H-K Softball Off to Stellar Start with 7-0 Record
The Haddam-Killingworth softball team is off to one of its best starts in recent memory, and Head Coach Jeff Talbott gives his players a ton of credit for the Cougars’ early success. H-K is sporting an overall record of 7-0 to start the year, including a mark of 5-0 in the Shoreline Conference, with five of the club’s wins coming by five runs or more.
H-K was victorious in all three of its contests last week. The Cougars earned wins versus East Hampton (11-2), Old Lyme (5-4), and Hale-Ray (9-1) to continue their stellar start to the 2022 campaign.
“Even though our team is still very young, we have lofty goals,” Coach Talbott said. “We want to win the Shoreline Conference championship and also win or advance deeply in the State Tournament.”
The Cougars are returning seven of their nine starters from last year, and all of those players are sophomores. H-K’s sophomore class includes Ivy McNiel, Keira Czarkowski, Bella LaTorre, Cheyenne LaTouche, Annabelle Zajac, Bella Richwine, and Brooke Hickman. McNeil and Richwine were All-Shoreline Conference First Team honorees in the 2021 season.
“We have seven returning starters, all sophomores, but I still believe in teaching the basic skills of the game,” said Talbott. “Because they have varsity experience, they are able to do the basics and more.”
H-K started off last week by claiming an 11-2 road victory against East Hampton on April 11. The Cougars had 13 hits in the win, including 2 hits apiece from Czarkowski, Zajac, LaTouche, LaTorre, and McNiel. LaTorre had 5 RBI for the Cougars in the contest.
Junior Kaleigh Bodak hit a home run for H-K and also notched the win on the mound by pitching 5 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts. Bodak earned All-Shoreline Conference Honorable Mention last year.
Two days later, H-K hosted Old Lyme and came away with a 5-4 victory. The Cougars went up 5-0 after four innings. The Wildcats rallied for 4 runs in the sixth to cut the deficit to one, but H-K was able to hang on as Hickman closed out the game in the final frame to secure the win.
LaTorre went 2-for-3 with 2 RBI at the plate. Bodak was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
In H-K’s final game of the week, the Cougars hit the road to face Hale-Ray and won the contest by a 9-1 score. Senior captain Audrey Snyder had the performance of the day by going 4-for-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored for the Cougars, who collected 18 hits on the day. Freshman Caley Napoletano had 2 hits, one of which was a homer, to go with 2 runs scored in the victory.
Bodak earned her seventh win of the year by tossing 5 innings for Haddam-Killingworth. Bodak had 5 strikeouts to help the Cougars stay perfect on the year.
Coach Talbott felt pleased to see every athlete on his roster get into the act when H-K defeated Hale-Ray. Sophomores Julia Mitchell and Nikki Hines recorded their first hits as members of the varsity squad.
“We have 17 players, and I’m looking forward to seeing all of them grow as players. In yesterday’s game, all 17 played [together] for the first time,” said Talbott. “Two players got their first varsity hits. How can you not love that?”
Catcher Madison LaTouche and center fielder Snyder are serving as H-K’s senior captains this season. LaTouche and Snyder are the only two seniors on the team, and Coach Talbott will rely on them to guide the club’s younger players through any difficult situations.
“I look to them for leadership. They are almost like my assistant coaches,” Talbott said of his captains. They do a great job of leading by example.”
H-K’s roster for the 2022 season also includes sophomore Ava Harriman, along with freshmen Hannah Riley, Grace LaConte, and Claire Eighmy. Coach Talbott is assisted by coaches Carlye Kohs and Kate Mayer.
“My assistant coaches are a tremendous help and great role models for our team. They have a very positive relationship with team members,” said Talbott. “Every practice or game ends with team members thanking the coaches for being there for them. It’s unreal.”
As for Coach Talbott, manning the helm as skipper of the H-K softball program never gets old for him. Talbott just wants to continue having fun with the game and see his team succeed on the field.
“Basically, I just want to stay healthy and continue to coach,” Talbott said. “It’s something that I love to do and will continue doing for as long as I can.”