A look at the 2023 CIAC softball state tournament semifinals

The No. 1 seed in all but Class L will still be in play on Monday. North Haven was defeated by No. 9 Ellington in the Class L quarterfinal round. 

All four of the top seeds remain in Class LL, with No. 1 Southington playing against No. 4 Ridgefield and No. 2 Ludlowe up against No. 3 Newtown. 

In Class L No. 4 Masuk, the defending champion, will face No. 9 Ellington, while No. 2 Bristol Central plays No. 2 Jonathan Law. Bristol Central made it to the Class LL championship game last year. 

Class M features defending champion No. 1 Woodland against No. 5 Mercy and No. 14 Oxford, the NVL champion, battling No. 18 Sacred Heart Academy for a championship bid. 

In Class S, No. 2 North Branford goes up against No. 11 Cromwell in a rematch of last year’s championship game, while No. 1 Coventry plays No. 4 Shepaug. 

No. 4 Ridgefield (19-4) vs No. 1 Southington (25-0)

WHERE — West Haven
WHEN — Tuesday, 7 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Southington: Bye; Def. Wilton 7-0, Danbury 13-3; Ridgefield: Bye; Def. New Canaan 5-1, NFA 2-0.
KEY PLAYERS — Southington: Stella Blanchard, Sr., Pitcher; Sam Rogers, Sr., SS; Elyse Picard, Sr., OF. Ridgefield: Madeline Pickett, Ridgefield, Jr., Pitcher; Yael Everett, Ridgefield, Jr., 3B/P. 
OUTLOOK — Southington is looking for its fourth straight state title after setting the national record with its 20 last season. The pitching duo of Stella Blanchard and Maddie Furniss have paved the way for the undefeated Blue Knights. The pitching staff has only allowed 14 (10 earned) runs in 157 innings. Southington has started to heat up offensively and is slashing .380/.480/.641 (1.122 OPS) as a team. In the CCC quarterfinal against Maloney, Southington set a program record with six home runs, and last game against Danbury the Blue Knights hit four. Ridgefield will hope to limit Southington with junior ace Maddie Pickett, who has a 0.54 ERA with 127 strikeouts in 78 innings pitched. This is Ridgefield’s first appearance in a state semifinal. 
WILL’S PICK — Southington.

No. 3 Newtown (23-2) vs No. 2 Fairfield Ludlowe (24-1)

WHERE — West Haven
WHEN — Tuesday, 4 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Ludlowe: Bye; Def. Glasonbury 3-2, Amity 3-0; Newtown: Bye; Def. Trumbull 6-3, Cheshire 4-0. 
KEY PLAYERS — Newtown: Sydney Adolfson, Sr., P; Bri Pellicone, Sr., C; Caroline Gardner, Sr., 1B. Ludlowe: Chelsea Villar, Ludlowe, Sr., OF; Alex Lewey, Ludlowe, Jr., P; Anna Gedacht, Ludlowe, Sr., P; Elena Ohe, Ludlowe, Sr., SS. 
OUTLOOK — Ludlowe has been on the precipice of its first state championship for the last two years, losing in the Class LL championship game via a Southington walk-off in 2021, and falling to Southington again last year in the semifinals. The core group that brought the team to the championship in 2021 are now seniors, looking to add to a legacy of three straight FCIAC titles. Ludlowe is slashing .383/.468/.522 (.990 OPS) while the pitching staff holds a 0.94 ERA with 261 strikeouts in 164.2 innings pitched. Newtown will look to play spoiler, and has done so plenty this year. Newtown ended Masuk’s SWC tournament win streak and is a win away from returning to a state final for the first time since 2010. It has never won. Newtown senior ace Sydney Adolfson holds a 0.55 ERA with 233 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched. 
WILL’S PICK — Newtown.

No. 9 Ellington (19-6) vs No. 4 Masuk (21-4)

WHERE — West Haven
WHEN — Monday, 4 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Masuk: Bye; Def. Waterford 7-0, Windsor 5-3; Ellington: Def. Platt 8-0, New Milford 10-5, North Haven 1-0 (10). 
KEY PLAYERS — Ellington: Camryn Fisher, So., P; Keyleigh Flaherty, Jr., OF. Masuk: Julia Bacoulis, Masuk, So., P; Natalie Lieto, Masuk, Jr., OF; Isabel Viglione, Masuk, Sr., C; Ella Bunovsky, Masuk, Sr., 1B. 
OUTLOOK — Masuk has won the last four Class L state titles, and sophomore ace Julia Bacoulis has carried on a long-standing tradition of strong pitching to bring them within one game of defending. Opposing her will be one of the best pitchers in the state, a fellow sophomore, Camryn Fisher. Fisher has a 0.46 ERA with a ridiculous 297 strikeouts in 136 innings pitched. She threw a perfect game against Platt with 20 strikeouts in the first round and threw a 10-inning three-hitter with 16Ks against No. 1 North Haven in the quarterfinals. The Ellington offense came alive in the second round, scoring 10 runs against New Milford (SWC). Ellington is slashing .307/.384/.450 (.834 OPS) with Keyleigh Flaherty leading the way. She is slashing .561/.604/.817 (1.421 OPS). Bacoulis has a 2.02 ERA with 201 strikeouts in 128.1 innings pitched and shut out Waterford in the second round. Masuk has a significant offensive advantage, slashing .355/.460/.571 (1.031 OPS) with Natalie Lieto leading the way. She has slashed .493/.650/1.169 (1.819 OPS) with 10 home runs, and is a bit of a ball magnet with 24 hit by pitches. 
WILL’S PICK — Masuk.

No. 3 Jonathan Law (21-3) vs No. 2 Bristol Central (23-2)

WHERE — West Haven
WHEN — Monday, 7 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Bristol Central: Bye; Def. Pomperaug 3-0, St. Joseph 4-3; Law: Bye; Def. Brookfield 3-0, Rockville 12-0. 
KEY PLAYERS — Law: Maddy Bull, So., P; Paige Jolley, Sr., OF, Elizabeth Roos, Law, Sr., 2B. Bristol Central: Kaley Laird, Sr., SS; Lorelei Stancavage, Sr., C; Sophia Toresso, Sr., P; Lillian VanNostrand, Fr., OF.
OUTLOOK — Bristol Central is looking to return to a state championship game after losing 13-0 in Class LL last year to conference rival Southington. This year, both of Bristol Central’s losses have come against Southington, and while the team did not capture the CCC title, it is on a mission for its first state title since 1985. Ace Sophia Toresso has a 0.63 ERA with 237 strikeouts in 122 innings pitched while her offense has slashed .339/.419/.485 (.904 OPS). Jonathan Law saw its SCC hopes dashed late against eventual champion Amity in the semifinal, and is looking for its first state title since 1980, which is also its last appearance. Sophomore ace Madyson Bull has a 0.76 ERA with 270 strikeouts in 169.1 innings. She threw a no-hitter in the quarterfinal and has not allowed a run in the tournament. 
WILL’S PICK — Bristol Central.

No. 5 Mercy (19-5) vs No. 1 Woodland (24-1)

WHERE — Dunn Sports Complex, Meriden
WHEN — Tuesday, 7 p.m. 
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Woodland: Bye; Def. Granby 14-0, Sheehan 5-4; Mercy: Def. New Fairfield 9-0, Seymour 5-2, H-K 2-0. 
KEY PLAYERS — Mercy: Katelyn Bailey, Jr., 3B; Brooke Hickman, Jr., P; Maggie Mathews, Fr., SS. Woodland: Julia Rowley, So., C; Sam Sosnovich, Sr., P; Ella VanAlstyne, So., OF/P.
OUTLOOK — Woodland saw its 49-game winning streak end in the NVL final against Oxford, which it defeated in the Class M championship last year. That was Woodland’s first state title in program history, and if it can get past Mercy, it could see Oxford again to defend its title. But first it will have to get past a Mercy lineup slashing .448/.541/.678 (1.219 OPS). Katelyn Bailey has led the group, slashing .537/.663/1.074 (1.738 OPS) with eight home runs. Woodland ace Sam Sosnovich has a 1.10 ERA with 198 strikeouts in 108 innings pitched. Woodland has an extremely dangerous lineup as well, slashing .557/.586/1.045 (1.631 OPS). Mercy is looking for its first championship game appearance since 2013 and its first title since 2006. 
WILL’S PICK — Woodland.

No. 18 Sacred Heart Academy (15-7) vs No. 14 Oxford (15-6)

WHERE — Dunn Sports Complex, Meriden
WHEN — Tuesday, 4 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Oxford: Def. Wolcott 8-0, Watertown 9-0, Plainfield 13-0. Sacred Heart Academy: Def. Weaver 22-2, O’Brien Tech 16-1, RHAM 12-8; 
KEY PLAYERS — SHA: Meghan Brown, So., OF; Ayva Caruso, Jr., 3B; Anna Fagan, Jr., P. Oxford: Sienna Lucas, Oxford, So., 3B; Mikayla Walton, Oxford, Sr., SS; Shay Webb, Oxford, Jr., P.
OUTLOOK — Oxford got a version of revenge after losing in the Class M championship game to Woodland last year by taking the NVL title, but ace Shay Webb and her offense want more. Webb has been on fire, throwing back-to-back no-hitters in the second round and quarterfinal. She has not allowed a run in the tournament. Sacred Heart Academy inversely has been raking its way to through the tournament, scoring 50 runs in its three games. Sophomore Meghan Brown has been leading the offense this season, slashing .429/.474/.742 (1.217 OPS). Junior Ayva Caruso has been on fire in the tournament, going 8-for-12 with five RBIs and nine runs scored with two home runs, a triple and a double. Oxford last won a state title in 2015, while SHA its first appearance since 2014 and first title since 2011. 
WILL’S PICK — Oxford.

No. 2 Shepaug (18-2) vs No. 1 Coventry (20-2)

WHERE — Dunn Sports Complex, Meriden
WHEN — Monday, 7 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — Coventry: Bye, Def. St. Paul 3-2, Holy Cross 15-5; Shepaug: Bye, Def. Thomaston 2-0, Canton 3-0. 
KEY PLAYERS — Shepaug: Rachel Hofmann, Jr., OF; Amelia Jacob, So., P; Clare Moore, Jr., 1B. Coventry: Julia Boya, Coventry, Sr., OF; Lindsey Harrington, Coventry, Sr., SS; Elizabeth Mitchell, Coventry, Jr., P; 
OUTLOOK — This one has all the makings of a pitchers duel as Coventry’s Elizabeth Mitchell will go head-to-head with Shepaug sophomore ace Amelia Jacob. Mitchell has a 0.98 ERA with 243 strikeouts in 157 innings pitched while Jacob has a 0.45 ERA with over 285 strikeouts in 125 innings pitched. She has double digit strikeouts in every start this season. Coventry is slashing .324/.391/.557 (.949 OPS), but is coming off a 15-run scoring quarterfinal game in which shortstop Lindsey Harrington went 5-for-5 with six RBIs and outfielder Julia Boya went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and four runs scored. Shepaug is slashing .368/.471/.533 (1.004 OPS) with Rachel Hoffman leading the way with her own line at .533/.597/.916 (1.514 OPS). Coventry is looking for its first state final appearance since 1985 and has never won a title while Shepaug is seeking its first appearance since winning a title in 1992. 
WILL’S PICK — Coventry.

No. 11 Cromwell (17-8) vs No. 2 North Branford (24-1)

WHERE — Dunn Sports Complex, Meriden
WHEN — Monday, 4 p.m.
HOW THEY GOT HERE — North Branford: Bye, Def. Coginchaug 5-2, Housatonic 12-0; Cromwell: Def. Hale Ray 10-1, Lyman Memorial 6-0, Notre Dame-Fairfield 2-0. 
KEY PLAYERS — Cromwell: Lily Kenney, Sr., P; Grace McFarlin, Sr., OF; Malena Signorello, Sr., 1B. North Branford: Alexa Falcioni, So., 2B;  Natalia Lucibello, Jr., 3B;  Kiley Mullins, Jr., P; Lindsey Onofrio, Jr., SS; 
OUTLOOK — This one has history. Cromwell defeated North Branford 3-0 for the title last season as Lily Kenney threw a complete game shutout, outdueling North Branford’s Kiley Mullins. This year North Branford won its eighth straight Shoreline Conference title after defeating Cromwell 7-4 in 13 innings on Natalia Lucibello’s walk-off home run. In two regular season meetings this year, North Branford came away victorious by a score of 2-0 both times, but the playoffs are a different animal. Kenney has allowed one run in three tournament games for Cromwell while Mullins has allowed two. Cromwell’s title run last year was the first in program history, while North Branford is still in search of its first. The Thunderbirds have lost championship games in two straight years and in three of the last five seasons. 
WILL’S PICK — North Branford.