Players on this year’s Baystate Sharks girls softball team started the season as strangers, but ended the year as champions – thanks in part to three Wareham players fans should continue to watch.

In July, the Bourne-based U12 team left the Dartmouth Summer Slam tournament undefeated. The team pulls girls from surrounding towns and are used to competing against each other as rivals.

“I think we really connected as a team and we haven’t done that in most of the other tournaments,” said Jenna Klemp, a pitcher.

Sharks Head Coach Dave Velesig said the team, which is made of girls in sixth and seventh grade, benefited from the contributions of Klemp, Ari Judge and Kate Trask, who are all Wareham Middle School students.

“They’re all going to be standouts in high school and some of these girls will play beyond high school,” said Velesig.

All three have played softball for the past four years. Velesig praised each of the girls’ work ethics. For Klemp, who trains constantly, the work never stops.

“What people don’t realize is to be a pitcher like Jenn it takes year round work,” said Velesig. “Pitching is its own animal and she embraces it.”

When Klemp is on the mound, Trask is behind the plate, a hardworking catcher with a great nickname.

“She blocks everything,” said Velesig. “She’s tough as nails, actually, the girls call her ‘Nails.’”

As for Judge, her main sport is basketball, but Velesig said she’s been coming into her own on the diamond.

“She’s a great shortstop, she’ll dive for balls and her hitting as really picked up lately,” said Velesig.

In addition to being great athletes, they are excellent students too, said Velesig. All have made honor roll throughout middle school and will enroll in the high school’s dual enrollment program.