This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/08/2020 12:00 AMCoach John Sellinger didn’t think that the Guilford 8-10 All-Star softball team was going to play any games at all this year, following the postponement of the spring season due to COVID-19. However, that all changed when Connecticut’s COVID numbers started to tail off and then stabilize, prompting District 9 Little League to host a summer season that culminated with its All-Star tournaments.
“It was supposed to be spring softball, but because of the pandemic and the restrictions that the state put in place, it ended up becoming a summer team,” Sellinger said. “It was interesting for sure. In the regular season, every town had its own set of rules that we had to abide by. Some teams had us wearing masks on the field, while others had us temperature checked prior to games.”
Sellinger had served as an assistant coach with Guilford for the past three years before taking over the head-coaching duties with the 8-10 All-Star team this summer. Sellinger and his players were grateful that they wound up competing in the tournament. The coach credits them for staying positive and doing a great job of maintaining social distance during the games.
“Once the games got started, I feel like we fell into nice routine,” said Sellinger. “The kids were good about keeping distance from each other, and we only had three girls in the dugout at a time.”
The Guilford 8-10 All-Star softball squad featured 12 players this year. The athletes on Guilford’s roster are Clara Calvert, Maya Daniels, Ava Eagleson, Kayla Kennedy, Taylor Ketchum, Khloe MacNaughton, Rory Melvin, Katie Mull, Hannah Prior, Abby Rubin, Jillian Scott, and Lyla Sellinger. Coach Sellinger’s coaching staff included assistant coaches Daniel Calvert, Kyle Eagleson, and Charlie Melvin.
District 9 held its 8-10 All-Star Softball Tournament at Romagialli Field and the Pat Kidney Sports Complex in Middletown beginning on Aug. 24. The five teams that competed in the tournament were Guilford, Madison, Coginchaug, East Hampton, and Middletown.
Guilford played East Hampton in its first game of pool play on Aug. 26 and won a close contest by a 16-15 score. In in next matchup, Guilford took a 22-2 loss against Middletown two days later. Guilford bounced back by earning a 17-8 victory against Coginchaug on Aug. 30. The following day, Guilford took a 23-9 defeat to Madison to finish at 2-2 in pool play.
The top two teams from the pool-play portion of the tournament advanced to the best-of-3 championship series. Middletown went 4-0 in pool play to qualify. Guilford and Madison both went 2-2, but Madison advanced to the final by virtue of winning the tiebreaker with its win versus Guilford.
Coach Sellinger said that everyone on his squad was happy to step on the field and play ball this year. Sellinger felt proud of the way that Guilford played during the tournament.
“This wasn’t about the wins and losses for us this year. I think we all were just really happy that we were able to play this summer, given the circumstances, and we are all very thankful,” said Sellinger. “I can’t say enough about how amazing the girls played, too. Our team grew a lot over the summer, and we are looking forward to the upcoming fall season.”
One of the main reasons why Sellinger coaches is because he is an avid baseball fan. Sellinger also likes the fact that he gets to coach his daughter Lyla, especially since he has fond memories of being in her situation when he was a youngster.
“That’s what it’s all about for me. When I was a kid, my dad was my little League coach, and that was a big part of my life. I wanted to be able to do the same for my kids, and now I have two of them playing softball,” Sellinger said. “It’s a great feeling. My other daughter Faith is seven years old and plays a league below Lyla.”
Sellinger isn’t 100-percent certain if he’s going to be coaching Guilford’s 8-10 team during the fall season, but said that he will definitely lend a hand if the team needs help.
“I want to help in whatever way I can, whether that’s as the head coach or an assistant,” said Sellinger. “And hopefully, we are able to have a fall season and we don’t see a resurgence of COVID.”