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07/29/2018 12:00 AMThe spring of 2018 marked another historic campaign for the North Branford softball squad, which went undefeated during the regular season, won its fourth straight Shoreline Conference Tournament title, and then advanced to the semifinals of the Class M State Tournament. When all was said and done, Head Coach Nick DeLizio’s club set a school record for victories in a season by posting an overall record of 26-1.
“That’s the most wins in program history and the most wins in a single season for any North Branford program. That’s a lot,” DeLizio said. “With the success these girls had, the seniors went 94-13 over four years. That’s ridiculous.”
Each member of North Branford’s senior captain trio of Olivia Hemstock, Sydney Senerchia, and Danielle Ramada brought her own unique skill set to the Thunderbirds. Senerchia was the team’s ace pitcher, Hemstock powered the lineup as a star hitter, and Ramada proved the glue who motivated everyone to achieve their goals and help the T-Birds continue their recent run of success.
“Each of them played a role and started as freshmen and grew through the system. Looking back, it’s remarkable what they did. We’ve built a strong softball program where, a few years ago, we weren’t really noticed and weren’t making noise in the State Tournament as much. Now, we’re winning the Shorelines and making the quarters of states every year,” said Coach DeLizio. “This was also the first year we were ranked [in the state’s Top 10 poll] every week until the end. We finished ninth, which shows the respect this program has received, and that starts with the seniors. They set the tempo. They got a taste of success early and sprung the program to be not just a one-and-done thing, but making it a Top 10 team in the state.”
Several members of the Thunderbirds took home some awards for their accomplishments, and no player was more decorated than Senerchia. The southpaw finished the season with a record of 23-1 to go with a 0.36 earned-run average and 296 strikeouts in 155 innings pitched. Senerchia, who allowed just eight earned runs all year and tossed 15 shutouts, set school records with her ERA and strikeout totals for the season.
Senerchia was named to the All-Shoreline Conference First Team and was also chosen as the Shoreline Conference Pitcher of the Year. She was an All-State Class M selection, was named the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Pitcher of the Year, made the New Haven Register All-Area Team, and was selected as North Branford’s Most Valuable Player. On top of that, Senerchia received the New Haven Umpires Sportsmanship Award and was picked to play in the Class S-M Senior All-Star Game, as well as the Scholar Athlete Classic.
“She worked her butt off and joined an AAU program, which gave her some exposure to some big competition playing against Division I athletes around the country in the fall and summer. She came in this year on a mission. Her strong work ethic led to the record she had this year,” Coach DeLizio said of Senerchia. “It’s the first time in program history we had a player [win the CHSCA Pitcher of the Year Award]. That’s the hardest award to get, so I’m very proud of what she did.”
Hemstock collected her fair share of awards, as well, for North Branford. She made the All-Shoreline Conference First Team, was named the Shoreline Conference Player of the Year, made the All-State Class M Team, and earned a spot on the New Haven Register All-Area Team. Hemstock was also picked to play in the Class S-M Senior All-Star Game, in addition to winning North Branford’s Desire and Dedication Award. For the season, Hemstock batted .438, while leading North Branford with 39 hits, 34 runs scored, 25 RBI, and 11 stolen bases.
Ramada batted .319, recorded 22 hits, had 24 RBI, and scored 21 runs for North Branford. She earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention and shared the T-Birds’ Desire and Dedication Award with Hemstock.
Amy Raucci led the club with four home runs and batted .338 to go with 26 hits, 26 runs, and 22 RBI en route to making the All-Shoreline First Team and earning a spot in the Class S-M Junior Select All-Star Game. Fellow junior Angelina Ramada also played in that game for North Branford, which saw sophomores Katy Pedersen and Kayla Despres earn All-Conference Second Team accolades this spring. Additionally, Coach DeLizio was named the CHSCA Class M Coach of the Year for the 2018 season.
Along with all the success his team enjoyed this season, Coach DeLizio was also pleased with how the T-Birds’ new home field turned out on the campus of North Branford High School. DeLizio said he heard a lot of positive feedback about the field throughout the season.
“Being on campus is one of the best things. You don’t have to worry about rides or busses, and now, every morning, I’ll drive by the field and it looks beautiful. Our public works crew is the best in the state. They do a phenomenal job of the upkeep of it. When other games around the state got rained out, we were able to get the game in because of the job they do,” he said. “To get compliments on the field from other coaches, it’s a testament to the town for allowing the remodeling of our field and the public works for keeping up with it. It makes me smile, because we’re so fortunate to play on such a nice field.”
• The North Branford softball team’s 2018 roster featured senior captains Danielle Ramada, Olivia Hemstock, and Sydney Senerchia; juniors Amy Raucci, Angelina Ramada, Ashley Anderson, Kaylee Velez, Samantha DeAngelo, and Brianna Raccio; sophomores Katy Pedersen, Mairead Aiken, Julia Ricardo, Rachel Vitarisi, and Kayla Despres; and freshmen Mia Deloughery, Kelli Jacobson, Isabelle Fortier, Jada Miconi, Olivia Ferreira, Sophia Anastasio, Erica Piercey, and Sophia Ouellet.
• Nick DeLizio finished his fourth season as the Thunderbirds’ head coach and was assisted by Jon Rapport.
• North Branford’s regular-season wins came against Morgan (12-0 and 14-6), Old Saybrook (12-0), East Haven (8-0 and 9-0), East Hampton (13-1), Westbrook (17-0), Old Lyme (12-0), Portland (12-0), Valley (6-2 and 2-0), Cromwell (10-0 and 5-0), Coginchaug (2-0 and 3-2), Hale-Ray (6-0), Haddam-Killingworth (4-0 and 6-1), Griswold (2-1), and Berlin (6-2).
• In the Shoreline Conference Tournament, the Thunderbirds beat Old Saybrook 14-0 in the quarterfinals, earned a 4-2 win versus Valley Regional in the semis, and then edged Hale-Ray 2-1 in the final to secure the conference title for the fourth year in a row.
• For the Class M State Tournament, No. 2 seed North Branford beat Woodland 6-1 in the first round, blanked Ellington 1-0 in the second round, and then shut out Waterford 8-0 in the quarterfinals. In the semifinals, North Branford took its only loss of the season by dropping a 4-0 contest against No. 3 seed Griswold.