All-Delco Softball: Ali Murphy’s growth at Haverford reaches apex with POY honor
HAVERFORD — Ali Murphy wasn’t always the game-changing, one-of-a-kind softball talent she came to be at Haverford High.
When she was in middle school, Murphy was known for her elite speed and defense in the outfield, but she hadn’t yet made the leap to being a great hitter. That came with time, she said.
In those middle-school years, Murphy was known for being, in her words, “a bunter and a soft slapper.”
Murphy’s coaches for the Delco Rage club team — Tim Witmer and Bob Newman, who would become her assistant coach at Haverford — recognized there was more to Murphy’s left-handed bat than she had shown in those early years.
A lot more.
“Before my freshman year, and throughout that winter, I worked really hard at swinging away more and things like that,” Murphy said. “I wanted to be a triple threat. Mr. Newman would always push me to hit away and he wouldn’t put too much pressure on me. He would keep saying, ‘Good job being aggressive,’ or something like that. So when I got up to the box the next time, I was excited to swing away. I knew what I could do.”
By the end of her freshman year, Murphy was regarded as one of the top up-and-coming players in the Central League. After her sophomore season, she became an All-Delco for the first of three times. And after leading Haverford to its best season in program history, Murphy is the Daily Times Player of the Year.
Joining Murphy on the All-Delco team, which is selected after consultation with area coaches, are Cardinal O’Hara’s Allison Ahearn and Maggie Loomis, Chichester’s Ava Franz, Episcopal Academy’s Hailee Moran, Garnet Valley’s Becca Halford and Lindsey Hunt, Haverford’s Tess Smiley, Notre Dame’s Grace Jackson, Penn Wood’s Ameenah Ballenger, Ridley’s Ashley Shanks, and Upper Darby’s Alexandra Witmer.
Hunt and Witmer, both senior catchers, are three-time All-Delco selections. The sophomore Franz makes the team for a second straight year. Hunt was in the running for Player of the Year honors.
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Murphy helped the Fords win two Central League titles (2017, 2019) and played in several playoff games. In 2019, the Fords shared the league championship with Conestoga, then won a pair of District 1 Class 6A tournament games to make the PIAA tournament.
“We started hitting all the way back in the fall, and I think that helped a lot,” Murphy said. “All of the young girls who came up stepped up. Emma Taylor, our freshman pitcher, she was really good. I think we knew from the get-go that we should at least be the best defensive team out there.”
READ: Franz, Ballenger star in the Del Val
And it showed. The Fords racked up 17 wins and did something that no Haverford softball team had ever accomplished. In the program’s first state playoff game, the Fords jumped ahead of Downingtown West but eventually dropped a 6-2 decision.
“That was tough,” she said. “We worked so hard as a team, but it was a great year.”
Murphy embraced a leadership role on and off the field. If she wasn’t hitting, she would be the first player leaning against the fence, cheering on her teammates.
“I think I have always been like that, especially since being at Haverford,” she said. “I think it’s important that everyone gets cheered for … and we were such a close team that I would cheer everyone regardless. Personally, it was never hard for me to break out of my shell, especially since I knew all of the girls for so long. With my Rage team, we have all played together for seven years and it was always fun.
“It wasn’t always about winning, personally. It was more about being competitive and trying your best.”
READ: The full list of All-Delco honorees
Murphy had the numbers to back up her vocal influence. Her career stats are staggering: 150 hits, .513 batting average, .564 on-base percentage, 121 runs scored and just 13 strikeouts.
The 2019 season was Murphy’s best. Among Delco hitters, she was second in batting average (.610), tied for fifth in doubles (seven), tied for second in triples (five), tied for 13th in RBIs (21), and first in runs scored (38). She had 12 more runs than the second-leading player. It’s worth noting that Murphy was the Fords’ leadoff hitter, so homers and RBIs weren’t necessarily her style. But the extra bases came easy because of her speed.
“I wanted to go up there and try to put the ball in play any way I could,” Murphy said. “And then I can just run as fast as I could.”
Murphy will continue her career and education at Jefferson University. She will study nursing.
“I love the campus, it’s close to my house, about 20 minutes away. I’m a homebody,” she said. “The coach, Mike Fegeley, is really nice, and all the girls on the team are great. I went to visit them a couple of times and the campus was great. The nursing program, since they’re connected to Jefferson Hospital, that really made me want to go there.”
Murphy said she will miss playing with her best friend and Haverford teammate, Anna Mefford.
“I had a lot of fun playing for Haverford, for all of the coaches (Jill Marshall, Amber Millison and Newman),” Murphy said. “It was a great time.”
