It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for coaching changes around the state, but one thing is for sure.
Some of the changes that have happened since Cheshire, Brookfield, Foran and St. Paul Catholic hoisted trophies in Storrs last June have been pretty major for the state’s softball landscape.
The biggest news, perhaps, is that former Masuk High School coach Leigh Barone, who helped lead the Panthers to eight state titles, is taking over the job at Jonathan Law in Milford.
The Lawmen were SCC finalists last spring and advanced to the Class L semifinals, losing an epic 15-inning contest to eventual champion Brookfield.
The team made that run despite a debacle of a season outside the baselines that saw its coach get put on administrative leave, players getting suspended, and the school board becoming involved to reportedly get certain players put back on the team.
A coach of Barone’s stature coming into the program after the job she did at Masuk is big news.
“I am excited to get back to coaching,” Barone told GameTimeCT’s Scott Ericson. “I left Masuk and was good with that decision, but then last spring came and the games started and I missed it and it made me realize how much I love it. I knew when I left Masuk, I would eventually go back to coaching, but I didn’t think it would be this soon.”
Barone, who posted a 233-27 record in her 10 seasons at Masuk, replaces Mel Blude, who coached the Lawmen for 19 years.
That’s not the only major change happening, however.
As the CT Softball Blog has already reported, Southington is hunting for a new coach after Michelle Boisvert stepped down after a long tenure with the program, the last two seasons as head coach.
Former Nonnewaug head coach Chris Martin has moved on from that position after accepting an assistant coaching position at Post University, so the Chiefs are looking for a new coach as well.
Former Mercy head coach Kas Hoag is no longer coaching the Tigers, having led them to the state quarterfinals last spring. Mercy officials have not yet returned messages left at the school for comment.
Down in Greenwich, Alyssa Conley has decided not to return to the program after missing last season while on maternity leave. Former Cardinals coach Marybeth Frattelo filled in for the team last season, but according to athletic director Peter Georgiou, the position has been posted as vacant.
The most recent opening came today at Oxford High School, where Jim Husar is no longer the coach, as the school has posted the position, according to the CIAC website.
Also, Waterbury Career Academy’s varsity head coaching post is reportedly open as well, according to reports.
The first two programs that saw coaching changes occur earlier this summer were Newington and Simsbury.
Julio Figueroa departed the Newington post after two years, while Brian Forman stepped down at Simsbury after nearly 10 years at the helm.
Additionally, Shelton is reportedly looking for a varsity assistant coach and South Windsor is looking for a JV coach, in case anybody is interested in applying.
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