Shaffer makes Zone 1 history Girl on Penquis roster for tourney

Fifteen-year-old Julia Shaffer made history at the Zone 1 American Legion baseball tournament this past weekend.

Shaffer, a reserve outfielder for the Penquis Navigators, is believed to be the first girl on a roster for a Zone 1 tournament team, according to zone commissioner Dave Paul.

She had one plate appearance in a regular-season game and walked against Zone 1 regular-season champion Trenton.

“It’s a huge step up from softball,” said Shaffer, who is home-schooled but plays softball for Piscataquis Community High School in Guilford. “Hopefully, when I go back to softball, I’ll be a lot better.”

She said she played baseball for her grandfather and father last summer and they encouraged her to give Legion ball a try in order to help her for softball.

“I was definitely nervous the first day of tryouts. I didn’t know what they would think of me. Once I made the team, I was definitely excited to see what I could do,” said Shaffer, whose twin brother, Darius, is also on the team.

Penquis coach Billy Kane said Shaffer deserves her unique distinction.

“She put the work in, just like everyone else,” said Kane. “She did the same things everyone else did.”

Her teammates concurred.

“It’s pretty cool having her here,” said Penquis pitcher-shortstop Nick Emery. “She worked as hard as us guys did.”

Catcher Brad Brown said it was “pretty crazy” the first day she was with them.

“I had never played with a girl before. But I went with it and it’s been pretty cool,” said Brown.

Kane said he had 18 players try out, so he didn’t have to cut anybody.

Trenton coach Bill Gray said having a girl in the Zone is a positive thing.

“Whoever we can get out there who loves the game, that’s a good thing,” said Gray.

Shaffer said her teammates treated her well, and she learned a lot.

“They definitely had me doing a lot of stuff I didn’t do in softball. It was a pretty good experience,” said Shaffer.

“She definitely improved,” said Kane.

Shaffer said she hopes to take some of the skills she learned and pass them on to her PCHS softball teammates next spring.

“I’ll show them some of the fielding skills and batting skills I learned. [When you’re hitting], you always have to keep your eye on the ball,” said Shaffer.

She hopes to play Legion ball again next summer.

“It has definitely been fun,” said Shaffer.