2026 SCC Preview

If you're going to make an argument for the deepest and most talented league in the state it could very well be the Southern Connecticut Conference—AKA the SCC!

Last season, SCC schools won two state championships as Cheshire took top honors in Class LL while the Foran Lions won 28 straight games to take the league title as well as the Class M state championship, as well.

In our third league preview of the new high school season, you will hear from Jonathan Law head coach Melanie Blude to chat about an overview of the league (as well as her own Lawmen).

During our players' segment, you will here from a trio of Cheshire Rams—Jordan McCue, Jenica Matos and Molly Fleming—and they will talk about their team and their league.

We will then wrap things up with the head coach of the defending SCC and State Class M champs, Foran Lions boss Gina Georgetti.

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:08

Hey everyone, welcome to the Inside Corner. It's Connecticut's softball podcast with John Nash. I'm Rob Adams, and it's time to preview the locals. Get ready for the high school season. And John, you know high school sports very much in my heart. I'm always excited to get going with a new season.

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Oh, 100%. And, you know, the CIAC this week, you know, they're going pitchers and catchers and balls off ball. Everybody else reports, you know, come Saturday, and two weeks after that, the season starts. So by April, we're hitting the ground running to first base, then to second base, then to third base, and so on. And we're going to be starting our preview podcast, if you will, with uh what I feel is probably the most competitive league in the state, the uh Southern Connecticut Conference, the SCC. And joining us uh to talk about the league in general, is a friend of the podcast, a friend of the blog. She's been supportive of everything I've been doing uh with the CT softball blog since day one. It is Jonathan Law's head coach, Melanie Blue Day. Coach, thanks for joining us.

SPEAKER_03 1:15

Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02 1:18

Is that an accurate statement? Is the SCC the deepest, toughest softball league in the state?

SPEAKER_03 1:23

You know I'm gonna be biased with that, but I would say absolutely, even if you want to just take current situation, you have four classes in the state tournament, and two of the reigning champs are coming from our league. So absolutely.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

And that's incredible to think about that. You know, I don't know how many teams there are in the in the league, but obviously to have two state champions come out of your league that shows you how good the league is up at the top. But again, those middle of the road teams, too, are just so darn good.

SPEAKER_03 1:59

Yeah, that I I feel like that's the probably the best part about being in this league is we're pretty deep all the way down, and you can never rule anybody out of any game. Anybody can beat anybody on any given day, and so your kids come to be competitive on a daily basis, they can't fall asleep and expect anything to get handed to them because anything can happen. So it it's nice for the for our girls to be able to play in a competitive atmosphere like that, but it also does get us ready for the postseason, and you know, then the results happen like with last year with foreign and um Cheshire. So, you know, you can't ask for anything more. If you're gonna coach, you're you're doing it to be competitive. So to be in a competitive league like the SEC is is great.

SPEAKER_02 2:50

And you talked about, you know, foreign and cheshire, and of course they met, I believe, in last year's SEC final, correct?

SPEAKER_04 2:56

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

Yeah, and then Foreign, you know, which has won 28 games in a row. They had that magical season last year. Uh, you know, Cheshi bounced back to win the the big school title last year as well. Um and again, they return their starting pitchers, they return a lot of key kids. Are those two the two teams to beat again this season, do you think?

SPEAKER_03 3:17

Yeah, I think all eyes are on them right now. Um they're returning a lot of players, both squads. I think Cheshire graduated a few starters, and uh foreign graduated like one or two starters, and you know, so they're returning the nucleus, the nucleus of their teams, and you know, they've got other kids they can plug in. So I think right now they're the big guns that everyone's gunning for. So um, yeah, definitely those are the two coming into the season that everybody has as their eyes on the top of the league.

SPEAKER_02 3:52

And the and the pitching in the in this conference, uh, you know, I'm just looking at four names right now Abigail Corras, Jenica Matos, Gabriella Salazzi. You still have Madison Bull, right?

SPEAKER_03 4:04

She's a senior graduated.

SPEAKER_02 4:07

Oh, she did graduate. Okay, so um so again, the pitching is just unbelievable in this league. And what's it like to go up against that type of of pitcher pitching night in, night out?

SPEAKER_03 4:20

Yeah, that's that's the fun part, right? So your kids never get a day to kind of relax. Um, yeah, we've got top pitchers in the league and on a lot of in those three, especially at the top of our league, but then we have other kids that are super effective, um another six teams deep. So, you know, the name of the game is pitching and keeping your kids off the the other team off balance and trying to make things easy for your defense. And I think a lot of our girls, with travel ball being so big, a lot of them are seeing pitchers like this and seeing competitive play in the summer. And now a lot of a lot of teams are playing a ton of tournaments in the fall. Like back in the day, fall was your time off. It was a your time to yourself and to regroup. And I started coaching um in the travel circuit like five or six years ago, and we just did a couple tournaments just to get the kids together in the fall. And before you know it, it's turning into a full-time season. So I don't think, you know, seeing the pitching and seeing these tough teams, I I think that's why our kids are playing the game. They they love it. A lot of them have college on their mind, some of them don't, and they just love the competitive atmosphere. I know in Milford we've got a lot of kids on both squads that have been to one or two World Series with Little League. So, you know, they've been brought up in that competitive atmosphere. And you now have Cheshire with um a very strong young youth program that's up and coming, and it just changes everything, you know. You love the sport and you love what all of these coaches are doing for the kids on the outside, you know, it's just more than the game, and um, it's just fun to be a part of.

SPEAKER_02 6:14

Well, who do you think, you know, again, foreign and and cheshire are the prohibitive favorites, but is it an amity, you know, with with Gabriella Solotzi? Uh you know, a picture of her stamp, you know, her ability. I have a story in the works on her. She's headed to Florida Tech soon, and and there's also, you know, and she's also your niece, right?

SPEAKER_04 6:33

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:34

So how cool is that? Uh you and I spoke about her, so I don't want to, you know, ruin anything that you said about her, but you know, who who are those maybe two or three teams that aren't Cheshire and not foreign that maybe could pull off an upset and you know make it to the league final or or maybe win the whole thing, you know, with a great run.

SPEAKER_03 6:52

I think right now, uh Amity obviously, you know, I know she's my niece. I was hoping to get through one more year of not seeing them regular season. We did not see them last year. It's tough to coach against her for many reasons, but of course, this year we're gonna be playing her twice. Um, Amity definitely they're returning young kids that are just scrappy, hard ball players, and these kids get along great. I think they're gonna be something that people need to be aware of. Um, also, Mercy is returning a lot of their players, they're returning their pitcher. Um, they've got Maggie Matthews over there, Julia Lane, good players. So I wouldn't rule them out by any means. Um, I'm obviously biased to Jonathan Law. You know, I'm returning a lot of kids. I graduated two two starters, um, but I have the majority of my team are are sophomore players. They're players. And um, you know, I also think Lyman Hall is gonna be a sleeper. I think people need to open their eyes to Lyman Hall. I think they're a pretty solid squad. They have good pitching, good catching, a nice little battery over there. Um, so I think they're gonna do well. But then you've also got like East Haven with Eddie Krasafis, they're just well coached, they're always competitive. He knows what he's doing over there, and you can never rule them out. Same with North Haven. Um, with Vin and Sarah coaching those kids. They've got a returning pitcher, somebody who pitched as a freshman last year. So um, yeah, I mean, there's you can keep going down the line. I think hand is gonna be competitive. I think Laurelton's gonna be competitive. I know they graduated their pitcher who was out most of the season last year with the injury, Franny. Um, but they've got a lot of young kids, a lot of freshmen coming in over there. And they're a small little school, so whether they make noise in that SEC conference, they're definitely gonna make some noise in the state state conference.

SPEAKER_02 9:01

So and of course, two years ago, Sheehan played for a state title, right? And I'm I know they lost, you know, uh uh their their big pitcher there, who I just saw at AIC this weekend. Uh I went to the University of Bridgeport doubleheader with AIC. Um, I don't know how much they lost, but to me, again, that shows you, you know, we're talking Sheehan. There might be the seventh or eighth team that we mentioned. Two years ago, they're playing for a state title. This this league is just loaded. You know, it's unpleasant. It really is.

SPEAKER_03 9:31

Elton is young coming off a pretty good season. Um, yeah, I mean, yeah, you could just keep naming them. Seriously, it's it's fun, it's a lot of fun. Guilford, Guilford went pretty deep in the tournament a couple years ago. Um, now they're coming in with some. I don't know if the kids are old enough just yet. Maybe it's next year, but those Little League girls were in a World Series, so you might have some young ones coming in in the next couple years.

SPEAKER_02 9:58

I I know one of them's at the high school level because she made uh all SEC and basketball. Um, you know, I got to know those kids pretty well, and I follow them on Instagram, I follow their parents on social media, and I did notice that uh uh, you know, Horace, uh, who's the husband of the Quinnipiac coach, uh Horace Smith over there, um, is the head coach, and he's got some young talent coming up. So, yeah, Guilford could certainly uh you know be good in a few years. You also mentioned Julia Lane from Mercy, and I did want to mention that the uh Jen Lane, the head coach at Wesley, and that's her daughter, and Jen's been a huge supporter of the blog as well. So I I I gotta give a shout out to the Lane family um also. Uh, if you had to pick a winner today, you know, other than lost, you know, maybe you lose in the finals, but but who are you picking, do you think?

SPEAKER_03 10:43

You can't do that to me. Uh I don't know, it's gonna be tough. I mean, I'm gonna give you five names, right? Chester, Orin, right? They definitely have the talent to be there again. We know we all know that. I think Amity could upset anybody, mercy could upset and upset anybody, and I'm gonna say law can upset anybody. So it could be it's anyone's game.

SPEAKER_02 11:11

How about player of the year?

SPEAKER_03 11:14

Well, you got a returning um who the heck was I think we just had one, yeah, one player of the year last year. I think it was Jenica Matos. Um, I think Abby did a great job last year. Um a lot of her biggest moments came after that SEC meeting. And, you know, so she's made a name for herself over at foreign. So yeah, uh you got a strong pitcher at Amity. You've got an incredible shortstop in Maggie Matthews at Mercy. So yeah, I think you got a lot of kids out there that anything can happen as far as being player of the year. I think a lot of times it falls into the hands of pitchers. I I think that pitcher has a spotlight a lot of times. But um sometimes those field players get pushed aside. I I don't know. It it can go it could go there's a lot of good players in our league. You have uh Ava Sayez over at Lyman Hall, that's an incredible catcher. Um I think too, like your pitchers are as good as their catcher, right? So the catchers are just it's such a position, they work so hard, and you know, you can have an extraordinary pitcher with a weaker catcher, and that pitcher's not gonna be great. And you can have an average pitcher with an incredible catcher, and they're gonna make that pitcher look better than they are. So I think these catchers they don't get as much credit as they should get. A lot of times the awards, everything's falling in the hands of the pitchers, but we can't forget those catchers either.

SPEAKER_01 12:57

Coach, I'm so I'm so impressed by the depth of talent in the SEC. What does your team have to do to be a part of that mix and and win a title? What what makes your team so good?

SPEAKER_03 13:12

Uh for me over at law, I've got um I mean I have hitters one through nine. I uh we can they they hit the best of pitching. Um I have pitchers with good control. And I think this year what it's gonna take is my pitchers being spot on and pitching to the weaknesses of the batters that they're facing and making the defensive plays easy for the defense behind them. And I think if we can put that together with our offensive lineup, we're gonna be pretty good. Um, you know, if you look limit your walks and limit your errors, I mean that's just everything. We don't have somebody that's gonna strike out 15 kids a game. We are gonna make the plays behind them. But since I've been at law in since 2000, the 2005 season, we pride ourselves on our defense. We work them really, really hard. And um, you know, we had the luxury of Maddie Bull for the last four years, and she was pretty lights out, especially early on in her high school career, getting us those 12 to 15 strikeouts, but we never once took our foot off the pedal with working our defense. So we work them hard, they they work hard, they come to just give us everything they've got every single day, and they have a good time doing it. So as long as we can limit our walks and pitch to those weaknesses, I think we're gonna be right there.

SPEAKER_02 14:45

Coach, you know, I know this is the FCC preview podcast, but as you, you know, again, you look at the pitchers, Abigail, uh uh chorus, you know, Gabby, Jenica, like you said, you know, some some of those other ones. The pitching right now in the state of Connecticut, is it the best it's ever been, or at least since you've been coaching, like statewide? I mean, you know, you think of Vivian Knott down at Darien headed to Stanford. Um, we did a pot podcast last week with a with a uh Knapsack school. Their pitch is going to Oklahoma State. You know, you think about Abby's going to Central, uh Salatsi's going to Florida Tech, Matos is going to St. John's along with Lily Jane up in at Hail Ray. Uh is this, I mean, again, it's just statewide, the pitching just seems to be so darn good. Is it because they're getting you know good instruction from all these pitching coaches that are out there? Or what do you make of it? Or is it just you know not as good as it used to be when maybe uh uh you know somebody like a Rachel Fico, uh not Rachel Fico, uh yeah, Rachel Fico. I'm confusing her with Lauren Fico from New Canaan. Uh, but Rachel Fico, the the masoch star who went on to uh you know great uh Division I level talent. It just it it stuns me in the in the 10 years that I've been involved with softball here in Connecticut.

SPEAKER_03 16:01

Yeah, I think there's great pitching coaches out there, they're doing a really good job. Um Kelly Brenner Hennessy over, she she's on staff with Cheshire, but she's she works with um Gab over at Amity, she works with Maddie, who's over with me, she works with Breeze over at North Haven, you know, and I and she she's great at what she does. She's not trying to force new pitches on kids until they're ready, and she really focuses on the little things. I think the pitching coaches have definitely evolved. I think the position itself, I think there's so many more kids that want to do it, right? So if they're starting that young, your your pool of pitchers is a little bit bigger than it may have been 10, 15 years ago because more kids are trying it out. So you you find more kids who are really good at it. Um, I think too, just um hats off to the NCAA, who's just um a lot of the games are broadcasted, and they're not just broadcasted during the World Series, they're broadcasted all college season long. So these kids are watching and talking about college softball all the time. So they're watching great pitching and and they're learning their craft. So, yes, I think the pitching has evolved a lot. Um, it's so different because when I first started coaching um high school ball, it was in the SEC, it was 2001. We were pitching from 40 feet, you know, and even when I came over at over to law, uh we were probably still at I I'm not sure when the rule changed. So it was a pitcher dominant game. And they moved that mound back a few feet. So now, yes, we do still have some girls throwing 60 miles an hour, but you better have some spin and some movement, or you're gonna get pounded. It's not you're not pitching from 40 feet anymore. You know, so it's turned into a hitter's game, and the the pitchers are working a lot harder to throw pitches that these batters are are going to swing through. You know, they're trying to get more movement on their ball, having balls break away from where the batters are swinging, and and they're they're working hard. So yeah, I think we've got great pitching across the state of Connecticut. I think we just graduated a bunch of great pitchers, and then I think there's gonna be great pitchers coming on up. So it's just one of those positions where these kids want to do it and they're working hard at it, and there's a lot of them, and then the pool, I think the pool of pitchers is just a little bit bigger, so you're gonna find some studs out there.

SPEAKER_02 18:41

I know once upon a time during my journalism career, I was told that the if if you had a daughter and you wanted to get her a college scholarship, the easiest two, I don't I don't say the easiest two ways, but the best two ways are make her a softball pitcher or make her a hockey goalie.

SPEAKER_04 18:56

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 18:57

And you know, we're seeing it with the pitching right now. Um, I also just looked it up, you know, you know, thank goodness we have these computers and our phones where you could just quickly type stuff, and uh the uh National Federation of High School softball rules in 2009 voted to change it and they enacted it in the 2010-2011 season, going from 40 feet to 43 feet to match the colleges.

SPEAKER_03 19:18

So uh so yeah, so you're right right around I've been here since 2005, so 2005, six pick, seven, all the way up until Maddie Bull arrived, and that was four years ago. I had one pitcher that was varsity level material, one pitcher in the program. And now this year, I have three or four kids that can probably throw at the varsity level. And I think a lot of I'm sure Cheshire's got multiple kids. I know Jenica is just a stud, but you know, there's other girls there that probably would be starting pitchers on other programs, you know. So um definitely for sure, it's it's evolved, yes.

SPEAKER_02 20:00

If if you had to pick a Cinderella story this year, you know, who's the team that's gonna rise up that maybe missed the tournament last year? Meaning the SEC tournament, but is there one team that that would has been really, really young that that you're kind of looking at saying, boy, when we play them this year, they're gonna be a tougher game?

SPEAKER_03 20:17

Um young. I think Amity's a pretty young team. Um I think foreign is probably one of the more veteran teams with older kids on it. Or did I say foreign? I meant Cheshire. Cheshi is definitely a more veteran-based team. Um Foreign's got more upperclassmen, juniors and seniors now. Amity is terrible.

SPEAKER_02 20:44

Like you said, if they do get that influx of the little league kids as freshmen, you know, they might be a year or two away, but could they make that big step this year? You know, and just make the SEC tournament or, you know, somebody that hadn't in a while.

SPEAKER_03 20:57

Hand has that hand has that opportunity this year. Um, they've got a a good group of freshmen coming in. Um, and they did not qualify. Well, they did qualify last year. They might have qualified as our our number eight team because I think they opened with Cheshire in the SEC tournament, but they just they qualified because of like one one game determined whether or not they were getting in. Like somebody had to beat somebody for them to get in, and and they were in. But that that's a younger group, but they may have um an opportunity there to qualify again and and win a first round game. Definitely. And then Lyman Hall, I think, is another another one that you just can't sleep on.

SPEAKER_02 21:43

And I know Hand has a new coach this year, I know Shelton has a new coach this year. Uh, do you know of any other new coaches that are coming in uh this season?

SPEAKER_03 21:51

We have a new one at Hamden, a new one at Sacred Heart Academy, and then actually Horace did step away from Guilford, so

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Oh, did he? Okay, I wasn't aware of that.

SPEAKER_03 22:01

Up until this point, we don't know if they hired anybody at. Uh Brantford also hired a new coach this year. So we've got quite a few new ones in the SCC.

SPEAKER_02 22:11

Okay. Um anything else you want to say about the league, about any of the players? You know, uh uh we you touched on your team a little bit, but what what what are your hopes and goals for the for the lawmen this year?

SPEAKER_03 22:24

Oh, I'm hoping I'm hoping for a long season, uh, like I do every year, right? But you know, everything's gotta fall in place. Number one, you gotta stay healthy, and that's the biggest thing. You gotta keep that that nucleus healthy, and then you've got to win the right games and lose the right games and get seated in the right position. Everything has to fall in place for that state championship. Like it's obviously what every coach would want, but it's not why we're here. We're you know, we're here to get our kids better at softball and and hope to be competitive. I don't know. I work really hard with my girls in the offseason with um like team building and team culture. We meet once a month throughout the winter and we just talk about life and we talk about just being good humans and how to be good teammates and things like that. And my girls are so bought in and they are such a close-knit group that um you I want the season to go on as long as I can just for the sake of being around this group as long as I possibly can, you know.

SPEAKER_02 23:29

I I one more question for you that that just popped into my head. Talk about the Danny Kemp game. You know, I I was privileged enough to attend that last year when you guys played foreign. It it's one of the, you know, I know it means so much to the to the Milford community. What what can you tell us about that?

SPEAKER_03 23:44

Yeah, so um every year when we play at foreign, we do it at the foreign game because you know the field is dedicated to her. Um but we we do a Danny Camp front fundraiser game. We try to sell t-shirts and raise some money to put towards her scholarship. And it's just it's just a way to remember a softball great that came right out of our town, you know. Um an incredible player, an incredible person, and you know, an unfortunate luck. And you know, just to keep her light burning, we we remember her more than just that game. We remember her all season long, all year long. And, you know, these girls were so little when she was playing, but she still was a role model and an idol to to a lot of these girls. So, you know, this is just it's it's she's deserves it, and you know, it's so much fun to always honor her every year and remind the girls that this is bigger than wins and losses. Much bigger than wins and losses. So yeah, it's a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

All right, good stuff with Coach. John, a great opportunity to dive into the SEC and uh coach, all the best of luck this year. Can't wait to see what goes on. Thank you. Great to have you with us. We will take a break here. We'll be right back with more of the Inside Corner.

SPEAKER_02 25:14

Hi, this is John Nash, publisher of the CT Softball Blog. For the past two years, we have been bringing you stories from softball fields throughout the state, from the little league ranks to those summer days of travel softball to the high school level and even college. In a day and age where many websites are hiding their content behind paywalls, we've given it all to you for free. As we head into year three, we are looking to expand. That includes this, the Inside Corner podcast, as well as other ideas we have and are ready to implement for the new season. This month before the first pitch is thrown, the CT Softball blog has started a GoFundMe fundraiser as we crowdsource to come up with the funding to expand and grow. To do this, we need your help. Please visit www.ctsoftballblog.com and click on the donate to us button or click on the GoFundMe ad at the very top of our home page. The game has grown again, folks. There are so many more stories to tell, and we need your help. Thank you. And we're back with the Inside Corner podcast here on the Connecticut Softball blog, and our second segment of the all the SCC preview podcast is with three players from the Cheshi High School Rams, Jordan McHugh, Jenica Matos, and Molly Fleming. And thank you all for uh joining me.

SPEAKER_06 26:33

Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_02 26:35

Let me start with you, Jordan. First question: I was looking at you guys uh uh in terms of the the overall state championships uh games that Cheshire has played in, and you guys had made five finals, the school had made five finals before finally winning that title in 2016, and then this latest group of players have kind of come through. And you you know, you lost to Fairfield Ludlow two years ago, you won the state title last year. What is it about the Cheshire program that keeps you guys hungry and and keeps striving for for to you know to make these state title games and these SCC title games?

SPEAKER_06 27:09

Um, I think that we just have really good like team dynamics, like we all want to be here, we all like care for each other, and we definitely um all have that goal. And at the end of the day, like we all work for it, and you know, just like succeeding in the end like makes it all worth it, and yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:27

And Janica, 10 seniors uh are listed on the uh CIAC roster as as kids who are eligible to return from last year. How tight are you guys as seen as a senior class? And and does that help the closeness uh of that group? Does does that help the team bond and and prepare every season?

SPEAKER_05 27:46

Uh yeah, it definitely does because like we all like we've been close since freshman year, even eighth grade, like coming in. So, like I mean, it's like our leadership kind of like leads the team, like and how close we are, like it shows the underclassmen that like you know, like them being close also helps, and us being close with them also helps our like team dynamics. So I think like us leading the way is like big for us, you know.

SPEAKER_02 28:12

And and Molly, a question for you is you look back on last year, your junior year, you know, you lose the SCC title game, you bounce back, have a great state run, you win that state title. What's more important to you guys? Is it that league title, that league championship, because those are the teams you're competing against every year in every single sport? Is it the state title because that's the ultimate prize? And losing in one last year and winning the other, how does that affect the team as you guys start a new season this season?

SPEAKER_07 28:41

Oh, we just like to take it one game at a time and just focus on the game ahead. Um, obviously both are important to us, but we kind of just do our best each game.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

And and Jenica, what are your thoughts on the SEC this season? It's always one of the deepest, one of the most competitive conferences in the state of Connecticut. Uh, you know, you as the pitcher, you got to go out there and compete against these teams all the time. What are your thoughts on the league this year?

SPEAKER_05 29:07

Um, I mean, the competition is still really well. Like, it's always fun to compete against the other teams, and it's always a good game. So, like, you never know what could come out of it, but you know, everyone works hard to like meet that end goal of the SEC championship.

SPEAKER_02 29:22

And Jordan, we all know what a great pitcher, you know, uh Jenica is. She's heading to St. John's and and uh she's just so darn good. How glad are you that she's on your team and you don't have to face her in games?

SPEAKER_06 29:35

Um, yeah, it's definitely like uh really good having her on her team because you know she's a she works hard and a lot of it keeps a lot of batters on their toes, and you know, they don't usually like catch on until like at least we play them like two or three times. So it definitely helps to have her on our side.

SPEAKER_02 29:53

And uh Joan, you're obviously headed to Yukon next year. Um, as we said, Janica's heading to St. Joe's uh St. John's. Uh you guys will meet up a few times on opposite ends of the field, which I'm sure will be strange. Molly, what's your future? Uh do you hope to play softball in college? Have you you know fortified those plans yet? Or is this kind of the last go-round for you on a softball field?

SPEAKER_07 30:14

Um, playing at Southern next year.

SPEAKER_02 30:16

Oh, nice. Congratulations. And and what was it about Southern that that you liked and made you want to go there?

SPEAKER_07 30:22

Uh I like that it was close to home.

SPEAKER_02 30:24

Oh, you're one of those kids, didn't want to stray too far.

SPEAKER_07 30:29

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 30:30

So that and then there's nothing wrong with that because obviously it's probably far enough that you know you'll be staying on campus, so it's like being alone, but yeah, when you want that home cooked meal, I gotta do laundry. It's always nice to just hop in a car and make that drive instead of having to fly home. And all three of you have to be local as well, which which is nice too. So who do you guys and any one of you can answer? But obviously, you know, Foreign's got a lot of teams back, and and uh, but who who do you think will be some of the other strong teams in the SEC this year?

SPEAKER_06 30:59

Um, I think that there's a lot of good competition throughout the whole SEC, but definitely like Amity and Foreign are up there. We had good games against both of them last year, so it'll definitely be like a good game again this year.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

And and Jonica, how much pride is there in putting on the Cheshire Rams jersey?

SPEAKER_05 31:17

I mean, there's like an immense amount of pride. I mean, they like it came a long way with like our culture and like even just it's helped us winning. So I mean, like, it's just like even without winning, it's just like still powerful to put it on because we do have like a good connection with everyone on the team and even with the coaches, like it's just um like it's just something every team kind of wishes for, and we're lucky to have it.

SPEAKER_02 31:43

And Molly, obviously, you know, after a week of pitchers and catchers, the whole team got together on Saturday for the first practice slash tryout, whatever you want to call it. Uh, the Cheshire team this year, I mean, some of the young kids, uh, you know, again, you got the big senior class and a handful of juniors, but how how you how do you feel you guys are looking this season as a team? And is there a lot of young talent that's going to keep Cheshire, you know, competitive well into the future?

SPEAKER_07 32:09

Yeah, we're still looking very good. Uh, we have a lot of young players, but they fit right in with us, and um just the past few days have been great with them.

SPEAKER_02 32:19

Anything else any of you want to add about about the team, about the season, about the league? I mean, it's uh y'all gotta be excited to be out actually back out on the field playing again.

SPEAKER_06 32:29

Yeah, it's very exciting. Um, we've waited like all year. We definitely are excited for like not only regular season, but also like postseason, like being together and like trying to get back in like SECs and stuff like that, like try and get the champion title back and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_05 32:47

But yeah, I don't know, especially because we're seniors this year, so it's like our last year, like we kind of want to like go out like strong. So I think that's a lot of motivation for us.

SPEAKER_02 32:59

Yeah, and that's the thing. Being seniors, when does that hit you that this is gonna be your last high school softball season? Has it yet? Or do you think that's more later in the year when when all is said and done that it that it hits you like a ton of bricks?

SPEAKER_06 33:12

I mean, it kind of like it hasn't like hit you like, yeah. I mean, we're aware that it's our last season, so we definitely like want to go far and like make the most of it, but it'll probably like definitely hit us like towards the end of the road, like when season's closer to ending.

SPEAKER_02 33:27

Well, undoubtedly, you guys are gonna be in the thick of things once again, both in the SEC as well as the uh the class double ranks. Jordan McHugh, Jenica Matos, and Molly Fleming from the Cheshire High School Rams softball team. Appreciate you all joining us today. Good luck to you guys this season. Thank you. Thank you for having us. We'll be back with our last segment when we'll be talking to defending champion coach of foreign high school Gina Giorgetti, right after this message. Hi, this is John Nash, publisher of the CT Softball Blog. For the past two years, we have been bringing you stories from softball fields throughout the state, from the little league ranks to those summer days of travel softball to the high school level and even college. In a day and age where many websites are hiding their content behind paywalls, we've given it all to you for free. As we head into year three, we are looking to expand. That includes this, the Inside Corner podcast, as well as other ideas we have and are ready to implement for the new season. This month before the first pitch is thrown, the CT Softball blog has started a GoFundMe fundraiser as we crowdsource to come up with the funding to expand and grow. To do this, we need your help. Please visit www.ctsoftballblog.com and click on the donate to us button or click on the GoFundMe ad at the very top of our home page. The game has grown again, folks. There are so many more stories to tell, and we need your help. Thank you. And we're back with the Inside Corner Podcast, the SCC Preview Edition. And joining us right now is the head coach of not just the defending SEC champions, but also the defending class L? Is it coach? M. Uh, Class M champs, the foreign lions, coach Gina Giorgetti. And Gina, first and foremost, thank you so much for joining us.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_02 35:22

You know, I kind of teased you a little bit uh when we were talking before we started recording, and I said, has it hit you yet that you are defending champs? And when you think back to last year, 28 and oh, I believe is what you guys ended up. And I can't imagine you ever imagined that was gonna be possible, you know, one year ago, you know, when before the season started. You knew you were gonna be good, but did you expect to be that good? And how good are you guys gonna be this year?

SPEAKER_00 35:49

Um I don't think any coach really goes into a season thinking they're gonna be fully undefeated from start to finish. Um, so it definitely took me by surprise, but I know how good my players are and how committed they are to the team and to the program. Um I think talent is just part of um the sport of softball. I think there's a lot of different aspects. You know, you have the mental aspect, you have the emotional aspect, you have just like the dedication. Um, and I know my players have all of that. So um we only lost two starters, um, four seniors in total. So I think we're coming back with a really good team. Um, and they have a really good team dynamic as well. They're all friends with each other, they all kind of hang out, um, which is another aspect of a team. You can have skill, you can be really dedicated, but if you don't click on the field, it is very hard to get through a very long three months of the season.

SPEAKER_02 36:46

You know, earlier in the podcast, we were talking with uh Mel Blue Day, the coach at your across town rival, Jonathan Law, and and she talked a little bit about you know the Milford youth ranks and and what that what they have done to help both, you know, Lawrence as well as you guys. And that's kind of the scary thing to me about you guys is you know, you lost four seniors last year. I think you only have three seniors returning this year. Um so so you're still really, really young, and you and you you have been kind of young. So is it just young talent that that's kind of being pumped into the program and growing within the program that's made all the success happen?

SPEAKER_00 37:23

Yeah, absolutely. So um the Milford Little League has done a tremendous job with all ages of young athletes. Um, you know, they start from a younger and younger age every year, and I think just kind of encouraging young females to get out there and do something, whether it's softball or volleyball or or anything. And I think Milford has done a great job throughout the years just increasing their participation in little league. Um, you know, I grew up in Milford and there wasn't much little league softball. Um, I remember I played baseball until they told me you can't anymore because you're a girl. Um, and that like broke my heart. So it's really nice to see that the Milford Little League softball has grown so much. Um, so that yeah, that young talent coming into high schools has definitely helped both law and forens programs.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

You know, unless you're, you know, Massick High School, I think one of the toughest things in the world to do is repeat. Um, you know, Massach keeps winning no matter what. But what's it gonna take for you guys to repeat as league and or state champs this year? What's it gonna take?

SPEAKER_00 38:27

I think starting fresh, starting new. Um uh my philosophy is what we did last season was incredible. Um, I don't think any coach goes into a season thinking they're gonna finish 20 and oh. Um, but that's awesome for last year. And this year we just kind of have to have, you know, clear vision um and stick with what foreign software's about. And that's um team camaraderie, having each other's back, staying focused on the game, and every game getting better and better. Um, I think if we start thinking about last season, I think that's where we might get a little iffy because we're nowhere too close to what we were last year. You know, people grow, athletes grow, they work on things over um summer, um, things happen in their life. So I think coming back, even though the team is essentially kind of the same because we only lost a couple seniors, um, the people themselves, the athletes themselves, are different human beings. So I think if we just start fresh and say, all right, zero, zero, and that's what we're gonna come in, and we're just gonna play our game. And so let's see what happens.

SPEAKER_02 39:34

So so there'll me there'll be no talk from you about a 28-game win streak or anything like that.

SPEAKER_00 39:39

Okay, absolutely not.

SPEAKER_02 39:41

No, fair enough. So there are so many good pitchers in the state of Connecticut, and you know, I've written about them on the Connecticut softball blog. Uh you know, the the fine folks up at Game Time CT have done stories on so many of them as well. One of them that flew under the radar for so long was your pitcher, Abigail Corras. And uh, you know, I've known Abigail and her dad for a long, long time, uh, since I was coaching 12U Travel back when I first started and stuff. And and you know, I've seen her rise up to the level that that she has occurred now where she's headed to uh Central Connecticut next year to be a D1 pitcher. Do you feel this year she's gonna get her just due as a pitcher because of what happened last year? And and uh just just talk about her and how important she is to your program.

SPEAKER_00 40:27

Yeah, I I really hope she gets the uh recognition that she deserves. Um, I remember when she was a freshman and she came in, and the first thing she said to me was, How can I be better? And then I said, Well, can I see you pitch first? You know, like I was just learning your name. Um, and then that sophomore year she came in and she said, All right, how can I be better? Um, and every year that's her mentality. And even now, you know, we're in the middle of pitchers and catchers week, and she's still saying, Okay, how can I be better? I've tried working on this with my pitching coach. I'm trying to do this. And I think that mentality to have as an athlete, even after everything that happened last year, it's very easy to be an athlete to go 28-0, to kind of know that you're going to a D1 central softball program and kind of be complacent and kind of stop working as hard and saying, Well, my future's kind of set now. Um, and I'm not seeing that from her. She's still, what can I do better? I'm working on this, I'm can I try this out? Um and that mentality is just amazing to have. And I've seen her progression through the four years, and I can't say enough about how wonderful of a human being she is. Um, to the programs, the team individually. So I really hope she gets the recognition because she she really deserves it.

SPEAKER_02 41:43

And tell me about your other seniors. You've you've got Olivia Gregory, you have Maya Fallon Silva. You know, senior leaders are so important to any program. Just tell me a little bit about those two and what they bring to the Lions.

SPEAKER_00 41:55

Yes, absolutely. So uh Maya is the outgoing, um, kind of funny leader where she brings the team not only focused in the game, but she also kind of makes those players who get a little stressed out during games maybe crock a joke and kind of you know work out the tension. Um, she also is the first one to volunteer if we needed a spot anywhere. So her freshman year, we needed another catcher for Pitchers and Catchers Week. And she said, Yeah, I can catch for you. Um, she did the same thing this week. We um we needed one more catcher, so she's like, Yeah, I'll uh I'll catch, even though she's not a catcher. So she kind of puts the team before herself every single day, and she is really funny too, which uh helps the team out a lot too. Um Olivia Gregory, she is amazing. She'll play anywhere again. If we have uh an opening at second, um that happened two years ago, she gave it a try. We had an opening at third, she gave it a try. Um, but she is the quiet leader where she leaves by example, and she will not be yelling or screaming, she'll be cheering, but she'll lead by example.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

You have seven juniors that are that are slated to come back. I'm not sure if they all are kids move, kids, you know, and all that, but you know, that's a big class. Uh, you know, I look at some of the names, Maddie Deldon, Nora Bove, these are kids that have have really contributed to the success of foreign uh softball. Just tell me about that group.

SPEAKER_00 43:21

Yeah, they're they're wonderful. Um, what makes that group very unique is that there's so many of them, um, but they all have a purpose and they all blend and fit together very well. Um, they know that they can rely on each other on the field and off the field, and they work very well together for such a big class.

SPEAKER_02 43:41

You know, I know we're taping this before you technically have tryouts that come Saturday or maybe Monday, depending on when you guys do it. Do you do you have an influx of talent coming in? You know, either freshmen that you know are gonna help the program or maybe kids stepping up to JV. How how are you excited about maybe some of the new kids that are that will be joining you this year?

SPEAKER_00 44:00

Yeah, I'm always excited for new softball players in the program. Um, unfortunately, we are um kind of at a decrease in um athletes in our program. So we're at 17 right now, um, with four freshmen coming up. Um, and so any new talent, um, you know, I will welcome with open arms, play softball. You've never played softball. I would love to have you in the program. Um, so I'm just excited just to see what they have and what they um can bring to foreign softball because well, cause I can see that they're great students, great athletes, great people, and that's what we're really looking for.

SPEAKER_02 44:36

And and last question for you, coach, just give me your thoughts, you know, on the league. We heard from your counterpart, uh, you know, Melanie over at the law. Just what are your thoughts on the SEC this year? It's always one of the deepest softball leagues in the state, it seems. You know, so many of the leagues are top heavy, but but we were going through them last night when we were chatting, and it's like, you know, eight or nine teams, if not more, could contend just to make the SEC playoffs. What are your thoughts on on what the league looks like this year?

SPEAKER_00 45:06

Yeah, uh the SEC is amazing. Um, the coaches, the programs, we all kind of have the same outlook on a program of how their student athletes, they're more than just softball players and kind of um changing them and motivating them in a bigger light, not only on the softball field, so like their future, um, and having so many programs that have that same mentality about growth within their program and growth within their student athletes, um, is really amazing. And as new coaches, you know, they come into the SEC, they're kind of looking for role models. And I my first year of coaching, I had no problem reaching out to all of the essentially all of the head coaches of the SEC asking for help, um, asking like what they did um for certain drills or uh teacher appreciation week or umpires appreciation game. Um, and we all kind of have that same um mentality with our programs, which kind of makes all the SEC teams in my eyes uh wonderful and awesome.

SPEAKER_02 46:08

And that's one of the great things about this is is you know, you have your rivals, but it is it's a good friendly relationship amongst the coaches, and and of course, you know, the players are always playing, you know, with each other on travel teams, playing against each other on travel teams, so it's it's really unique that way.

SPEAKER_00 46:23

So uh I was just saying at the end of the day, um, yeah, we want our team to win, but we will always root for the SET team in the end because we're very close with each other.

SPEAKER_02 46:36

Exactly. Gina Giorgetti, the head coach of the defending SCC champions, the defending Class M champs, a 28-game win streak that nobody's gonna be talking about in Milford this year. Uh, coach, thanks so much for joining us and best of luck to you this year.

SPEAKER_00 46:52

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

Rob and I will be back right after this message to wrap up this SEC preview on the Inside Corner Podcast.

SPEAKER_01 47:00

Robcasting has been the home to professional and college athletics, high school, youth, and semi-pro sports, and so much more. Get on deck for live play-by-play coverage. Have your team heard on Robcasting via the Mixler app and robcasting.com. This is Rob Adams. I'll call the play by play with the same excitement I've delivered for over a quarter of a century. Email me at robcastingradio at gmail.com. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Let's bring your team to the world. So, as I I John, as I said to coach, uh I really was I'm really impressed by the depth of the SEC. I know the conference, uh, I've known their commissioner Al Carbone for a bunch of years, um, and I know he loves talking about the the league, so I know all about it from Al. Um, but softball is really a strong, strong thing for the SEC.

SPEAKER_02 47:56

Yeah, very much so. And again, you know, you look at the FCAC, yes, they have very, very good teams up at the top. You look at the SWC, they have the eight-time defending champs from Massach sitting at the top. Uh, you know, you look at the Southington, that, you know, the league they play in, they've always been so good. You look at the ECC, their top teams are always contending for state titles. But the SEC, you know, two state champions last year, and again, literally, any one of the probably five, six, seven, eight teams, you know, with an upset could win that league. And uh, you know, it's it's just it's so deep, it's so strong, it's so good. Um, you know, once upon a time in Connecticut, the Naugatuck Valley League, you know, used to pronounce itself as the greatest league in the state of Connecticut, but right now I think it's the SEC that that owns that simply because of the depth of talent from one to eight. You know, all the teams that that make the league playoffs could make a run for a state title, it seems.

SPEAKER_01 48:55

Very impressive. And uh I I can't argue with you in any stretch. Uh this is the first of a couple of previews we're gonna do around the state of Connecticut for high school softball. So I'm excited. More coming up.

SPEAKER_02 49:09

Yeah, absolutely. We're gonna be back soon. Uh, like I said, we've got SWC lined up for the Southwest Conference, we've got the FST Act lined up, and uh uh hopefully before the season starts, we'll try to get one or two more as well.

SPEAKER_01 49:20

So that'll do it for this one. We thank our guests for joining us. For John Nash, I'm Rob Adams, you're listening to the Inside Corner.