With a freshman ace, Apponequet softball looking to prove itself in battle-tested South Coast Conference

“When we play more competitive teams, I tend to do better,” Taylor said. “It just gives me more confidence, and it helps to get more reps as well.”

Taylor has recorded a 0.56 ERA and 70 strikeouts in seven outings for the Lakers (8-1).

“Everyone’s really buying into their roles, accepting them, and we’re working well together as a team,” Apponequet coach Nate Farrington said. “We have a good mix of veterans and young players stepping up. I’ve asked a lot of them this year, even off the field. How we’re running practice, how we’re conducting ourselves, how we’re holding ourselves up to our standard moving forward.”

Catcher Caleigh Venuti has a better view of Taylor’s talent than almost anyone from her spot behind the plate.

“She’s not acting like a freshman right now,” noted Venuti, who is committed to Emmanuel. “She’s taken the pressure, and she’s using it to her advantage. She makes it really easy for me. Most of the time we’re on the same page with what she wants to throw, and our chemistry helps keep her calm and composed. Lauren [Bernaiche] was really good, and Reese is right up there with her.”

Bernaiche, now playing at Jefferson University, led the Lakers to the Division 3 semifinals last season. But this year’s team has their sights set higher.

“There’s three teams in the [South Coast] Conference that won a state championship in the past three or four years,” Farrington said. “Playing those teams on a regular basis, those are the games you want to play.”

To say that the SCC is one of the toughest softball conferences in the state wouldn’t be an understatement. With Dighton-Rehoboth, Joseph Case, and Greater New Bedford all recent state champions, Apponequet looks to do something it hasn’t done since 1999: lift a trophy in June.

“It helps us not get shaken up in the playoffs,” Venuti said. “We’re prepared for it because we’ve been seeing such great teams all season. So when we do have to go play other amazing teams, we’re able to go out and perform.”

Adding to Apponequet’s firepower in the circle is senior Sarah DelVecchio, forming an effective one-two punch.

“We support each other,” DelVecchio said. “Reese is a really good kid. Our different pitches and speeds really work together.”

Having Venuti, one of the best game-callers and pitch-framers in the state doesn’t hurt, either.

“She knows both of our pitches really well,” DelVecchio said. “We always go over what’s working, what’s not right before the game. She does a great job for the both of us.”

“[Venuti is] always hyping me up, giving me confidence in my pitches,” Taylor agreed. “We have a great relationship.”

That relationship and on-field chemistry has been one of the biggest factors in Apponequet’s impressive start to the year, and one they hope continues.

The Lakers will have played 13 games before the end of the month, with a lighter May before jumping into the postseason.

”Whenever we play, we’ll play, and we’ll be ready. Whether it’s four games in four days, or one game in a week, we really don’t care and just want to play,” Farrington said. “We’re not worried about the moment, we’ve been there, and we want to make sure we’re ready to go again this year.”

▪ There’s getting hot at the plate. Then there’s the week that King Philip senior Liv Petrillo recorded.

Petrillo launched a trio of three-run blasts against Milford, followed it up with a two-run shot vs. Oliver Ames, then clobbered a grand slam as the second-ranked Warriors capped off a three-win week with a nonleague triumph over No. 7 Bishop Feehan.

Three games. Six home runs.

“It’s like every time she steps into the box, I think, ‘Oh she could change the game with one swing,’ ” King Philip coach Kate Fallon-Comeau said.

For the season, the Providence-bound Petrillo is hitting .556 with six home runs, 13 runs, and 18 RBIs. Just as important as her stats, Petrillo’s leadership shines through. As one of four captains, she paves the way for younger players.

“I honestly couldn’t ask for anything more from her,” Fallon-Comeau said. “She’s that player that every coach dreams of. She’s filling the big shoes.”

▪ Fourth-ranked Dighton-Rehoboth (5-1) tested itself with a plethora of challenging matchups this season – so much so that it became a champions tour for the defending Division 3 title holders.

“Walpole was the finale of our state champ tour, right? We played [Division 1 champion] Taunton, then [Division 4 champion] Case, and now [Division 2 champion] Walpole, so it was nice because we were battle tested really early,” Dighton-Rehoboth coach Katie Holmes said.

Wednesday, No. 14 Bridgewater-Raynham at No. 2 King Philip, 12 p.m. — After King Philip won 7-4 in the first meeting on April 4, Olivia Roy and the Trojans look to even the nonleague season series.

Wednesday, No. 12 Apponequet at No. 4 Dighton-Rehoboth, 3:45 p.m. — With both teams unbeaten in the South Coast Conference, Edy Latour leads the Falcons into a home matchup against surging Apponequet.

Thursday, No. 16 Weymouth at Marshfield, 11 a.m. — A one-loss Marshfield team hosts junior Jill Ondrick and the Wildcats, who have plated 18 runs in their last two outings.

Friday, No. 3 Lincoln-Sudbury at No. 5 Silver Lake, 1 p.m. — A pair of two-way stars, senior pitchers Kelsey Blanchette (Lincoln-Sudbury) and Delaney Moquin (Silver Lake) square off in nonleague play.

Monday, No. 17 Newton North at No. 19 Needham, 6 p.m. — A pair of teams atop the Bay State Conference fight for divisional supremacy.

Correspondent Cam Kerry contributed to this story.

Joe Eachus can be reached at joseph.eachus@globe.com. Follow him @joeeachus_.