MONROE—There has been a target on the collective back of the Masuk High School softball players for a while now.
Five straight state championships will do that for a program.
Never has that target been bigger, however, than this season.
The Panthers are the No. 1 team in the state, undefeated this season and winners of 29 straight games dating back to last year’s SWC championship loss to Newtown.
Come Saturday, the top-seeded Panthers are slated to face No. 2 Ellington—the lone 1 vs. 2 matchup this season—for the Class L state championship. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m. at UConn’s Burrill Family Field in Storrs.
Despite the target on their back, Masuk coach Leigh Barone thinks the Panthers won’t be overwhelmed by the pressure, simply because they are used to it.
“It’s maturity,” she said. “I think that being in this situation before—this will be my seventh state championship game—I think being in this situation so many times has kind of taken the pressure off. And if I can trust them and if they see that I’m calm, they’re calm. So, I think they feed off us as a coaching staff and we like to be, what’s the word? We like to be confident, but not overconfident because overconfidence could kill, right?”
On the other side of the dugout is a very good Ellington team that Masuk knocked off in the semifinals last year. The Knights also feature a solid pitcher in Camryn Fisher, a Syracuse commit who can match Masuk’s Julia Bacoulis, the state’s 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year, pitch for pitch.
Last year, Masuk knocked off Ellington in the semifnials.
“I think Cam Fisher’s a year older and a has a year more of experience and then they’re coming for us because of the semifinals last year,” Barone said. “So they took the next step and they made it to the championship. I think Fisher’s great. We watched obviously the St. Joe’s game (a semifinal win for Ellington) and they came up with very timely hits. Their offense was putting the ball in play against them. So I think with the pitching, especially from both ends, it’s going to be a good game and it’s going to be a battle.”
For Masuk, it starts with Bacoulis in the circle.
‘”Oh God. She’s just amazing,” Barone said. “Julia is a gamer. She wants the ball. She loves the ball, and she lives for the pressure situation.”
Behind the plate is junior catcher Alyssa Casitllo, who played third base last year due to an injury but has shined catching Bacoulis.
Around the infield, Masuk features Maddie Aguirre, a junior at first base; Providence-bound second baseman Sophia Lieito, a junior; Grace Ely, a sophomore, at shortstop, and Ava Moretti, a junior, at third base.
In the outfield, Penn State-bound senior Natalie Lieto roams center field while flanked by Ciena Perpetuo, a freshman, and Aubrey Zvovushe-Ramos, a junior.
Bella Holsworth, a senior captain, is the DP while Juliana Falcone and Maya Dodge, two freshmena and sophomore Erin Ronaghan, are ready to come off the bench and contribute.
Chasing a sixth straight title is special.
“It takes a village,” Barone said. “Obviously, championships aren’t made in the spring season. They’re made all year. And I think the tradition of winning just makes them want to keep winning. And their mentality is, what can I do to better myself to better the team? So, I think it really starts all year. And that begins with parents that are willing to take them to all those things, not during the spring season. It’s obviously the hard work they’re putting in not just during the spring season, but the rest of the season, as well.”
The bull’s eye is on their back, but the Masuk Panthers, always ready to take on all comers, are ready to make to history with yet another state championship on Saturday.
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