Arlington High's Kayla Mayo: A Captain Teammates Could Count On

ARLINGTON, MA — Kayla Mayo said she did not really know what to expect coming into her final season of softball at Arlington High School. The field hockey and track captain had experienced plenty of success on the diamond as a defending Middlesex League champion. But the graduation of four talented leaders from the previous spring had her a little worried whether this year’s seniors could properly fill that void.

It turned out that Arlington High’s Frederick V. Ostergren Award recipient, along with AHS distance-running star Ryan Oosting, was perfectly well-suited to help lead the team on and off the field as the Spy Ponders won 13 games, including one in the opening round of the state tournament.

“Kayla is the consummate captain,” Arlington softball coach Matt O’Loughlin said. “She did anything you asked of her. She’s not going to get in your face and vocally try to pump you up. But she is 100 percent the hardest worker you could ask for. She is very dependable. She’s someone the other kids could go to with anything.”

Mayo credited classmate and fellow captain Emily Benoit with helping her guide the squad that she said came together more quickly than anticipated in the first weeks of spring.

“I was a little skeptical how it was going to go,” Mayo admitted. “But we went through the first workouts strong and when the scrimmages started we were playing really well.”

Arlington went 13-9 this season before falling to top-seeded Lowell, 5-2, in the second game of the Division 1 North tournament.

“They were a good team,” Mayo allowed. “I thought we gave them a really good fight.”

Providing that fighting spirit near the top of the lineup was Mayo, who excelled as a slap bunt hitter igniting the Arlington attack.

"She is a great outfielder and one of those fast kids who can steal a base and had a really high on-base percentage," O’Loughlin said. "She is able to take things away from the other team with her speed and defense."

Mayo said it was in seventh grade when her travel team coach concluded that with her speed and size she might be better served as a slap hitter than someone who tries to swing for the fences every time at the plate.

"For me, it’s all about being confident and composed," she said. "It can be nerve-wracking when you get to the plate and the other coaches are calling out all these things. They are yelling (to the fielders): 'Move here! Move there!' and 'Do this! Do that!' They try to make you think they know where you are going to hit it.

"It feels really rewarding when you then put it in a place they are not suspecting."

Mayo will attend Merrimack University where she said she may try out for the softball program transitioning to Division I next school year, or play club softball and field hockey.

"I remember her coming to my clinics when she was in seventh grade," O’Loughlin said. "I feel like I’ve been coaching her forever. It’s going to be hard going to the field next year and not having her there.

"There are not enough good things to say about Kayla. I hope she keeps us informed about all her accolades in the future."