SOUTHINGTON—It was the sixth inning of a state semifinal game and the Southington dugout sounded more like a Friday night karaoke party than a team six outs away from the Class LL championship game.
Players were singing a boy band song.
There were chest bumps.
There was laughter.
There was joy.
And there was head coach Michelle Boisvert standing nearby encouraging every bit of it.
“There has to be joy because if we’re not having fun and joy, then why are we out here?” Boisvert said after Southington’s 7-3 semifinal victory over New Canaan on Tuesday at Frank Biondi Field in West Haven.
The win allowed the Lady Knights to advanace to the CIAC Class LL state championship game on Saturday at UConn’s Burrill Family Field in Storrs. The Lady Knights will face top-seeded and defending champion Cheshire at 10 a.m., kicking off the day’s four games.
It is Southington’s first state final appearance since 2023.
If there is one thing that stands out about this year’s Blue Knights, it’s how much fun they seem to be having.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t competitive.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t serious.
The funny thing about this year’s Southington team is that it may be one of the loosest groups in the history of a program that has rarely had room for mistakes. The Blue Knights entered the season with 20 state championships, a total that was once recognized as the most of any high school softball program in the nation.
In a town where championship banners hang everywhere and expectations never seem to change, this group has somehow managed to keep things light. There is a looseness to this team that has become one of its greatest strengths.
A perfect example came Tuesday when the bottom of the order helped power Southington into the state championship game.
The Blue Knights’ six through nine hitters combined for six hits and six RBIs, including a home run from Addie Wanner.
“That is such a bonus for us because we rely so much on the top of our order,” Boisvert said. “But they really came alive today because they believe in themselves.”
Boisvert has spent the season reminding her players that batting order doesn’t define value.
“I always say, ‘You’re in the lineup because you can hit,’” she said. “‘I want all of you to hit. It doesn’t matter if you’re batting one or nine. You all matter.’”
That confidence extends beyond the batter’s box.
Southington’s success this season hasn’t been built around overpowering pitching. Instead, it has been built around trust.
Trust in a defense that consistently makes plays.
Trust in a catcher who stepped into a starting role after the Blue Knights lost their starter during the season.
And trust in a pitcher, senior Angie Insogna, who understands exactly who she is.
“She knows she’s a good pitcher,” Boisvert said. “She knows she’s not (Cheshire’s) Jenica (Matos), but she’s good. She knows where to put the ball.”
The Blue Knights’ relaxed approach was tested after a loss to Enfield in the Central Connecticut Conference championship game.
Boisvert’s message afterward wasn’t panic.
It wasn’t frustration.
It was perspective.
“I told them that game didn’t matter,” Boisvert said. “What matters is what we do after this.”
The response has been exactly what she hoped for.
Rather than dwelling on the loss, the Blue Knights used it as motivation entering the state tournament.
Now they’re one win away from a championship.
And don’t expect them to suddenly tighten up.
Not when singing in the dugout has become part of who they are.
Not when chest bumps have become a tradition.
And not when their coach keeps reminding them that softball is supposed to be fun.
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