BRISTOL—The art show. The school play. The music recital.
Those have absolutely nothing to do with softball.
Yet Adam Whitlock thinks they have everything to do with why Bristol Little League Softball All-Stars keep finding themselves playing deep into July.
“If one of the kids has something going on with art, the team goes to the art show,” Whitlock said. “If someone’s in a school play or another performance, the team shows up. They’re just really into each other.”
That’s the heartbeat of a Bristol team that captured the District 5 championship this week and now begins another run through the Connecticut tournament.
Talent certainly helps.
Over the last three summers, this core has piled up enough hardware to fill a trophy case.
As 10-year-olds, they won district, sectional, state and New England championships before falling one game short of an East Region title.
Last summer they were even better, winning another state championship before capturing the Northeast Regional Invitational.
Now, with 11 players returning for one last Little League summer, they’re chasing the only dream still unchecked.
“The ultimate goal is to win the World Series,” Whitlock said. “But you have to go through the steps.”
Those steps won’t be easy.
Connecticut’s realignment has created what many believe is the toughest sectional in the state.
Bristol could eventually have to get through powers like Fairfield, Milford, Shelton and West Hartford just to reach the state tournament.
Whitlock knows the road.
His players do, too.
But pressure doesn’t seem to stick to this group.
“I don’t think they get too high after a win or too low after a loss,” Whitlock said. “They’ve played so much softball that they’ve seen almost every situation. They just kind of go play.”
It certainly doesn’t hurt having four pitchers capable of taking over a game.
Avery Collins and Ava Lefurgey each tossed no-hitters during Bristol’s District championship run after rain forced the team into a doubleheader. Lucy Kalat and Lucy Bastiaanse give Bristol two more experienced arms, allowing Whitlock to mix and match while never sacrificing quality.
“I think we’ve got four really good pitchers,” he said. “They’re all interchangeable.”
The same can be said for nearly every position on the field.
Keeva Knowles anchors first base, where Whitlock calls her the best defensive first baseman he’s ever coached.
“I’ve never seen a better first baseman,” he said. “She can stretch, she makes plays you don’t think are possible and she’s got an absolute rifle.”
Mary Thompson has become so automatic at second base that teammates call her “the steel trap.”
Ellie Tiscia and Dakota Green split time behind the plate.
Kalat and Bastiaanse can pitch, patrol premium defensive positions and even catch if needed.
Makinnley Whitlock, Juliana Pavlak, FaithMarie Soto and Alexandra Patterson give Bristol speed and versatility throughout the outfield, while Collins, the lone newcomer from last year’s championship team, has fit in seamlessly despite joining a group that has spent years building chemistry together.
“She’s just really mature,” Whitlock said. “A silent leader.”
That phrase could probably describe most of the roster.
Whitlock says one of the things he loves most isn’t a strikeout or diving catch.
It’s watching players celebrate teammates who replace them.
“I see them high-five each other when someone gets subbed out,” he said. “Nobody’s got their head down. Nobody’s thinking about themselves.”
At 12 years old, that’s rare.
Winning is nice.
Winning together is even harder.
Maybe that’s why Bristol has become one of Connecticut’s model Little League programs.
The championships are impressive.
The no-hitters make headlines.
But perhaps the biggest reason this team keeps coming back every summer is much simpler.
Soon after they became teammates… they became friends.
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