CHESHIRE — Perfection is one thing. Sustained excellence is another.
The Cheshire High softball team managed to accomplish both.
Undefeated at 27-0. Winners of 31 consecutive games, dating back to last season. Southern Connecticut Conference champions. Back-to-back Class LL state champions.
And from the first week of April until the final out in June, the Rams stood alone as Connecticut’s unanimous No. 1 team, according to the CT Softball Blog’s Players’ Top 10 poll.
For that reason, Cheshire has been selected as the CT Softball Blog’s Diamond Awards Team of the Year.
In addition to being the wire-to-wire No. 1 team in the CT Softball Blog’s Players’ Top 10 poll, the Rams also finished atop the final GametimeCT Top 10 rankings.
Their dominance reached far beyond Connecticut.
By season’s end, Cheshire had earned national recognition, as well, being ranked as high as 24th nationally from one service
But those rankings only tell part of the story.
This was a team built around nine seniors, years of chemistry and a culture that head coach Kristine Drust has spent decades building.
And perhaps nowhere was that bond more evident than during the postseason.
In the SCC championship game against Jonathan Law, the Rams found themselves locked in a scoreless duel before Jordan McCue ended it with a two-run walk-off home run in the eighth inning, delivering Cheshire’s seventh conference title.
“I am really proud to be their coach,” Drust said afterward. “These are hard games and sometimes we want things to be easier, but is there any better feeling than this? This is what it’s all about, and I am so proud they fought through.”
The state tournament presented more challenges.
Cheshire survived a 12-inning semifinal thriller over Darien before defeating Southington, 2-0, behind another masterful performance from senior ace Jenica Matos to secure a second straight Class LL championship.
And as she reflected on the group that had just completed a perfect season, Drust struggled to contain her emotions.
“As a coach for 25 years, this is a team that I wish I could bottle up because it is a dream come true,” Drust said. “These girls have grown up alongside each other and have been in my postgame selfies since they were eight years old. Great, great humans, unselfish and total buy-in kids. It’s just what you dream about.”
Those words perhaps best captured what made the 2026 Rams so special.
Yes, Cheshire had stars. It had one of the state’s most dominant pitchers and a lineup capable of beating opponents in a variety of ways. But what truly separated the Rams was something harder to measure. They were connected, resilient and genuinely enjoyed playing for one another. By season’s end, there was little left to debate. From the Players’ Poll to the statewide rankings to the national polls, everyone else spent the spring chasing Cheshire. Nobody caught them.
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