An ace emerges
Biasotti firing on all cylinders for New Canaan
In mid-April, New Canaan softball pitcher Ava Biasotti struck out 16 batters in a win over Staples.
Two days later, she pitched an immaculate inning — three strikeouts on nine pitches — while fanning all nine hitters she faced to earn a save against Wilton.
Saturday, she set a school record with an eye-popping 22 strikeouts while pitching seven perfect innings in a game the Rams eventually lost 1-0 in eight frames.
At times during that run, New Canaan’s Joel Geriak has transformed from coach to fan.
“It’s fun for us to watch,” Geriak said of Biasotti’s performance.
A Ram veteran, Biasotti has emerged as a true ace as the Rams are having one of the best seasons in a few years. New Canaan is 7-6 overall and 5-4 in the FCIAC, matching its win total from last season, and is within striking distance of its first state playoff berth since 2018, and its first FCIAC tournament bid since winning the title in 2014.
There have been a couple of bumpy games, but Biasotti
has more often shut the door on opposing hitters.
In 11 appearances, including eight starts, she has hit double digit strikeouts seven times and had nine Ks twice.
She’s averaging better than two strikeouts per inning with 125 Ks in 60 frames, while pitching to an ERA of 4.05. Remove an eight-run game against
Stamford from that mix and her ERA drops to 3.13.
Biasotti, who in September committed to play for Bowdoin College, credits her success to her time on the travel circuit and in showcases during the summer.
“Playing up at a higher level with more difficult batters and umpires really made me hone in on my
moving pitches, making sure they’re breaking the right way, and making sure I’m staying within the strike zone,” Biasotti said.
“She’s been putting the time in,” Geriak, a New Canaan co-coach with Danielle Simoneau, said. “She traveled all over the country — Texas, Florida — I can’t even remember all the places she’s been, she was traveling so much. She put a lot of time and effort in, and she hit the weight room. She wanted to be a better pitcher overall, not just a thrower, and she’s done a great job of developing and getting better every year.”
Biasotti has had her sights set on playing at the next level for a few years. As a sophomore, she began emailing college coaches, and traveling to camps and showcases. She eventually found Bowdoin to be the best fit.
“They really valued the academics and that’s really the going force there, and I liked the fact that they’re a small college and the campus is absolutely gorgeous,” Biasotti said. “The coaches are so sweet and they’re amazing. So I’m really excited to be going into that next year.”
Geriak said the main key to Biasotti’s success has been control.
“When she hits her spots, with the velocity she throws already, teams have trouble catching up with that,” Geriak said. “She’s one of those pitchers you hope for and you get once every couple of years. In the past we’ve had Gillian (Kane), Allie (Reilly) and Cydney Ventura, and they were all different. (Biasotti) throws as hard as those pitchers did and she can move the ball well too. When you put those things together, you’ve got a great pitcher.”
Biasotti has shared the pitching circle with fellow senior Faith Hibbert, who last Thursday pitched a six-inning no-hitter against Greenwich while walking five and striking out nine.
Saturday’s game was a remarkable pitching duel between Biasotti and Jillian Mitchell of Brookfield (10-3).
Through seven innings, Biasotti had a perfect game and had struck out 19 of 21 Bobcat hitters, while Mitchell held the Rams to just two hits.
The only threat was in the bottom of the third when New Canaan senior Christina Sinatra and sophomore Sarah Buckner singled to put runners on the corners with two outs. Mitchell escaped.
Leading off the top of the eighth, Katherine Brooks touched Biasotti for a solo home run. Jackie Santaigo then singled, but Biasotti struck out the next three hitters.
The Rams were unable to muster a rally in the bottom of the inning.
“It was a really highintensity game,” Biasotti said. “It really is a team sport. All of the girls were so supportive to me throughout the game, and we were really focused on hitting the ball, it just didn’t work out in our favor that day.”
New Canaan rebounded to win 7-3 over Brien McMahon (10-3) on Tuesday. The Rams banged out seven hits and drew six walks, with Sinatra, senior Lina Welch and sophomore Mackenzie Hart each driving in two runs.
“After hanging so close with Brookfield and then coming back and beating McMahon, I really hope we can take that energy and move forward through the rest of the season,” Biasotti said. “We see that and we have a lot of potential for making it far in FCIACs and states.”
The Rams have one month left to make their mark and Biasotti said the end of her New Canaan career will be bittersweet.
“There will be lots of tears,” Biasotti said. “I’ve loved every second of playing under Danielle and Joel, and the group of girls I’ve played with have been absolutely amazing.”