25 CIAC SOFTBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2022

Here are 25 CIAC softball players to watch entering the 2022 season:

Emilee Bishop, Sr., East Haven: The twoway pitcher/infielder was the number two pitcher in the rotation behind Tori Heaphy for most of last year, before taking over in the postseason to lead East Haven to the Class L semifinal. She went 7-0 with a 1.02 ERA and 77 strikeouts in 60 innings pitched. Bishop also hit .446 with three home runs.

Kylie Bulinsky, Sr., Woodland: The All-State catcher was one of the top bats in the state last year, slashing .649/.700/1.330. Bulinsky hit 14 home runs last year, including a walk-off in the NVL championship game.

Maddie Burrows, Sr., Waterford: The twoway Villanova commit will be among the top players in the state as she slashed .523/.614/ 1.154 with nine home runs last year while going 12-1 with a 0.89 ERA and 134 strikeouts in 86.1 innings pitched.

Ashlyn Desaulniers, Sr., Southington: Slashed .412/.495/.762 for the Class LL champion squad. She had 33 hits with four home runs, 24 RBIs and 33 runs scored to go along with 21 stolen bases at an 87.5% success rate.

Kat Gallant, Sr., Masuk: The GameTimeCT 2021 Softball MVP led Class L champion Masuk to an undefeated season in the circle. She went 21-0 with a 0.27 ERA and a 0.44 WHIP, striking out 273 batters in 130 innings pitched. Gallant is also an offensive threat as she hit .532 with five home runs last year.

Sophie Garner-MacKinnon, Sr., Hall: Garner-MacKinnon was the best pitcher in the state last season. The Duke commit pitched Hall into the Class LL semifinals. She broke a school record with 16 wins to go along with her 0.24 ERA and 341 strikeouts in 145.2 innings pitched.

Jaelyn Gonzalez, Jr., Newington: The pitcher/first baseman hit .620 last year as a sophomore, with 25 runs scored, 34 RBIs and 17 extra base hits (five home runs).

Ashley Hubner, Jr., Newtown: The All-State honorable mention selection at second base led Newtown with a .660 average last year on 43 hits with 20 RBIs and 26 runs scored as a sophomore.

Hannah Irons, Jr., Plainfield: Irons had a ridiculous sophomore campaign in which she got a hit in over 70% of her at bats, leading Plainfield offensively with a slash line of .722/ .741/1.222 to go with 33 runs, 23 RBIs and four home runs.

Maddy Lavalle, Sr., Maloney: Lavalle was a GameTimeCT All-State honorable mention last year, hitting.539 with 25 RBI and four home runs for Maloney as a junior.

Natalie Lieto, So., Masuk: Posted a .486 batting average while slugging 1.055 in her freshman campaign as the Masuk leadoff hitter. Returning as a sophomore, the sky is the limit for Lieto.

Grace Lurz, Sr., Cheshire: Lurz slashed .569/ .597/.672 as a junior last year. She tallied 33 hits as the Cheshire table setter with nine RBIs and 24 runs scored. Lurz only struck out four times and had nine stolen bases.

Sara MacKinnon, Sr., Immaculate: The catcher slashed .574/.618/.1.279 (1.896 OPS) as a junior last season. She had 22 extra base hits (eight doubles, seven triples and seven home runs) in 35 hits. She gunned down 75% of attempted base stealers and had five pickoffs.

Kiley Mullins, So., North Branford: Mullins made a name for herself as a freshman last year, taking over pitching duties for North Branford to help lead the team to the Class M final. She racked up 84 strikeouts in 67 innings pitched along with a 9-2 record and a 1.15 ERA.

Elena Ohe, Jr., Fairfield Ludlowe: The outfielder hit .556 with an on base percentage of .620 in her sophomore season. Ohe collected 40 hits, 33 RBIs and scored 42 runs.

Brianna Pellicone, So., Newtown: Pellicone had a phenomenal freshman season in which she batted .470 with 27 RBIs, 22 runs scored and a team-leading six home runs.

Kiley Regan, Sr., Seymour: Last year the shortstop smashed 12 home runs with 49 RBIs and a .438 batting average for Class M champion Seymour.

Alexis Resto, Sr., Shelton:

The 2nd Team All-State first baseman slashed .667/.700/ 1.000 with 17 extra base hits, 27 runs scored and 29 RBIs. Resto also had a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Bella Richwine, So., Haddam-Killingworth:

The H-K freshman established herself as an ace last year, pitching to the tune of a 0.66 ERA with a 7-0 record and 89 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched. She also hit .449 with five doubles and three home runs.

Hanna Senerchia, Sr., North Branford:

The catcher hit .526 last season with a .609 on base percentage. Senerchia had 30 hits, 33 runs scored, and 11 RBIs as the North Branford table setter.

Sam Sosnovich, Sr., Woodland:

Sosnovich split time between shortstop and pitcher last season and compiled an 11-0 record with 115 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched and a 0.64 ERA. She also slashed .463/.516/.825.

Maddie Southers, Sr., Fitch:

Last year the All-State honorable mention center fielder hit .477 with a 1.260 OPS last season as a junior. She had 30 hits with 10 extra base hits, including four home runs.

Judy Tarczali, So., Notre Dame-Fairfield:

Exploded on the scene last year, taking the ball in every game for Notre Dame-Fairfield to establish herself as a true ace. Tarczali went 20-3 with a 1.56 ERA with 12 shutouts, two no-hitters and a perfect game.

Chelsea Villar, Jr., Fairfield Ludlowe:

Villar was one of the many sluggers on last year’s Ludlowe team. She hit .506 with 42 hits and 41 RBIs as a sophomore for the Class LL runnerup.

Lauren Wasikowski, Sr., St. Joseph:

Wasikowski transferred to St. Joseph and dominated as she stepped into the ace role. She finished with a 19-2 record and a 0.97 ERA while striking out 234 batters in 135 innings while hitting .433 with four home runs.