Three sister duos key to Baldwin softball success and first-ever Inter-Ac tourney title

Bryn Mawr >> The Baldwin School softball team, which captured its first Inter-Ac tournament title in program history this spring, is a tight-knit sisterhood – literally.

Three sets of sisters have been a key part of the Polar Bears’ success.

Senior shortstop/pitcher and captain Tessa Pearlstein, a Haverford College softball commit, batted .404 with a .681 slugging percentage this spring, and received second team All-Inter-Ac honors

Tessa’s younger sister Joelle, a freshman pitcher, struck out 113 batters in 74 innings and posted an ERA of 2.54. As a hitter, she batted .479. In the Inter-Ac tourney championship final, a 9-1 win against Springside Chestnut Hill May 22, Joelle struck out 13 batters and banged out five hits. She also received first team All-Inter-Ac honors.

Junior center fielder Blake Landow batted .577 with 23 stolen bases and 23 runs scored in 14 games, and received first team All-Inter-Ac honors. Her younger sister Charly, an eighth-grade second baseman, batted .474 with an on-base percentage of .632.

Junior right fielder Kaya Weiser (two hits in the Polar Bears’ 9-1 win in the Inter-Ac tourney championship final) and her younger sister, sophomore catcher Allie Weiser (.769 slugging percentage, four home runs and 22 RBIs) have added batting punch as well.

Tessa Pearlstein, who also is a teammate of Blake Landow’s on the PA Chaos Gold softball team, said, “I was actually introduced to the sport by Blake and Charly’s mom Arlyn when I was 10 years old, so I played on the [Baldwin] middle school team, where Arlyn was also the coach.”

As a sophomore, Tessa received second team All-Main Line softball honors for her fine play at shortstop and third base. For her Baldwin career, Tessa batted .468 with a slugging percentage of .722.

During the COVID lockdown, Tessa found it particularly helpful to practice softball with Joelle.

“My team had a lot of Zoom workouts, but it proved really difficult to practice without a team,” said Tessa. “It was really helpful to have Joelle – we can both pitch, so we could practice hitting and fielding together as best we could in our backyard.”

Joelle said, “Tessa has had a huge impact on my softball career. I have found that I have come to imitate her composure and calm disposition while on the field. I stretch on first base the same way she does; even our hitting stances are nearly identical, which could be because we are built similarly, but more likely because I re-watch and mimic Tessa’s hitting videos in hopes of having the same swing.”

Blake Landow, who was a second team All-Main Line softball selection as a freshman outfielder/slapper in 2019, has a career batting average of .549 and slugging percentage of .695 for Baldwin, and has stolen 62 bases in 49 games. Landow is committed to the admissions process at the University of Pennsylvania, and would be the first second-generation Penn softball player in program history (Arlyn played for the Quakers in the 1990s).

“As a slapper, my main job is to get on base, and part of that is reading defenses and placing the ball around the defense,” said Blake Landow. “What I’ve personally worked on over the past year is reading pitchers’ spins and making sure I put the ball in play when I recognize the right balls for me to hit. You’ll often see me fouling off pitches, and that’s something I do until I get the right ball to hit.

“I was extremely fortunate during COVID to work with former All-American, professional slapper Allexis ‘Chip’ Bennett. She lives in California, and was in Florida competing last summer, so all of our lessons are virtual. During quarantine, I met with her 3-4 times per week. And I still meet with her at least once a week. Chip completely transformed my slapping game and I’m eternally grateful for the time I’ve had with her.”

Charly Landow said, “Blake has the best work ethic of anyone I know. She’s always working on her game, and I’ve seen how much she’s grown as a player and I wish to get there myself someday.

“Blake, Tessa and Kaya all played Little League together when they were 9 and 10. Our three families are super close, and we all spend a lot of time together. We even now have sisters dinners where the six of us spend time together – now that the older sisters can drive us.”

Kaya Weiser, who like Tessa Pearlstein and Blake Landow has attended Baldwin snice pre-K, is an all-around athlete who played point guard for the Polar Bears’ basketball squad last winter (and received All-Main Line honors. She joined the Baldwin softball squad this spring when her younger sister Allie sprained an ankle a week before the season opener against Agnes Irwin.

“Being that Agnes Irwin is our rival, I didn’t want to have the team lose simply because [we] were down a player,” said Kaya. “Even though I hadn’t played softball in five years, I decided I would sub in and play catcher for the Agnes Irwin game while Allie was healing. I had so much fun playing against Agnes Irwin and practicing with the team that I actually decided to remain with the team for the rest of the season.”

On Senior Night May 12, Kaya watched Allie slam two home runs and collect five RBIs in a 12-4 win against Springside Chestnut Hill.

“Kaya has taught me a lot of valuable skills like perseverance and determination,” said Allie. “Kaya has always been a role model to me because she is such an amazing player on and off the field or court. She has taught me to always give 100 percent in everything that I do.”