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05/07/2015 12:01 AMEast Haven senior softball player Jena Villecco wasn’t sure if she had an everyday spot in the batting order coming into this year. As a junior, Head Coach Ed Crisafi opted to take the bat of her hands in favor of a designated hitter. However, Jena wanted a spot in the lineup this spring and so she worked with hitting coach Ray Ramelli through the offseason to improve her skills at the plate. Jena’s dedication paid dividends with her timing and speed and also gave her a big boost of confidence in the batter’s box.
“Those things are definitely a big part of it. My confidence was completely shot because I didn’t hit at all through my first three years of high school. I used to be such a good hitter when I was younger. It was just hard having no confidence at the plate and not being able to hit. It’s the most frustrating thing,” says Jena, who’s one of the Yellowjackets’ captains. “When I broke it at the beginning of the season, it was the best feeling ever because being down in the slumps, I guess I just thought that his year I could only go up because I barely had a spot in the batting order last year or previous years. I really wanted to get in there and play a full game.”
Jena worked with Ramelli alongside teammates Allison Luzzi and Laura Anderson and then put in even more extra work during preseason practices. Jena would show up early and stay late to take additional cuts off the tee and her progression is evident based on her performance in East Haven’s first nine games. Jena currently sports a .370 batting average as the Yellowjackets’ regular No. 6 hitter to go with seven runs scored and five RBI.
“She worked her rear-end off and has become a good hitter for us. She’s having a good year so far,” says Coach Crisafi. “She worked in the winter a lot with her batting coach and changed a few things in her swing.”
Jena plays third base for East Haven and took over the position full-time last year. It wasn’t her natural spot, however, as Crisafi moved her from second base to the hot corner.
“I started out playing second base my whole life. They moved me my freshman year and trained me to play third. It was a little bit scary playing so far deep at second and then coming in so close to play the corner. I was really nervous,” says Jena. “I wasn’t too good at it at first, but then I started practicing and really took it seriously. Now, here I am starting.”
The move to third was a difficult one for a variety of reasons. Jena says the throw across the diamond was the toughest thing to get used to—even more so than dealing with the minimal reaction time that accompanies playing third.
“It was hard because it’s such a short throw from second to first and my arm wasn’t really all there. Coach Crisafi clearly saw something. The grounders were a lot harder, but Jeff Crisafi, my assistant coach, really helped me a lot. He stood after practices with me to help me with it,” Jenna says. “I did a lot of drills, which my coach and my father helped me with. They would put three balls down the line in front of me or to the left of me and I would have to go get them, grab them, and throw them.”
The Yellowjackets have boasted plenty of success in recent seasons and Jena has been a part of the ride. After reaching a state semifinal her sophomore year and the state final as a junior, the senior captain is keeping her teammates focused on making another deep postseason run.
“It means a lot to me [being a captain] because I really think of my team as a family and it’s really nice to be a part of keeping it that way and keeping them on track and focused,” says Jena. “During practices, I make sure we’re working hard and not fooling around as much, making sure everyone is on task.”