her younger sister is because “I’ve got to teach her stuff. I taught her how to bunt and slap-bunt. She picked up on them very quickly.”

She called her family very supportive. Her parents watch and cheer, and the other sisters come when they can.

Alison, 10, also started playing when she was 7 or 8, in the Brewer PAL.

She, too, began at second base.

“The coaches put me in different spots, and I wanted to try it,” she said, adding that she also plays shortstop, the outfield and pitches.

“I like hitting and playing in the field,” she said.

Her sisters have a positive impact on her game.

“I like it because they teach me stuff I don’t know because they’re older than me,” she said. “It’s fun playing with my sister.”

Skip Estes works with Holly and Greg Scott coaching Dominique and Allison for the PAL All-Stars, and American Softball Association 12-and-under girls.

“They’re very quiet, very coachable, and both grin a lot,” Estes said.

“They’re very dedicated to their pitching, their control is very good. They play other positions very well,” he added.

Barry DeFilipp has enjoyed watching his girls play the game.

“It’s been exciting to watch the girls progress, gain confidence, and be able to compete,” he said.

“I hope I don’t leave anybody out, but there’s a whole bunch of people who gave a lot of unselfish time to the kids development, and I want to say thank you,” he said, acknowledging Bob Bolduc, Julie Brown, Wayne Richards, Terry Hall, Mike Carrier, Larry Seaney, Don Stanhope, Kelly Cookson, Skip Estes, Greg Suitter, Rodney Wells, and Joe Capponi.

In order to support the girls at their games, Barry said, they would split up the games.

His wife goes to the younger kids’ games, and he’ll go to the older kids’ games, for example. Then, the next set of games, they will switch off watching their daughters.

The family also spends Sundays from November to April in a gym. Under the watchful eye of Larry Seaney, a pitching coach, Sarah, Dominique and Allison, practice their pitching. The parents and Sandra catch.

“We thoroughly support them. We thoroughly enjoy it,” Michelle said.

“It’s been a positive experience,” Barry agreed.