CIAC SOFTBALL PREVIEW
CLASS LL STORYLINES
Three-peat? As the No. 2 seed in the tournament this year, Southington is looking for its third straight Class LL title. Southington won three titles in a row from 2013-2015 and is looking to accomplish the feat yet again under coach Davina Hernandez. Southington’s trip won’t necessarily be easy, however, with that side of the bracket appearing unusually difficult, with Ludlowe and Hall as potential semifinal matchups, Maloney or Enfield in the quarters and NFA or Norwalk in the second round. Southington has the unique advantage of three pitchers, so fatigue should not be an issue.
Eyes on the first: Last year, Fairfield Ludlowe’s first Class LL championship game ended in heartbreaking fashion, as Southington walked off to spoil the party for the up-and-coming powerhouse. Ludlowe has won back-to-back FCIAC titles (the first two in program history), and as the GameTimeCT poll’s No. 1-ranked team there is only one thing left for coach Lou Bunosso and his team to do: Win a state title. Despite having the same record as Southington and Danbury (and defeating Danbury twice), Fairfield Ludlowe got the short end of the stick with the No. 3 seed, and could have a muchanticipated rematch with Southington in the semifinals.
CCC showing: Of the top 10 seeded teams, six of them hail from the CCC: No. 2 Southington, No. 4 Glastonbury, No. 5 Bristol Central, No. 6 Hall, No. 7 Enfield and No. 10 Maloney. While CCC teams only get so many out-ofconference games in the regular season, the state tournament marks a chance for the perhaps underrated conference to show where it stands among the biggest schools. Last year Southington defeated Glastonbury in the quarterfinal and Hall in the semifinals, while Hall defeated Enfield in the quarterfinals. Fortunately for them, they are a bit more spread out this year.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophie Garner-MacKinnon, Hall: The Duke-committed pitcher carried her team to the Class LL semifinals a season ago but has been unable to get over the final hump that has been Southington. Hall could face Fairfield Ludlowe in the quarterfinals, and when she is on the mound, nothing comes easy.
Elena Ohe, Fairfield Ludlowe: The shortstop is looking to make her mark on a mostly lost junior season due to a broken wrist suffered on opening day. Ohe returned toward the end of the regular season and hit a home run in her first game back as Ludlowe defeated Danbury 9-0. The Yale commit is perhaps the most dangerous bat in a team that went undefeated in-state without her.
Brooke Tracy, Glastonbury:
The Bryant University commit finished the regular season 15-2 with a 1.28 ERA, and 186 strikeouts in 93 innings pitched. She also slashed .474/.565/1.018 with six home runs at the plate. Glastonbury was bumped early from the CCC tournament, so Tracy may have a chip on her shoulder. Sydney Adolfson, Newtown: The junior pitcher will need to be on top of her game (as she was in the SWC tournament) for No. 9 Newtown. Adolfson went 10-3 with a 1.06 ERA and 137 strikeouts in 86 innings. With Newtown missing one of its (if not its best) hitter in Bri Pellicone, the team will need Adolfson to build on last year’s surprise run to the quarterfinals.
Haley Pucci, Danbury: The new kid on the block has taken Danbury from what was the No. 26 seed in the tournament to the No. 1 seed this year. Danbury has the lone bye and is coming off a 2-0 loss to Ludlowe in the FCIAC title game. In the regular season Pucci went 19-1 with a 0.75 ERA. She threw nine shutouts and a nohitter while striking out 273 batters in 140 innings pitched. She has proved to be one of the top arms in the state.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 27 New Canaan at No. 6 Hall: Hall is a top-10 team in the state and is the clear favorite, but New Canaan has played up to its competition at points this year despite a 9-11 record. The Rams have a 1-0 loss to Danbury, a 4-0 loss to St. Joseph and a 2-0 loss to Ludlowe. Pitcher Ava Biasotti can clearly keep a game close.
Will’s picks
FINAL FOUR
Danbury, Glastonbury, Southington, Fairfield Ludlowe CHAMPIONSHIP
Southington over Danbury
CLASS L STORYLINES
Let’s make it four: Masuk has won three Class L championships in a row and will be looking for its fourth as the No. 1 seed in the tournament. The Panthers have been established (along with Southington) as the perennial powerhouse program in the state. Masuk lost on opening day to Fairfield Ludlowe but has won every game since behind the pitching of Kat Gallant and the bat of Natalie Lieto. A first-round bye will place Masuk against the winner of No. 16 Rockville and No. 17 North Haven in the second round.
Top 10 bracket: There are four GameTimeCT Top 10-ranked teams in the Class L bracket, but three of them are loaded into the top half. Masuk (No. 2 in poll), East Haven (No. 6) and Jonathan Law (No. 9) will have to get through each other (and others) for a trip to the championship game which also features St. Joseph, which just fell out of the Top 10.
East Haven revenge: East Haven has made strong runs in the Class L tournament over the past couple of seasons. Last year East Haven made it to the semifinal round and in 2019 it lost in the championship game, both times to Masuk. With Masuk and East Haven potentially lined up to face in the semifinals again, Emilee Bishop will see if she can out-duel Gallant.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kat Gallant, Masuk: The Villanova commit recorded her 500th strikeout as Masuk cruised to the SWC title yet again. Gallant has only lost one game in her career, and dominated in the postseason last year. Last year in the Class L championship game she threw a complete-game shutout and hit a two-run home run to defeat St. Joseph 2-0.
Emilee Bishop, East Haven: Bishop took the reins during the Yellow Jackets’ playoff run last year. She and Maddie Burrows of Waterford battled in one of the best games of the tournament, a 1-0 nine-inning victory for East Haven. Bishop just has one more obstacle to get past on her record: Masuk.
Jackie Pengel, Avon: The Syracuse commit has carried Avon to a 16-4 record on both sides of the ball. Pengel finished the regular season with a 0.60 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 971⁄3 innings pitched. She also hit .729, and slugged 1.646 with 12 home runs, 34 RBIs and 29 runs scored.
Maddie Burrows, Waterford: The Villanova commit already has one state championship under her belt, helping Waterford win the 2019 Class M title. Burrows leads the Lancers on both sides of the ball and will look to end her senior season the same way she ended her freshman season.
Addie Smith, Guilford: This sophomore rakes. Smith has broken out this season, slashing .446/.532/.938 with eight home runs, 30 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 12 Brookfield over No. 5 Law: The potential second-round matchup lays the ground for a potential upset. Brookfield showed in the SWC tournament that it should be taken seriously, as Jillian Mitchell pitched and clubbed her way to the SWC final. Law is a force to be reckoned with, but so was Newtown.
Will’s picks
FINAL FOUR
Masuk, East Haven, Waterford, Avon
CHAMPIONSHIP
Masuk over Waterford
CLASS M STORYLINES
A second chance: Last year Woodland entered the Class M championship as the No. 1 seed with an undefeated record but lost to North Branford in the semifinal. This year, coach Loren Luddy made sure to give her team plenty of preseason looks at pitching from other conferences, and Woodland finds itself in the same position. Loaded with talent and undefeated again, Woodland wants that title.
Shoreline miss, state hit? The sophomore-heavy Haddam-Killingworth team entered the season with one goal: winning the Shoreline tournament. Unfortunately for them, the tournament went to North Branford for the
seventh straight season, but Haddam-Killingworth could still come home with a trophy. H-K has garnered plenty of postseason experience with its young squad, which earned a first-round bye as the No. 3 seed.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kylie Bulinski, Woodland: The catcher has a history of postseason heroics, hitting a walk-off home run in the 2021 NVL championship game. This year Bulinski is slashing .603/.643/1.247 with 11 home runs, 40 RBIs and 20 runs.
Riley Kane, Woodland: One of Woodland’s two aces, Kane has been dominant all season. She has a 0.24 ERA with 87 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched. She is also slashing .575/.593/.913 with three home runs, 36 RBIs and 33 runs scored.
Kiley Regan, Seymour: The senior is batting .500 and slugging 1.017 with six home runs, 30 RBIs and 24 runs scored for the defending Class M champions
Kaleigh Bodak, Haddam-Killingworth: The junior pitcher has taken over the ace role for the Haddam-Killingworth pitching staff. She has a 14-2 record with a 1.25 ERA and 121 strikeouts in 841⁄3 innings pitched. Bodak is also hitting .425 with 18 RBIs and 22 runs scored.
Izzy Ingersoll, Notre DameFairfield: The sophomore broke out to the tune of a .566/.596/.891 slash line with four home runs, 25 RBIs and 36 runs scored for the 17th-seeded Lancers.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 18 Seymour over No. 15 Rocky Hill: Seymour had a bit of a down year compared to its usual dominance, but still managed an 11-9 record and an 18th-seed placement in the Class M tournament, which it won a season ago. Seymour pairs up with Rocky Hill in the first round and would face No. 2 O’Brien Tech in the second round. Seymour could very possibly find itself in the quarterfinals.
No. 21 Sacred Heart Academy over No. 12 Watertown:
SHA finished the regular season with a 10-10 record and faces No. 12 Watertown in the first round. SHA has played up to its competition, defeating Seymour once this season, losing to West Haven 2-0 and Jonathan Law 1-0. Don’t sleep on SHA.
Will’s picks FINAL FOUR
Woodland, Nonnewaug, Haddam-Killingworth, Seymour CHAMPIONSHIP
Woodland over Haddam-Killingworth
CLASS S STORYLINES
Buried in the rankings: There are many teams that could make a solid run at the Class S title that do not have good seeding in the tournament. No. 12 Coginchaug is the defending champion and has defeated No. 1 Cromwell this season. No. 15 North Branford lost in the Class M championship last year and just won the Shoreline Conference. No. 14 Immaculate is also a contender, having faced the likes of Woodland, Masuk, Enfield and Danbury this season. North Branford rerun: Though last year’s North Branford run was in Class M, this year’s season has had similar characteristics. After a relatively slow start, coach Nick DeLizio and North Branford are primed for a big tournament after surprising with their seventh conference title in a row. Shoreline cycle: Cromwell defeated North Branford 2-0 and 4-0 in the final game of the regular season. Two games before that North Branford had defeated defending Class S champion Coginchaug 9-0. Coginchaug won the first meeting against North Branford 13-8 and defeated Cromwell 5-0. Old Lyme defeated Coginchaug twice, lost to North Branford and lost twice to Cromwell. The difference between the No. 1 seed to the No. 15 seed does not seem very significant.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Lily Kennedy, Cromwell: The Cromwell ace is 17-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 1122⁄3 innings pitched. She also is hitting .478 with four home runs, 34 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
Kiley Mullins, North Branford: The sophomore was on the mound for most of North Branford’s Class M championship run a year ago but suffered a loss to Seymour in that game. Returning with postseason experience under her belt, look for the North Branford ace to be on a mission. Amelia Jacob, Shepaug: The freshman will get her first state tournament experience for the No. 7 seed to cap off a phenomenal first season. Jacob went 12-5 with a 1.12 ERA and 233 strikeouts in 106 innings. She threw six shutouts and a no-hitter while hitting .397 with four home runs. Emily Rerick, Immaculate: Rerick helped lead Immaculate to the SWC semifinal round before being eliminated by Masuk. The first-team all-SWC selection will look to lead Immaculate to its first state championship.
SEEDED UPSETS
No. 15 North Branford over No. 18 Wolcott Tech: North Branford will face Wolcott Tech in the first round, and should it win would play No. 2 Civic Leadership. If Civic Leadership can’t hold on, North Branford could make a run. No. 14 Immaculate over No. 19 Bolton: Similar situation as North Branford. Immaculate will face Bolton in the first round, and would face No. 3 Coventry in the second round.
Will’s picks
FINAL FOUR
Cromwell, Old Lyme, North Branford and Immaculate. CHAMPIONSHIP
Cromwell over Immaculate