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04/08/2017 12:00 AMThe Branford softball team features an interesting mix of promising freshmen and battle-tested veterans as it takes the field for the 2017 season. Hornets’ skipper Chuck Reale is looking for those players to mesh effectively this spring and help the club earn its first State Tournament berth in three years.
Branford is coming off a campaign in which it played its best down the stretch by winning its last four contests, but still came up two wins shy of making states with its record of 6-14. In order for his team to get back to the bracket, Coach Reale will be relying on contributions from all 13 athletes on his roster, regardless of what grade they’re in or how much varsity experience they bring to the table.
“I think we have a nice, balanced team. It’s a young team, but we have great leadership on the field, and a core of proven SCC-level players who have done the tour and mixed in with some exciting new players who are going to be around here for a while and can have an impact,” Reale said. “We’re not looking to one or two players. It will truly take a team effort. It will take all 13 people to make this thing work.”
Coach Reale added that there’s great deal of character and unity on his squad this season, saying that his athletes “have a great attitude toward the possibilities.” Leading the way for Branford in that regard are senior captains Olivia Datre and Hunter Kelly. Datre started in right field and also pitched a few games last spring, but moves to the mound as Branford’s primary hurler this season. Kelly was slated to start behind the plate after serving as the Hornets’ backup catcher in 2016, although she’s currently sidelined with an injury, and so freshman Emily Rosenberg will don the gear for the time being.
Datre and Kelly are Branford’s only two seniors and so there’s an extra emphasis for them to provide quality leadership this season. According to Coach Reale, that’s exactly what they’re doing.
“They have done a great job of helping to build the spirit, keep the players focused, and with their everyday communication,” said Reale.
Reale said that Datre is “a gamer” who will induce a lot of ground balls when she hits her spots, meaning there’s also an emphasis for Branford’s infield to play solid defense behind her. The Hornets’ infield features two athletes who had quality campaigns in 2016 and two athletes who are making their debut on the varsity stage. Junior Marisa Minore returns to shortstop on the heels of an All-Oronoque season in which she had 36 hits on her way to a .537 batting average. Meanwhile, Shanley, a sophomore, batted .316 after taking the reins at first base midway through her rookie season last spring. Those two are joined by freshmen Lily Moore-Markey and Abby Spivey, who will start at second and third base, respectively.
“Shanley and Minore will run the infield on the field because of their terrific game sense and leadership. However, the four of them have jelled nicely,” Coach Reale said. “I think it’s a nice mix to have two brand-new kids with tremendous potential who’ve been completely accepted by the veterans.”
In the outfield, sophomore Lexi Falcigno will patrol the expanse of center field after playing third base during a freshman year that saw her bat .371 with a .418 on-base percentage. Branford has three other athletes who will see innings in the outfield in sophomore Katy Kaczor, who lettered last year; along with juniors Jackie DaRos and Alycia Ferretti, who are new to the varsity ranks.
“Lexi has full reign to run the corners and take charge of the outfield. She is the full package as a player and is very vocal with great leadership on the field,” said Reale. “We’re only carrying four outfielders and center field is a lock, and there will be hot competition at the other spots. They’ve all shown good skills in the preseason. It will be a tough decision, but a good one in the sense that all three can play those spots. It will be a matter of who produces in a consistent fashion and who stays hot.”
Branford, which took a 16-0 home loss to North Haven in its season opener on April 8, features two more players on its 2017 varsity roster in junior catcher Felicia Acquino, plus fellow junior Julia Falcigno, who can pitch and play second or third.
As his team embarks on another season, Coach Reale feels confident that Branford will be able to put up some runs in bunches. He thinks the Hornets’ ability to prevent their opponents from doing the same will prove the biggest x-factor in whether or not they can return to the postseason fray.
“I think our greatest strength right now on paper is that we have the ability to score some runs. We can hit the ball, have strength through the lineup, and have speed and can move runners once we get on,” he said. “What we’re going to have to see is if we can contain other team’s offenses. If we prevent runs defensively, we’ll be in pretty good shape.”
From the Sidelines
Chuck Reale enters his 17th season as the head coach of the Branford softball team. Reale’s coaching staff consists of varsity assistant/pitching coach Lindsay Wasserman, JV Head Coach Alicia Loesche, and JV assistant John Kustra.
Last year, Branford earned a pair of victories against Wilbur Cross and Valley Regional, while also defeating Career and Sheehan once.
The Hornets are no longer in the Oronoque Division. The SCC has mixed up its divisions and so Branford now plays in the Quinnipiac Division with fellow former Oronoque tenant East Haven, as well as Hand, West Haven, and Hillhouse.