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Pitcher Haylei Archer leads a rising Northern Burlington softball team that features seven junior starters

Archer has been a dominant pitcher since she arrived as part of a star-studded freshman class in 2017.

Haylei Archer, a pitcher of Northern Burlington HS Softball Team
March 28,2019  AKIRA SUWA / For The Inquirer.
Haylei Archer, a pitcher of Northern Burlington HS Softball Team March 28,2019 AKIRA SUWA / For The Inquirer.Read moreAkira Suwa

Even her name — Haylei Archer — sounds cool and just a little bit intimidating.

Like a softball superhero.

At 6-foot-1, Archer is an imposing presence in the circle for the Northern Burlington softball team. And if her height wasn’t enough, she’s a ridiculously hard thrower and delivers every pitch with a signature grunt that, in itself, commands attention.

But the spectacle of actually watching Archer pitch is preceded by the most intimidating factor of all: her success.

Archer has been a dominant pitcher since she arrived at Northern Burlington as part of a star-studded freshman class in 2017. She is coming off a sophomore campaign in which she struck out 185 batters in 103 1/3 innings, leading Northern Burlington to an appearance in the Central Jersey Group 3 title game.

And now, as she embarks on her junior season, she said her team — with seven junior starters — has never been more ready to make a run at its ultimate goal of winning a state title.

“We’re motivated,” Archer said. “We’ve been there before, and we’ve been counting down the days to our junior season, just to get back out there and focus on the little things that much more and be that much more successful.”

With seven sophomore starters last year, the Greyhounds lost the Central Jersey Group 3 championship to Steinert, 1-0.

Steinert ended up winning the Tournament of Champions, beating Lodi Immaculate, 9-0, in the title game.

Seeing Steinert in a sectional tournament was a tough draw for Northern Burlington. But it clearly illustrated how close the Greyhounds were to a team that took the rest of the state by storm.

Of course, that’s not exactly what Archer and her teammates are focused on.

“We worked super hard last season, even in the offseason and the weight room, and there was no feeling of, ‘Oh, we’re the babies. We’re sophomores. We’re not supposed to win this game,’ ” Archer said. “We know how this works. And it’s made us even more hungry this season.”

Archer has played with most of the junior class for years before high school. Most of them were varsity starters as freshman. They were heralded even before high school, and, as expected, they’ve lifted the Northern Burlington softball program wth their talent and work ethic and passion for softball.

They went 20-5 in 2017 and 23-3 last year.

“If you put all of the goals and all of the accolades aside, they’re just such a good group of people. Some coaches never get what these girls bring. I’m just blessed to be able to come back and be part of their ride,” said Greyhounds coach Tara Corcoran, back after sitting out last season because of the birth of her daughter.

Archer said much of her success is owed to the chemistry she has with her teammates, specifically her catcher, Julia Mayernik.

The two are close even off the diamond, where, Corcoran said, far from being intimidating the two are humble, modest, and “goofy in the best way possible.”

Mayernik “and I can be serious for whatever amount of time in a game, and two seconds later we’ll be cracking jokes and having a good time,” Archer said. “We just really trust each other and know each other. If I’m having an off day, she’ll be able to tell right away, and she’ll be able to tell me what to work on and how to correct it. She just understands the game and offers great feedback.”

Archer has been pitching for about eight years. Her mother was a pitcher and would teach her the position at home even back in the days when Archer was still in local coach-pitch leagues.

Pitching was ultimately a great fit not just for Archer’s physical skills but for her competitive nature.

Archer said what many interpret as her trying to be intimidating is actually her just being confident and comfortable in her ability.

“I am confident when I go out there, and I kind of just make sure that’s known,” Archer said. “Because the second I let my guard down and back off, that’s when the hitters can see, the coaches can see, everybody will be able to tell.

“Even if I’ve had a horrible warm-up, I’ll still go out there with the confidence that I’m going to strike everybody out. That’s just who I am.”

She’s just as confident in her team’s ability this year. The Greyhounds’ goals are sky high.

For a team made up largely of juniors, the team is uncommonly seasoned.

“All of us, when we see each other in the hallway, even the first few days of school,” Archer said, “we talk about how much we can’t wait for softball season.”