COVENTRY—When Coventry softball coach Jeff LaHouse jotted down the line-up card for his team this season, he always marveled at how he saw four freshmen names.
Still, win after win after win kept piling up.
Despite the Patriots featuring such youth (Coventry has just two seniors on its roster), the result was a 19-1 regular season and a four-game run back to the CIAC Class S championship game.
Second-seeded Coventry will defend last year’s title at 4 p.m. on Saturday, facing No. 9 Holy Cross at UConn’s Burrill Family Field in Storrs on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m.
“We’ve been to the semifinals four times in seven years, the quarters once and we have (last year’s) state championship, so we’re getting well known as a strong program,” LaHouse said.
Still, this season, he admits he wasn’t sure what to expect from his young team.
After all, five senior starters had graduated from the 2023 championship team and along with their talent a whole lot of experience left the program, as well.
It was a during a travel tryout, however, that LaHouse got to see first hand a couple of his freshmen in action.
“I said, ‘You know, we could be all right,’” he recalled.
He was right.
Of course, the Patriots did have junior pitcher Elizabeth Mitchell coming back in the circle, too.
“One key was that we had our pitcher back,” LaHouse concurred. “It’s heart and drive. She’s a good pitcher, but what makes her better is her drive to compete. She refuses to lose.”
That drive carries over to when the St. Peter’s University commit picks up a bat, as well. She has more than 60 RBIs this season, LaHouse said.
Behind the plate is Brooke Blouin, an All-State sophomore with 10 home runs this season. In one game, in fact, she had two grand slams and 8 RBIs.
“She’s a big strong kid and not much gets by her,” LaHouse said. “She’s really good.”
Two of his freshman are spotted in the infield corners with Megan Rodgers at first base and Lila Talaga at third. Both are especially adept at playing bunt defense despite their age and varsity inexperience.
Senior captain Caroline Wesoloskie has been a four-year starter at second base while Sarah Miller, a junior who missed last year due to injury, is back at shortstop.
In the outfield, junior Charlotte Wesoloskie is in right while two freshmen—Megan Doherty and Emma Vertucci are in center and left, respectively.
Brooke White, a sophomore, has seen a lot of duty as DP this season while sophomore Mia Gauthier, a quick speedy sort, can courtesy run or pinch run. Stella Gagnon and Brooke Rand are also role players waiting to see action.
LaHouse arrived at Coventry seven years ago and has his program in the spot of a perennial contender.
He did so by forging his program into the lower levels, helping the town’s youth and giving all the softball players role models (his own players) to look up to.
“It starts there,” he said. “We developed a relationship between the high school players and our youth players. We’re a big softball town.”
Some of those former youth players, he added, are now the varsity players giving back and chasing championships.
The Coventry way is to put pressure on opposing defenses, so the Patriots will be looking to test Holy Cross early and often.
“I feel like we’re the better team, and that’s not taking anything away from them,” LaHouse said. “(Holy Cross) made it here so they’re doing some great things. We just have to stay within ourselves and do what we do.”
If the Patriots can do that, then despite their youth, they could very well win back-to-back titles just one year after winning its first-ever championship.
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