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07/01/2021 12:00 AMWith three senior captains and a bevy of other talented athletes, the North Branford softball team put together an outstanding season by winning its sixth-straight Shoreline Conference title and advancing to the Class M State Tournament final in 2021. In order to get to that point, Head Coach Nick DeLizio’s Thunderbirds focused on being great team players and best versions of themselves every day.
North Branford posted an overall record of 21-3 that included a mark of 15-2 in the regular season this spring. The T-Birds’ only regular-season defeats came against Haddam-Killingworth and eventual Class S state champion Coginchaug. Coach DeLizio said that his team used the regular season to try out different combinations and see which ones would ultimately lead to the most success.
“The big thing this year was understanding what kind of players we have. It was like having a brand-new team. All the underclassmen from a couple years ago were all upperclassmen. There were opportunities for girls to step up as leaders from seniors all the way down,” DeLizio said. “It was a fresh start. Every position was up for grabs. It was like doing a puzzle. You have all the pieces in front of you. It’s just putting them together.”
Following its fourth game of season, North Branford went into quarantine due to potential exposure to COVID-19. When the T-Birds returned to the field, they had to make up for lost time and had 13 games on their schedule during a 17-day span at the end of the regular season. Despite the time off, North Branford went 12-1 in those contests to take some serious momentum into the playoffs.
“It was almost like having an extended preseason. We had a couple extended practices and had to come back ready to play. We had 13 games in 17 days to end the regular season,” said DeLizio. “We really battled. We had some tough games. We really got tested mentally and, physically, you don’t plan for it. The girls adapted. It’s where things started to fall in place.”
The T-Birds entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 3 seed and earned wins versus Hale-Ray (13-1) and Coginchaug (1-0) to make it to the final and face Old Lyme. On its home field, North Branford claimed a 5-0 victory over the Wildcats, keyed by a complete-game shutout from freshman Kiley Mullins, to claim the Shoreline title for the sixth season in a row.
Before the game, Coach DeLizio told his players to take a look around and realize how many people were there to cheer them on. After North Branford won, DeLizio felt a tremendous sense of pride in seeing his T-Birds hoist up the trophy.
“Everybody is 0-0 in the playoffs. It doesn’t matter what you do in the regular season. We took care of business against Hale-Ray and then had to play a very good Coginchaug, who beat us the week before. That’s really where we found our momentum,” DeLizio said. “We had the luxury of playing the championship at home. All these people were there to support them. It was a big deal. To watch them celebrate and see them lift the trophy was one of the best feelings. We took care of our neighborhood.”
Following the Shoreline Conference Tournament, North Branford opened play in the Class M State Tournament as the No. 5 seed. After the T-Birds received a bye through the first round, junior Bella Hills pitched a perfect game with 13 strikeouts when North Branford earned a 15-0 win versus Kaynor Tech in a second-round game. After that, the T-Birds defeated Jonathan Law by a 3-1 score in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, the Thunderbirds had a matchup against No. 1 seed Woodland, which was undefeated coming into the game. North Branford pounced on Woodland early by scoring three runs in the first inning and four more in the third to get a 7-2 victory. The T-Birds went on to play No. 5 seed Seymour in the Class M state championship game and took a 5-0 loss against the Wildcats.
Despite that defeat, Coach DeLizio was beyond proud of his squad for having a phenomenal campaign that featured a couple of memorable playoff runs.
“If you told me we would be playing in a state finals game this year at the beginning of the season, I’d give you a crazy look,” said DeLizio. “You just want to put yourself in the best opportunity to play in the game. It was a really special season.”
The Thunderbirds were led by three senior captains in Jada Miconi, Sophia Ouellet, and Erica Piercey. Miconi, who played third base, set North Branford’s school record for the best batting average in a season by hitting .578, breaking a record that had stood since 1977. Miconi had 33 hits to go with 21 runs scored and 22 RBI on her way to making the All-State Class M Team and the All-Shoreline Conference First Team, in addition to being named North Branford’s Most Valuable Player.
Piercey and Ouelett both garnered All-Shoreline Conference Second Team honors and were also co-recipients of North Branford’s Desire and Dedication Award. Piercey, who played second base, batted .466 with 34 hits, 28 runs scored, and 23 RBI, while Ouelett, an outfielder, had a .329 batting average with 24 hits, 16 runs, and 28 RBI.
At the team’s postseason banquet, Coach DeLizio told the Thunderbirds that they had carved out a legacy with what they accomplished on the ballfield this year. DeLizio knows that the leadership of his three captains, who were the only seniors on the team, proved crucial in North Branford’s success.
“There are good teams, great teams, and legacy teams. This team is a legacy team,” DeLizio said. “When you trust the players enough and they can step up to be leaders and great teammates, as a coach, you take a step back and they drive. They took the reins and they took us far. They were great teammates.”
While the T-Birds are losing three stellar seniors, they will also be returning several difference makers from the recent campaign. One of those players is junior catcher Hanna Senerchia, who made All-State and the All-Shoreline Conference First Team after recording a .458 batting average with 33 hits, 35 runs scored, and 12 RBI this season. Fellow junior Bella Hills, who pitched and played shortstop, was an All-Shoreline Second Team honoree with her 11-2 record, 2.11 ERA, and 93 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched.
Freshman Lindsey Onofrio, a shortstop/utility player, hit .406 with 28 hits, 22 runs, and 26 RBI on her way to earning an All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention nod. Fellow freshman Mullins posted a record of 10-1 on the mound with a 1.05 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 73.2 innings pitched.
North Branford’s roster also included juniors Lauren Ackerman, Nichole Gomez, and Gianna DePino; along with sophomore Tessa Juniver; and freshmen Gabrielle Senerchia, Natalia Lucibello, and Gianna Fico.
Coach DeLizio was happy to see so many of the younger athletes on his team get experience on the varsity level this spring. DeLizio feels that North Branford is set up well for continued success through the next few seasons.
“The future looks very bright for the program. We have Kiley and Bella coming back. We have Hanna as an All-State catcher. We have a lot of girls who stepped up at the end of the season and filled big roles,” said DeLizio. “We have a lot of girls that might be young, but were able to get opportunities. We just have to build off of what the seniors left.”
In addition to his athletes, DeLizio gave a lot of credit to North Branford’s assistant coaches, Meagan Rodriguez and Sabrina LeMere. DeLizio said that Rodriguez and LeMere were both instrumental to the T-Birds’ growth and that the team wouldn’t have seen as much success without their contributions.
While players come and go and the roster looks different every year, one thing remains a constant for Coach DeLizio and the North Branford softball squad. DeLizio said that once you put on the Thunderbirds’ jersey, the culture that you create and then pass on to your teammates will resonate within the program forever.
“We treat it as a family. Once a Thunderbird, always a Thunderbird. Every senior class has mentioned it in their speeches,” DeLizio said. “We want to wear the purple and white. We want to be proud of our town and our community. We play hard-nosed softball. We never give up. We battle every day.”