The CT Softball Blog

MILFORD—The town of Milford has spent the better part of the last several years building something special via the sport of softball.

The banners hanging around town tell the story.

The Little League All-Stars who reached the Little League Softball World Series in back-to-back summer of 2022-23 have grown into the players who helped power Foran High School to back-to-back CIAC state championships. Others helped Jonathan Law make a run to the Class L semifinals this spring.

Now it’s another generation’s turn.

Rather than shy away from the expectations that come with wearing a Milford jersey, the town’s 10-year-old Little League Softball All-Stars have embraced them, capturing the Connecticut state championship and earning another trip to the New England Regional in Staten Island.

“They’ve been watching other people carry around banners,” Milford manager Jeanette Tierney said. “We’ve been supporting those older teams. We’ve gone to Bristol a couple of times to watch them play.

“My daughter’s been watching those girls win for a long time. They’re so excited to carry the banners and be able to follow them. It’s a lot of pressure. They feel it. As coaches, we feel it. It’s what I’ve started calling the Milford pressure, but it makes it that much more exciting.”

Tierney had reason to believe this team could continue Milford’s tradition.

She and assistant coach Suzette Tierney, who are joined by Missy Dubin this summer, served on last year’s 10U coaching staff that reached the regional championship, but only one player returned from that club. Kinsley Persico, who played third base a year ago, has developed into Milford’s ace pitcher after spending the past three years refining her craft.

“I knew there was a big possibility,” Tierney said. “With the pitchers we had (this summer), I knew we had a good chance.”

Persico headlines a deep pitching staff alongside Maddie Thennes, giving Milford two accomplished pitchers capable of changing the look opposing hitters see.

“Kinsley is built on speed,” Tierney said. “She’s a workhorse. She works all the time and she hits her spots. She’s developing a changeup right now, which is making her even stronger.

“Then you have Maddie, who is another workhorse. She works three times a day to get it right. She has good speed right behind Kinsley, but her ball moves a little bit. It’s enough change of speed where it messes hitters up.”

Behind the pitchers is a lineup that has steadily developed throughout the summer.

Raegyn Gill handles the pitching staff behind the plate, while the infield features Allie DeSantis at first, Mikaela Rodriguez at second, Sadie Dubin at shortstop and Quinn Tierney at third base.

The outfield is anchored by Hannah Whelan in left, Aurora Hinden in center and Thennes in right, while Lilly Bennett, McKenzie Faust and Mackenzie Monaco provide depth and versatility throughout the lineup.

“Our pitching and our hitting is really what our strength is,” Tierney said. “Our defense is getting better. We’re making plays now that we weren’t making earlier in the year. That has definitely helped us.”

Milford’s championship run was hardly a walk through the bracket.

Its lone loss of the tournament season came against Wallingford in sectionals, a 2-1 defeat that forced Milford to regroup. The response spoke volumes.

Milford bounced back to beat Wallingford for the sectional championship, then defeated Middletown before knocking off Wallingford once again, 5-3, in the state tournament to claim the title.

“Our only loss came to Wallingford in sectionals,” Tierney said. “Then we had to play them again and beat them in the sectional finals. Then we beat them again in states, which was huge because we didn’t have to beat them twice.”

While last year’s regional finalist relied heavily on speed, Tierney believes this group has forged a different identity.

“This year’s team, we look like we’re 15 years old,” she said with a laugh. “We had the strength. Our pitching and our hitting are really what our strength is.”

Now the challenge shifts to Staten Island, where Milford will once again represent Connecticut against the best teams New England has to offer.

The expectations haven’t changed.

Neither has the confidence.

“One hundred percent we’re capable,” Tierney said. “Especially with our pitching. If we keep hitting, we are 100 percent capable.”

For a program that has grown accustomed to chasing banners, that’s exactly the standard the next generation hoped to inherit.

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