The CT Softball Blog

NEW MILFORD — The numbers were impressive.

The accolades were plentiful.

The moments seemed endless.

But ask anybody who spent time around the New Milford softball program this spring what made Cienna McNamara different, and eventually the conversation drifts away from statistics and toward something harder to measure.

Leadership. Competitiveness. Trust.

And an unwavering desire to win.

For that reason, as well as some statistics to back it all up, McNamara is the CT Softball Blog’s Diamond Awards Player of the Year.

The University of North Carolina commit has long been recognized as one of the premier players in Connecticut, but her junior season elevated her into a different category altogether. Batting leadoff, she set the tone every game for a Green Wave team that reached the Class L championship game and spent much of the season among the state’s elite.

She hit. She fielded. She ran. She produced.

This past season, while leading New Milford to a 23-3 record, McNamara hit a whopping .607 with a 2.025 OPS. She had 51 hits, including nine doubles, four triples and 15 home runs, driving in 36 runs on the season. She stole 23 bases, played nearly flawless defense at shortstop and struck out just once all season long.

She’s a two-time All-State player via both GametimeCT and the CHSCA, and she’s been an All-SWC choice all three seasons she’s played at the varsity level thus far.

And she did it while carrying the expectations that come with being one of the most recognizable names in Connecticut softball.

But to New Milford head coach Robert Farmer, what separates McNamara isn’t just talent.

“You can have talent,” Farmer told GametimeCT. “But when you have that work ethic, that leadership, that competitiveness, that’s what makes someone special.”

Those qualities showed up repeatedly throughout the season.

When opponents chose to pitch around her, she trusted the lineup behind her.

When the spotlight grew brighter, she embraced it.

And when the Green Wave needed someone to lead, she never shied away.

“Year by year, I think it’s her leadership,” Farmer told GametimeCT. “Trusting the kids behind her, not thinking she has to do everything.”

That’s growth.

Because as dominant as McNamara has been individually, New Milford’s success has always mattered more to her than personal numbers.

Earlier this season, after being intentionally walked three times in a game against Brookfield, McNamara shrugged it off.

“Obviously I’m super competitive, so I don’t like it,” she told the CT Softball Blog. “But I knew my teammates had my back, so no matter what happened, I knew they had my back.”

That trust runs both ways.

“She’s got great DNA between her dad and her mom,” Farmer told GametimeCT. “Fantastic character, strong integrity, and she’s a well-rounded athlete that’s hungry to compete. That’s everything you want in an athlete.”

And that’s what made McNamara the obvious choice.

There were plenty of stars across Connecticut this spring.

Plenty of players who put together remarkable seasons.

But when the conversation turned to who was the best player in the state in 2026, there really wasn’t much debate.

The answer was waiting at shortstop in New Milford.

And more often than not, she was already one step ahead of everyone else.