The Div. 3 state champion Greater New Bedford girls head into 2023 needing to close the gaps left by graduates Madison Medeiros, Lena Tsonis and Kylee Caetano.

Pitcher/first baseman Hayleigh Silva, second baseman Hailey Soares and outfielder/catcher Savanah Dubois take charge of a Bears squad made up mostly of back-ups and role players from a year ago.

Middleboro, Greater New Bedford’s opponent in last year’s state final, graduated only one senior. All-Scholastic and South Shore League All-Star Cassidy Machado struck out 173 batters in 120 innings, while hitting .367 also. Melody Rees and Alexandra Welch will be dangerous at the plate as well for the Sachems.

St. Mary’s has nine players returning. Anna Fringuelli (outfielder, pitcher), Riley Zukas (outfielder) and Angie Catino (first baseman) are the senior leaders for the Spartans, who reached the state semifinals last season.

Cape Ann League All-Stars Kyla Story, Haleigh Harris and Skylar Colburn are back to boost the Triton offense. Isabella Oldoni, Reghan Haley and Grace Romine will stabilize things defensively, with Emma Penniman and Mallory Johnson pitching for the Vikings. North Reading returns outfielders Caitlin Reilly and Olivia Reilly, shortstop Alyssa Cassarino, third baseman Mia Vitozzi and pitcher Keely Hannon.

For Hanover, the Patriot League Fisher Division winners, Erin Condon and McKenzie Foley will cover second and third base, and Noey Giardina is playing shortstop. Abby Smith is the ace, with Abby Hanna doing the catching. Kaelyn Chase is the center fielder, and Kate Baldinelli will occupy right field.

Sophomores Vittoria Cuscia and Emma Callahan will pitch and play third base for a youthful Foxboro squad, with junior captain Ava Hill behind the plate. Mia Flanagan and Autumn Stowell will play second base, with Meghan Kelley at shortstop and Angelina Rifai at first base. Natalia Leach, Jill Slattery and Fiona Dunn will track down fly balls and line drives in the outfield.

Dighton-Rehoboth brings back 10 players from its state semifinalist squad, including South Coast Conference All-Star outfielder Lucy LaTour, who cranked five home runs and had an impressive .479 batting average. Caleigh Cloonan (a .389 hitter and skilled baserunner) and Skye Harrison join her in the outfield. Haleigh Kelley is the shortstop, and Kylie Hillier will be in the pitcher’s circle, with Maddie Kelley playing catcher and first base.

Archbishop Williams will face fellow Catholic Central League contenders St. Mary’s and Arlington Catholic, hoping to make a deep run in the Div. 4 state tournament. Shelby Parr (2.24 ERA, 120 strikeouts) and Jill Ondrick will pitch and play third base for the Bishops. Jessica Keefe, Emma Chenette and Emma O’Neil will handle infield duties, with Alyssa Burke (.439, 18 RBI), Ciara McMeniman and Regan Parr in the outfield. As for Arlington Catholic, the Cougars return infielders Maddie Connolly, Catherine Simmons, and Addison O’Donovan.

Whittier is returning nine players, including four Commonwealth Athletic Conference All-Stars in shortstop Maddie Noury (.455, 30 RBI), third baseman Wilmeri Valera, left fielder Kaitlyn Hurley, and pitcher/third baseman Kaylee Habib. Ainsley Rousseau plays second base, with Kayden Ouellette behind the plate.

Boston City League power Latin Academy has league all-stars Ellie Etemat-Gilbertson and ace Alanis Toledano back.

All-Scholastic senior captain Olivia Silva, who hit .537 with three home runs and 38 RBI and threw out 11 baserunners, will do the catching again for a Case roster full of veterans from last spring’s Div. 4 state final defeat against Amesbury. South Coast Conference All-Star Hailey Berube will pitch, with third baseman Brooke Orton, second baseman Lexi Yost, and shortstop Lily Picard back in the infield. Megan Smith is the center fielder and leadoff hitter for the Cardinals.

Abington retains all of its starters. South Shore League All-Stars Maddie Perry (center fielder), Shannon Varvitsiotis (pitcher), and Calli Pineau (second baseman) slot back into the lineup. Catcher Kasie Bailey, a 2021 All-Scholastic, has recovered from ACL surgery.

In Div. 5, senior All-Scholastic and Tri-Valley League MVP Francesca Pizzarella is the catcher for Millis, with Riley Caulfield pitching. Emilia Leach, Izzy Jewett, Ashley Aten, and Lindsay Gratton fill up the infield. Abby Powers, Kyra Rice and Olivia Matthews will roam the outfield.

Gabby Reinbold, Libby Farry, Kiera Watson, Savina Moschella, and Bree Clark return to the infield for Norfolk Aggie. Monica Coghlan and Marlaina Poillucci cover the outfield grass. Tessa Masnyk, Angie Ruggierro and Lauren Barry make up the pitching staff, with Madi Macleod as the catcher.

Holbrook is expected to contend as well after winning the Mayflower Athletic Conference Comprehensive Division title last season.

P: Gigi Aupont (Bishop Fenwick), Julianna Berardi (O’Bryant), Lauren Berniache (Apponequet), Sophia Bruno (Sturgis East), Emma Callahan (Foxboro), Cameron Carroll (Gloucester), Vittoria Cuscia (Foxboro), Taylor Dolan (Cardinal Spellman), Anna Fringuelli (St. Mary’s), Keely Hannon (North Reading), Emily Meleedy (Newburyport), Emma Penniman (Triton), Abby Smith (Hanover), Alanis Toledano (Latin Academy)

C: Abby Hanna (Hanover), Madalyn Kelley (Dighton-Rehoboth), Rylee Kouta (Old Rochester), Caroline Lavallee (Greater Lawrence), Julianna Toville (East Boston)

1B: Isa Bishop (Essex Tech), Sofia Brown (Dighton-Rehoboth), Isabella Bruno (Sturgis East), Maddie Connolly (Arlington Catholic)

2B: Mia Bisso (Shawsheen), Nikki Mitchell (Pentucket), Kathlee Simmons (Arlington Catholic)

SS: Mikayla Brightman (Bishop Fenwick), Isabella Burke (Southeastern), Nia Buyu (O’Bryant), Alyssa Cassarino (North Reading), Noey Giardina (Hanover), Shannon Keating (Sturgis East), Emma Keefe (Newburyport), Lucy Latour (Dighton-Rehoboth), Ava Loud (Cardinal Spellman), Christina Magnett (Apponequet), Jayda Marshall (Greater Lawrence), Nieve Morrissey (Newburyport), Kayla Murray (Pentucket), Hailey Roach (Essex Tech), Kyla Story (Triton), Gabriella Tanon (Dennis-Yarmouth)

3B: McKenzie Foley (Hanover), Kylee McDonough (Lowell Catholic), Bella Pettinato (Weston), Mia Vitozzi (North Reading)

OF: Kaelyn Chase (Hanover), Brenna Croteau (Greater Lawrence), Ellie Etamat-Gilbertson (Latin Academy), Jolie Ferro (Fairhaven), Mallory Johnson (Triton), Brooke Moloney (St. Mary’s), Isabella Oldoni (Triton), Jordyn Pineau (Dennis-Yarmouth), Caitlin Reilly (North Reading), Olivia Reilly (North Reading)

P: Hailey Berube (Case), Riley Caulfield (Millis), Bailey DeLeire (Mystic Valley), Maddie Grant (Georgetown), Ashley Hart (Nashoba Tech), Izzy Levasseur (Amesbury), Jadyn Morrell (Bourne), Dahlia Parent (Avon), Shelby Parr (Archbishop Williams), Taylor Soderberg (Cohasset), Shannon Varvitsiotis (Abington)

C: Chelsea Amaral (Rockland), Kate Bekeritis (Ipswich), A.J. Gates (Monomoy), Lilly Martel (West Bridgewater), Jacqui Martineau (Notre Dame Tyngsboro), Colleen McCarthy (Bristol Aggie), Paige Meda (Bourne), Frankie Pizzarella (Millis), Olivia Silva (Case)

1B: Kasie Bailey (Abington), Nicole Brooks (Brighton), Felicity Kulak (Old Colony), Sarah Langtry (Carver), Amelia Lucas (Rockport)

2B: Lily Carpenter (Rockport), Emma Chenette (Archbishop Williams), Calli Pineau (Abington), Marliana Piolucci (Norfolk Aggie)

SS: Neala Boyd (West Bridgewater), Marina Cadena (Whittier), Sylvia Cull (Blue Hills), Bella Fazio (Hamilton-Wenham), Sophia Lucido (Rockport), Mia Mitchell (Malden Catholic), Maddie Noury (Whittier), Kayleigh Peterson (Nashoba Tech), Gabbi Reinbold (Norfolk Aggie), Ana Rolfe (Cape Cod Tech), Alyssa Slamin (Holbrook)

3B: Bree Clark (Norfolk Aggie), Ava Gamache (Lynnfield), Peyton Mahjoory (Westport), Jill Ondrick (Archbishop Williams), Hannah Richard (Nashoba Tech)

OF: Faith Boutin (Tri-County), Aylssa Burke (Archbishop Williams), Zoey Davidson (South Shore Voke), Kaitlyn Hurley (Whittier), Amanda Jacques (West Bridgewater), Alexis Martineau (Notre Dame Tyngsboro), Madison Mills (Rockland), Maddie Perry (Abington), Taylor Sirois (Bristol Aggie), Megan Smith (Case), Willmeri Valera (Whittier)