MONROE—Julia Bacoulis, a junior who led Masuk High School to an undefeated season, a No. 1 state tournament seed and a berth in Saturday’s State Class L championship game, has been named Connecticut Gatorade Softball Player of the Year.
Bacoulis is the fourth Masuk player to claim the Gatorade award, joining Rachel Fico, Tatum Buckley and Kat Gallant as former Panthers who were honored as the state’s best player.
“It’s such an honor,” Bacoulis said. “I never thought I’d be in a category with Rachel Fico, Buckley and Kat, all of them. It’s such a cool feeling to be categorized with such great players.”
Bacoulis said a big reason she was honored is because her teammates have always had her back every time she has stepped into the circle.
“My stats wouldn’t be where they are at without my team behind me,” she said. “The defense behind me is so talented.”
On Saturday, Bacoulis will look to lead Masuk to its sixth straight Class L championship.
“I think it means a ton, especially with the talent we have on this team,” Masuk head coach Leigh Barone said. “Her being on the mound, in the circle in all these high-pressure games, it’s huge. It draws a lot of attention to her and what she does on the mound and at the plate separates her from others.”
Bacoulis went 18-0 this season, posting a 0.86 ERA. She struck out 261 matters in 128 innings and had a WHIP (Walks and Hits/Innings Pitched) of 0.61. She held opposing hitters to a .107 batting average this season.
Yes, there are pitchers in Connecticut who might have produced slightly better numbers out of the circle this season.
At the plate, however, Bacoulis separates herself from the others.
She hit .481 with a .591 on-base percentage. She hit 11 home runs, six doubles, four triples and in the 26 games she has played she scored 42 runs and drove in 40 RBI.
“At the plate, there’s not a ton of pitchers that can do that,” Barone said. “She was also our starting shortstop as a freshman. It shows she can do anything.”
Being able to do anything is something that has always appealed to Bacoulis.
“For sure. Before I got recruited, I didn’t know if wanted to stick to shortstop or go pitch in college,” she said. “I wanted to be versatile so I can tell coaches, ‘Yeah, I hit, too.’”
Bacoulis, who has verbally committed to play for Florida Gulf Coast University after graduating, led the Panthers to a 26-0 season this spring. Counting last year’s state championship run—Masuk’s fifth in a row—the Panthers have now won 29 straight games dating back to last season’s SWC Championship game loss.
“She absolutely deserves it,” said Cheshire head coach Kristine Drust, whose team lost to Masuk 10-6 yet will be playing for the Class LL championship on Saturday. “She was my vote. Hitting-wise, pitching-wise, it was absolute dominance. So, she represents the state of Connecticut very proudly.”
The Gatorade Player of the Year Award is handed out to a player in each and every state, the District of Columbia, and there is also a national award, as well.
“In my 12 years at Southington, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such improvement in a player from one year to the next—truly,” said Southington coach Davina Hernandez, via a press release. “Julia has been a very good pitcher since her freshman year, but she just keeps getting better and better. She’s also a very tough out at the plate and a very good hitter. She’s looked stronger and better than ever this spring. She pitched a great game against us, giving up only five hits and one earned run with 17 strikeouts and one walk. I’ve been most impressed with her ability to control her pitches this year. She has a very bright future ahead of her. She’s had a very impressive 2024.”
Growing up, Bacoulis used to go to her sister Alexa’s game quite often.
Often, she was drawn to the girls who started the play in the circle.
“It was honestly myself,” she said. “I used to go to my sister’s game when she played for Seahawks and I’d watch her from the outfield and I’d go and I’d follow (the pitcher’s) motions. I asked my dad if I could pitch and he said, ‘Sure’, so I took some lessons and that’s how it all started.”
Getting her college choice out of the way early has lifted a burden off of her and allowed her to focus on just softball.
“It’s such a relief, honestly,” she said. “Throughout the whole recruiting process, I was extremely stress. When I was down on my visit, I knew I wanted to be there. I loved the environment. Knowing where I wanted to be, now I’m able to set goals both athletically and academically, and I know what I need to do.”
Bacoulis, who mains a 4.06 “weighted” GPA at Masuk, has also been the boys basketball manager at Masuk.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
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