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05/03/2018 12:00 AMSelena Mauro has been a staple on the East Haven softball team since her freshman year, and she’s contributed to the Yellowjackets in a variety of ways throughout the past few seasons. Selena can play both the infield and the outfield, although her biggest impact has come on the pitcher’s mound, where she’s won plenty of games for the Easties.
Selena, a senior captain, started pitching at age nine when her Little League team needed someone to take the hill one day. The move came as a surprise to Selena, but she found that she liked the power of pitching, and has been a fixture out there ever since.
“I always played second base, but when my parents coached for the regular Momauguin team, they asked me to pitch, because we didn’t have a pitcher. They told me to wing it,” says Selena. “Then I got really interested in it and started taking lessons, because I realized I wanted to be a pitcher. I was dedicated to start pitching and got better where, by high school, I was starting as a freshman.”
Selena quickly discovered that there were some challenges at the pitcher’s position. The biggest thing she had to figure out was how to deal the pressure of being the person who controls the game.
“It was a lot to handle, because I realized it was a lot of pressure. I led the game and would dictate what would happen on the field,” Selena says. “I learned to cope with the pressure, and realized I actually work well under pressure. When it’s a 3-2 count, I’m able to stay relaxed and nothing ever gets me. Nothing pressures me to the point where I feel I can’t do it.”
Selena, a right-hander, features four pitches in her repertoire: a two-seam fastball, four-seam fastball, drop ball, and a changeup. Selena has worked hard through the years to refine all four of her offerings.
“It’s been a lot of work for me. I don’t always know what is going to work on what day. Sometimes my drop ball works better than my changeup, and sometimes my changeup doesn’t even work at all. It’s a lot of work to figure out what is going to work that day,” she says. “I realized my two-seam is better than my regular fastball. It has more movement and seems to trip up a lot of people.”
Selena isn’t the type of pitcher who strikes out everyone. Instead, she’s a crafty hurler who uses her movement and control to prevent the opposition from squaring up her pitches.
“I’m not a strikeout pitcher, but I make sure to move the ball around,” says Selena. “I make my team work, but not to a point where it’s excessive. I usually induce simple plays like pop-ups or easy ground balls. I rarely give up balls into the gap.”
When she isn’t in the circle, Selena typically plays left field for East Haven. Selena likes patrolling the outfield and how it offers a nice change of pace from being on the mound.
“Coach liked how I played in left field, because I’m good at tracking the balls,” Selena says. “I really like it and feel like it fits me. I really like playing in the outfield.”
Yellowjackets’ Head Coach Ed Crisafi knows how much Selena means to his team—and that goes beyond her numbers in the box score. Crisafi also appreciates how the senior captain provides a positive presence for her fellow Easties.
“She’s a great kid with a wonderful personality who leads by example with her will to win,” says Crisafi. “She has a constant will to always play and practice hard and to her capabilities.”
Selena embraces her role of as one of East Haven’s leaders. One of her favorite aspects of being a captain is getting her teammates pumped up for game time.
“I like being a captain, because they come to me with their problems, and I love helping people. I like to lead the team, because I love to cheer on my team,” says Selena. “I never care about anyone more than my teammates. I always have things to say, and I’m their personal cheerleader. I love to cheer my team on, so I keep them hyped.”