FAIRFIELD–Pam London has been around Sacred Heart University softball for her entire adult life.
She played for the Pioneers as a teenager. She was an assistant coach soon after graduating. She became co-head coach. And, for the past five seasons, she has been Sacred Heart’s singular head coach.
Over that time, London has seen a lot of changes in the SHU program: From making the jump from a Division-2 school to the D-1 ranks in the late 1990s, to the groundbreaking and completion of Pioneer Park in 2009-10.
Now, the Pioneers have made a change again, leaving the Northeast Conference to join the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference starting this spring.
“We’re in a new league so we’re the new kids on the block,” said London. “They’re not unfamiliar opponents, though. We’ve played them a lot. But this puts a whole new dimension on it and we’re excited.”
The MAAC released its 2025 preseason coaches poll at the Pioneers are picked tied for seventh with in-town rival Fairfield. Marist is the coaches’ selection to win the league.
London is excited for more than just a new league, though.
This year’s team has potential to make a splash in the MAAC.
A year ago, the Pioneers went 27-29 (16-8 in NEC play) with a pair of sophomore pitchers throwing most of the team’s innings.
Those two hurlers–Emily Heath and Sam Kowalski–both had ERAs under 3.00 a year ago and are back to lead the team from the circle, both figuratively and literally.
Kowalski went 15-12 in 36 outings for the Pioneers, finishing with a 2.98 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 178.2 innings. Heath was 12-12 with a 2.91 ERA. She struck out 89 in 151.1 innings.
“They’re on top of their game coming off last year,” London said. “I love them both. They have a great work ethic. Part of making them captains is we want them to know how important they are to this team. They do a good job leading and taking responsibility.”
Heath and Kowalski, now juniors, join senior Morgan Teodosio (Ansonia) as the tri-captains for the Pioneers this season.
Teodosio is one of three seniors on this year’s squad, joining Cayla Nista and Carly Koltko.
“The other two (Nista and Koltko) are very good, just super quiet, but they’re going to be leaders,” London said. “It’s just my juniors; they’re a strong group and they need to be represented.”
Koltko, a senior first baseman, was Sacred Heart’s leading hitter last season, finishing with a .321 batting average in 55 games. She had 7 home runs (second on the team) and a team-leading 30 RBIs.
In fact, SHU’s top five hitters return in Koltko, Cierra Bender (.302 in 53 games with 27 RBIs), Kowalski (.296 in 53 games with 20 RBIs), and catcher Charlene Davis (.278 in 48 games) all return.
The junior class is Sacred Heart’s rock and strength this season, London said.
The group numbers six strong on the 25-player roster and five of them should be in the starting lineup for the Pioneers during most games.
“I would say we’re young, but two seniors and five juniors start so that’s seven of our nine are upperclassmen,” London said. “So maybe we’re not really young, but integrated.”
Junior shortstop Nicole Henke could be one of SHU’s breakout players this spring.
“She has been teetering on busting out and everybody in the MAAC is about to realize she’s a heckuva shortstop,” London said.
Up the middle, the Pioneers remain strong. With both pitchers and Henke back along with Davis behind the plate and Bender, a sophomore second baseman, there is experience up the middle with the exception of center field.
“Our center fielder, a gold glove winner, is gone,” London lamented. “We’ve been looking for our new one and one of our juniors, Kaelyn Freed, looks like she can fill the spot. She’s been waiting patiently.”
Out of the freshmen group of players, London is taking a wait-and-see approach to who might be ready to step up.
One player who has stood out this preseason, though, is first baseman/pitcher Elle Leckrone.
“She’s a power hitter,” London said. “She’ll be poised to make a good transition.”
In addition to Teodosio, the other Connecticut players on the Sacred Heart roster is former Fairfield Warde standout Allie Ortiz. While she only appeared in 15 games total, her .400 on-base percentage led the Pioneers.
Sacred Heart opens its 2025 schedule on Feb. 14 against Robert Morris.
It would be fair to say, however, that one series that is circled on the team’s collective calendar is April 15th’s road doubleheader at Fairfield University.
While the in-town rivals have played each other plenty in the past, they’ve never done it while competing in the same league.
“Everybody is like ‘You and Fairfield are rivals’ and that really wasn’t the case,” London said. “Sure, we played them, but they weren’t in our league. Now it’s a different story. Now these games against Fairfield are going to mean even more.”
Quinnipiac is also in the league, giving SHU a handful of natural rivals in thew new-look MAAC.
Additionally, the Pioneers will play Central Connecticut and Yale, as well.
“One hundred percent: That’s important to me,” London said of playing against the state’s fellow Division 1 opponents.
Regardless of the schedule, though, London said SHU’s goals are simple: To finish above .500, to win the league, and go to the NCAA tournament.
“That’s one of our big goals, to be above .500,” she said. “We don’t want to be that team that gets into the playoffs while below .500. It’s very important. We don’t think we’re a .500 team.”
After 37 years in the Pioneers program, London has good feellings about this team.
“I’m just extremely loyal to this program,” London said. “I played here, and my former shortstop begged me to come on and assist her for one year and that one year turned into 37. I really have grown up in this program. But I tell the players all
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