The Great Neck South girls softball team finished the 1998 season with an amazing 15-3 record, the Conference II-C title, and a playoff berth in the Nassau County Class B tournament. This was by far one of the most successful South softball teams in years.

The Rebels went 4-2 in their last six games to clinch the conference title, an achievement that was not even a goal at the beginning of the season.

"I knew this team would be competitive, but I never thought we could reach such a high level of success this season," said coach Stu Fritz. "The whole team came together as a unit, there really wasn't any one MVP."

Because the Rebels didn't have one single outstanding player, the team was able to receive equal contributions from all of its players. Sophomore pitcher Nicole Ptak was a leader both on the mound and at the plate, finishing the season with a .371 batting average. Senior captain Emily Ostrover completed her last year of play with a team-leading .410 batting average and an All-Conference award. Other offensive stars were Diane Levine with an amazing 31 RBI's, and Tracy Gertler with an outstanding .592 on-base percentage. The Rebels as a team ended the year with a fantastic .328 batting average.

South would not have been as successful if it weren't for team defense. Every player on the field played her position with skill when it came down to crunch time. Junior third-baseman Meredith Krevitsky made the fewest errors on the team with three. Catcher Ali Ostrover kept the number of passed balls and wild pitches to a minimum, while the Rebels' infield was also solid. Another key to the team's success was the speedy trio of Morgan Handsman, Tracy Gertler and Tanya Brescia, who combined for 40 of the team's 100 stolen bases this season while Ilana Schwartz led the way with 22 of her own. South also sported strong bench players, such as Carly Dolgin, Kim Cannella and Jackie Chessen, who all came through in the clutch and filled in when needed.

The Rebels capped off their tremendous season with a playoff game against Mineola. South, seeded 16th, ran into Mineola's outstanding pitcher Katie Zunno and were defeated by a score of 14-1. On the bright side for the Rebels, the team managed three hits and one run off of Zunno, who finished her year with a whopping 0.11 ERA and a number of no-hitters under her belt. Mineola went on to win the Nassau Class B championship.

Although the Rebels didn't go far in the playoffs, the team looks forward to a great season next year under the guidance of coach Stu Fritz. The team will only be losing three seniors and has a strong group of underclassmen who all play at a high skill level. Said graduating senior Ali Ostrover, "Next year (the team) should do just as well because the team is so young." The Rebels will remain in Conference II-C next season and hopes to meet and exceed this year's outstanding achievements.