The CT Softball Blog

TRUMBULL—They are closing in on nearly a decade together, though technically they shine the brightest while standing 43 feet apart.

St. Joseph’s battery of senior catcher Kelsea Flanagan and junior pitcher Katie Dzialo go way back; well, nearly as far back as two teenagers can go.

They were both around 8 years old when they played against each other in the Milford Little League. Within a couple of years, by 10U, the two became teammates and have stayed that way ever since.

“They have a really unique bond,” said St. Joe’s head coach Jeff Babineau. “They knew each other coming in, so it definitely does help.”

In the near future—like in a maximum of just two possible games—the two will be going their separate ways.

While Dzialo, as a junior, can return to St. Joe’s for another year, Flanagan is headed to college. She will play for Clarkson University come fall.

The ride the two have shared together, however, is culminating in an incredibly special season with their Cadet teammates, a months-long journey that has seen St. Joe’s post a 23-record, so far.

Last month, Flanagan caught all 14 innings worth of Dzialo’s 184 pitches as St. Joseph won its first FCIAC championship since 2019.

Now, the Cadets are just one win away from playing for the CIAC Class L state championship.

Fifth-seeded St. Joe’s will face top-seeded Masuk in a semifinal game on Tuesday, at 7 p.m., at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic.

As the two look back on their time together, they know the bond they have created from 43 feet away will last even when they are hundreds of miles apart from each other in the future.

“Me and Kelsea? We go back years,” Dzialo said. “When I came in (to St. Joe’s) as freshman and knew she was going to be my catcher, then I knew I had her trust behind me and I know she can always trust me, so we’re just always relying on each other.”

Flanagan has watched Dzialo rise and shine as a pitcher, emerging from the Milford Little League ranks where she hardly, if ever, pitched while being in the same talented pool of pitchers that included the likes of Jonathan Law star pitcher Maddy Bull and Foran’s junior standout Abby Corris.

Dzialo might be a late bloomer in the circle, but Flanagan has always been there for the ride.

“Just watching her progress from Little League to now has been amazing and she really put herself all into this game,” Flanagan said. “I couldn’t be more proud of her. I think we all are.”

Dzialo recalls those Milford Little League days and the growth that followed, knowing full well Flanagan was a big part of her success.

“Pitching wasn’t really my prime position back then, but I came into high school at the beginning of my freshman year and I really started working on my pitching,” Dzialo recalled. “I haven’t stopped working since.”

The two are almost one when Dzialo steps into the circle and Flanagan crouches down behind the plate.

“I know exactly how she throws and there really is a familiarity and comfortability there, knowing we always have each other’s backs,” Flanagan said. “We also know the whole team has both of our backs, as well. It’s that team family dynamic.”

Flanagan always believed Dzialo had more in her. Now the rest of the league and the state is seeing it, too.

“She’s always had that little something about her, but when she hit high school, she definitely amped it up a ton,” Flanagan said. “She’s always been good, but now she’s just genuinely a legit pitcher.”

One big reason for her success is Dzialo has the ability to tune out the distractions around her.

“I think it’s just her mentality,” Flanagan said. “Her entire thing is to go in, throw her best. She doesn’t let anything from the outside affect her while she’s pitching. She just goes and does her job and gets outs.”

Pitch by pitch since they were 8 years old, the two have shined together.

At some point this week, there will be one final pitch released from Dzialo’s hand, spinning to a pop and a stop in Flanagan’s glove one last time.

And the 43-foot journey between the two will be over.

The friendship, however, will endure.

“I knew she would always have my back,” Dzialo said. “I’m really going to miss her next year.”

(From The Dugout is a regular column written by CT Softball Blog Publisher John Nash)

Love Stories Like This?

Get Connecticut’s best softball features, breaking news, recruiting updates and exclusive interviews delivered to your inbox every Friday morning. Subscribe to the CT Softball Blog Weekly.