Drew DeBacco ’14: From a very young age, the family of Caroline Giles ’13 guided her towards softball. In fact, the sport was in her blood. Her grandfather, William (Bill) Giles is the Chairman of the Philadelphia Phillies and her great-grandfather served as the President of the National League. Therefore it is easy to surmise that she was ‘always’ going to be on the field.
However, Giles’s parents did not push her into softball; rather they simply hoped that their child would possibly come across this interest by herself. As we see today, it did not take long until Giles’ love for the game became obvious and she pursued it vigorously.
Giles recalled, “At a young age, [my sisters and I] played on a bunch of tournament and travel teams.” Giles stressed that these were the years in which she really became “connected” with the game.
In her fourteen years at Episcopal, Giles has won Second Team All-League Honors and is now captain of the girls’ varsity team. She has played softball for EA each year of both middle and high school.
Despite Giles’ commitment, the past years have been undoubtedly tough for EA softball. Giles noted, “After my freshman year a lot of seniors graduated…we’ve been rebuilding with dedicated coaching staff since then, this year our goal is to win the Inter-Ac.” The years of rebuilding serve to “focus” Giles and the team in their pursuit of the Inter-Ac championship.
Giles emphasized that, “[the] coaches have been through thick and thin with [the team]” and that much of the improvement on the team is due to their commitment.
Giles said through all her years playing at EA she has always looked up to each of the captains she has played with and always wanted to be one. Now that she has achieved this goal, she hopes to increase team chemistry and camaraderie amongst her teammates. She noted, “One of the most important things about being a leader is being able to bring everyone together around a common goal and this year that goal is to win the Inter-Ac.”
On the field, she has stated that she not only wants to win the Inter-Ac this year but also hopes to improve the team for future years.
Gillian Smith ’15, a member of the team, stated, “Caro [Giles’ nickname] is a great captain because she can easily relate to us and she’s really into team bonding. She knows how to get the job done because she’s been on the team through good times and bad.”
Giles, always complementary of her teammates, noted, “Everyone on the team is a hard worker.” She is confident that, due to the team’s tough offseason practices and hard work during in-season practices, the girls have a legitimate chance of winning the Inter-Ac and defeating long-time rival Agnes Irwin, who has won the league for many years in a row. Agnes Irwin, a perennial power in Inter-Ac softball, is “undoubtedly our biggest rival”, according to Giles.
Kate Ortlieb ’15, another member of the softball squad, added, “Caro is always full of spirit and her confidence in her team encourages us to work hard so that we can have a great season.”
Giles has seen the team through all the ups and downs that have occurred during her four years of high school; however, through hard work, great coaching and excellent team chemistry, she believes the girls have an excellent opportunity to win the Inter-Ac this year.

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