BETHEL – Replacing the likes of Jillian Kimball and Jessie Farrington was a huge order for Telstar softball coach Jim Lunney.

Both were four-year starters and were key components to the Rebels winning a state title and back-to-back regional championships.

Pitchers of their caliber don’t come along every year, but Lunney wasn’t fretting to much about the candidate he had warming up.

“When somebody asked me in the winter (of 2007), I said that I think I’ve got a decent pitcher,” said Lunney. “I didn’t think it would be her fault if we didn’t do well.”

Lunney knew he had a capable hurler in Candace Hall, but even he was surprised at how well the sophomore did as Telstar reached the Western C final last year.

“She only had (five) games where she gave up more than four hits,” said Lunney. “She stepped into that naturally. I was saying to my seniors, ‘It’s your time.’ Candace was saying to herself that, ‘It’s my time.’ She did everything we could have hoped for last year.”

Hall was the best pitcher in the Mountain Valley Conference. She had three no-hitters and three one-hitters and led the Rebels surprising run at the MVC title and a shot at a third straight regional title.

“Once we started to get going, and we were undefeated five games in, we were like, ‘Maybe we can get a sixth one. Maybe we can get a seventh one.'” said Hall. “It kept going and going.”

Despite losing seven starters, Telstar didn’t miss a beat, losing just once during the regular season, in the final game against Georges Valley. Josie Reiss and Abby Hutchins were the only returning starters but anchored the defense on a team that only allowed 14 runs through the first 14 games.

It enabled Hall to settle in nicely. The new kid on the mound was throwing like a veteran.

“It was pressure but at the beginning of the season, I wasn’t expecting anything,” said Hall. “The pressure built up as the season progressed. At the beginning of the season, it was like, ‘I’ve played with you guys before.’ It was really low key.”

Hall rose to the challenge and dominated. In 11 of her regular-season outings, she allowed three hits or less. She only gave up 47 total and opponents batted .113 against her. In addition to her seven shutouts, she struck out 114 and only walked 24. In only one game during the regular season did a team score in more than one inning. She was also an outstanding fielder and batted sixth in the lineup.

After avenging the regular season loss to Georges Valley in the MVC Championship game, the Rebels beat Sacopee (3-1) and Monmouth (2-1) in the tournament. Hopes for a regional crown ended when Georges Valley produced nine hits and took advantage of four Telstar errors in a 10-3 win in the Western C title game.

“I didn’t expect that we’d go as far as we did,” said Hall. “We got really far compared to what I thought we’d do. We had a really awesome team last year. We lost first and second base, which are biggies, but this year, I hope we can come back again.”

The Rebels graduated first baseman Megan Smith and second baseman Joseline Belanger. So Telstar is poised to make another run at the championship. Reiss and Hutchins are four-year starters and are joined by returning starters Julia Stambolis, Vicki Crockett-Rice, Sarah Field and Whitney Mills. The five senior starters are gunning for the best record by any group in the program’s history. The Class of 2007 finished at 62-5 while this year’s seniors are 51-4.

“These girls can afford to lose one, and they tie the record,” said Lunney. “This is going to be a solid team.”

Hall will be a significant part of any success, and she’s been working diligently to better what she did a year ago. During the winter, she trained regularly with Kim Lavoie, her pitching coach. She’s pitching with more confidence and more pitches than last year.

“She’ll be a little quicker,” said Lunney. “She’s worked on a curve ball and worked on changing of speeds. That’s really what her defining moment will be. She’s not going to just throw the ball by somebody. She’s going to try and get them off speed and throw their rhythm off.” The Rebels are opening the season with a trip to North Carolina. The team plays four games and gets plenty of practice time. Hall didn’t make the trip. Freshman Kayla Merrill will see most of the action down South. Meanwhile, Hall continues working on her own in hopes of topping last year’s accomplishments when the team returns.

“I’m pumped,” said Hall. “I’m ready for the season to get started. I hope we’ll have an awesome season again. I don’t know what will happen, but I hope we’ll get pretty far.”