STRATFORD—For the 79th straight summer, the Stratford Brakettes are ready to open another season.
They’ll just have to wait a little bit longer.
Saturday’s season-opening doubleheader was postponed by the weather, though no make-up has been announced yet.
As for the team, the Brakettes continue to chase national titles, though things are vastly different in this post-COVID world.
For example, this is not your grandparent’s Brakettes—the juggernaut of a national program that would attract the greatest softball talent in the country.
Those days—when Joan Joyce, Lisa Fernandez, Dot Richardson, Cat Osterman, et. al—would grace DeLuca Field are long gone.
There will be no NiJaree Canady, Jordy Bahl, or Karlyn Pickens walking through the gate and toeing the rubber.
Depending on your true devotion to softball in the region, however, this could be considered a little better.
This year’s Brakettes roster, which totals 21 players on it, boasts 20 players from the state of Connecticut. And it’s a who’s who of former high school and mostly present-day college standouts who have built Connecticut into one of the strongest softball states in New England.
“We want to give players the opportunity to play softball at a very high level,” Brakettes general manager Rob Baird said. “We continue to strive to win championships, as well. Things look different now, but our goals remain the same. We want our players out there playing softball all summer and our goal is to win a championship.”
A year ago, the Brakettes put forth a solid season, but came up just short of bringing home some hardware.
“I’d love to capitalize off last year,” Brakettes field manager Lauren Pitney said. “We had a great season with only one regular season loss. We went into the tournament very strong and we’re looking to take that momentum into this summer.”
In the circle, the Brakettes will boast five pitchers.
Kat Gallant (Villanova/Masuk), Anna Gedacht (Merrimack/Fairfield Ludlowe), Sydney Adolfson (Salisbury/Newtown), Nadia Andarowski (Iona/Watertown) and Emma Bayor (Marist/Lyme-Old Lyme) will be tasked with keeping the opposing hitters at bay this summer.
Gallant and Gedacht are both returning to the team for the second straight summer. Gallant posted a 7-1 record and 1.08 ERA in 2024 and struck out a team-leading 121 batters. Gedacht was 12-0 with a save last year in 18 appearances. She struck out 75 for the season with a 1.61 ERA.
“Having Gallant and Gedacht back is great for our staff,” Pitney said. “They are two leaders in the circle, and great teammates. They have passion that is highly contagious and will feed the whole team especially our new pitchers.”
Behind the plate are a trio of catchers, including Bri Pellicone (Barry/Newtown), Morgan Tainter (Husson/Norwich Free Academy), and Allie Tournas, who recently graduated from Fairfield Ludlowe and is headed to Wilmington College.
Ten infieldres are listed on the roster, including: Molly Lennon (Wesleyan/Kent), Katie Tournas (Saint Anslem/Fairfield Ludlowe), Caroline Hall (Lafayette/Trumbull), Katie Sciglimpaglia (St. Peter’s/Norwalk), Emilia Podeszwa (Binghamton/Watertown), Catherine Palmer (Wesleyan/Cheshire), Brooke Popella (Bucknell/Northwest Classic), Chloe Trimandilis (Fordham/Danbury), Izzy Ingersoll (Southern Connecticut/Notre Dame-Fairfied), and Jill Guilfoyle (Rhode Island College/St. Joseph).
Listed as outfiders are: Chelsea Villar (Hofstra/Fairfield Ludlowe), Kylee McLain (Monmouth/Amity Regional), and Charlotte Constantine (Binghamton/Yorktown Heights, NY).
Constantine is the only non-Connecticut player on the roster.
Hall, Palmer and Guilfoyle all could see time in the outfield, as well.
Lennon, Guilfoyle, Tainter and Palmer are all moving up from the Junior Brakettes this season.
“All four, for the most part, have played numerous games for the big club over the last two seasons,” Pitney said. “There won’t be much of an adjustment that needs to be made which is exciting. I’m confident they’ll fit right in and make an early impact.”
The Brakettes are slated to play at least 25 games this summer, and the team will be home on every single weekend except for July 21-22 when they will trek to Lyons, Pa, for a weekend tournament.
“I’m just excited to get started again,” Pitney said. “I’m hopeful for another great summer. A summer that comes with lot of new faces. We have 10-plus new players so it may be a challenge to put the pieces together at first, but it’s a challenge I’m up for. I’m grateful I get to continue to lead this team and represent this program. Sharing conversations, wins and laughs with long-standing members of the organization make being apart of the Brakettes so special. The program has tremendous history and I look forward to continuing the greatness year after year.”
Special events include a game against the Stratford Fire Department on Thursday, July 26.
The season will culminate with the team hosting the 17th annual Women’s Major Softball National Tournament at DeLuca Field from July 31-August 3.
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