A jack of all trades, and master of them all

Franey is at home anywhere on the field

By Monique Walker, Boston Globe



In Michelle Franey's four years at Abington High, there wasn't a position she didn't play for the softball team. Coach Steve Kingman had no problem moving Franey wherever he needed her, from the outfield to second base to catcher.

"She was so good at every position," Kingman said. "She probably would have been my best second baseman or my best shortstop, but we didn't have just one position for her."

Now Franey is a sophomore at American International College in Springfield, where she has earned a consistent home at second base and a spot as the team's lead-off hitter. But the 5-foot-5 athlete is listed as a second baseman, shortstop, and catcher on the team's website.

Recently, Franey was highlighted in a Northeast-10 honor roll after hitting .368, scoring 6 runs, and picking up 2 RBIs in games against Ferris State and Rollins College. Franey's hot start helped the Yellow Jackets earn a 5-4 record in a series of games played in Florida to open the season.

"We are much better than we were last year, and we played well down there," AIC coach Judy Groff said.

AIC is off to its best start in recent years. It entered this week 7-4, takes on Bridgeport today, and will open up Northeast-10 play at Franklin Pierce on Saturday.

Franey said it is a special time to be a part of the program. Last season, the team posted a 23-24-1 record, and she started every game, hitting .285 and scoring 25 runs. She struck out only 18 times in 151 at bats.

She had paid attention her freshman year as she watched last season's captain, Brittany Provost.

"She really impacted me," Franey said. "She was a great leader. She showed me how to lead a team if I had to do it. She always knew what to do. She ran team practices and the team well."

One day, Franey hopes to gain that type of confidence from her teammates. In high school, she was a team captain of the basketball and softball teams. She also played soccer.

Franey was a four-time South Shore League all-star at Abington. She also was a key part of helping the Green Wave extend a league winning streak to a record 67 games, a streak that began while she was in seventh grade.

Franey was named a Globe All-Scholastic her senior season as a utility player. As a pitcher, she was 5-2 with a 1.75 earned-run average. At the plate, she hit .545.

"She was the framework for us, as far as I was concerned," Kingman said.

In her senior season, Franey caught the attention of Groff, who had been contacted about this versatile player in Abington. Groff said it was Franey's speed and energy that stood out from the crowd.

"She's an excellent athlete," Groff said. "She's like a little sparkplug."

Franey was ready to join an established program that has been led by Groff since the softball team began 39 years ago. Recently, Groff was inducted into the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Once American International offered a scholarship to its Division 2 program, Franey did not hesitate to accept.

Franey has five brothers and two sisters. She grew up watching her father coach her brothers in baseball, a sport she played until sixth grade, when she made the change to softball.

Over time, she learned to play every position because "I love the challenge," she said.

This season, Franey is challenging herself to be a stronger hitter. She is hitting .315 and has a .447 on-base percentage in the Yellow Jackets' 11 games, but she is not getting on base as much as she would like.

"I should be able to drive the ball farther than what I'm doing right now, which is grounding out and popping up," Franey said.

If Franey uses the same approach that has helped her in previous seasons, Kingman is sure her talent will help her succeed.

"I don't know if she's born with it, but she certainly works at it," he said.