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08/18/2023 06:42 AMAn absence of complacency has proven to be quite an asset for the North Branford softball program and its lengthy string of success, and Natalia Lucibello embodies that same T-birds’ team essence as emerging as one of the premier players in the Shoreline Conference.
The incoming North Branford senior, who also plays hoops for the Thunderbirds, grew up playing basketball and soccer (which she also suited up in purple and white for two years) before giving up the pitch to focus more on the diamond.
This past spring for softball, the third baseman notched First Team All-Shoreline accolades with a .453 batting average, 39 hits, 25 RBI, and an .873 fielding percentage as North Branford claimed a remarkable eighth consecutive conference crown.
“Softball is huge in the local community; I looked up to the older girls and the tradition of the program. I also found my friends through softball, which helps keep me going,” says Natalia. “Making First Team was a goal of mine and an honor because of the talent of the conference. I just keep working and, if I am doing good, I do not settle because I know I can always do something better. I also do not put pressure on myself, enjoy the game, and compete towards the ultimate team goal.”
At the hot corner of the infield, Natalia speeds towards the frenetic pace of balls hit towards her direction, which speaks to her pride and passion for the game to be a focal point of every play.
“I love that everything is fast over at third. You just react and there is no time to think, or think about how to play the ball. I do my best in those scenarios,” Natalia says. “It can be hard, because I do not get as much stuff to do as the middle infielders, and I want to be part of the game as much as I can.”
The sport of softball is one war that wages heavily on the mind as much as the matter. Natalia adds that disappointments are in fact inevitable in a game that entails so many individual instances, so it is best to just drudge on with a valuable short-term memory bank.
“Softball is mostly a mental game, and I feel I have become better at dealing with defeat setbacks. I just smile through it all and do not sulk,” says Natalia. “I will fail in the game and have to come to terms with it, and you cannot be successful without coming to terms with that. I have also worked on my glove work and hitting. I have gotten into a groove and figured out where I work best.”
Traversing multiple terrains athletically, Natalia has notched a stealthiness and stamina that has aided her in all fields and tasks–from running the floor to landing a perfect jump shot, to chasing down a rolling ground ball down the left infield foul line.
“My footwork has improved for softball through basketball, which helps with running the bases in softball,” says Natalia. “Developing my hand-eye coordination has also helped me, too, especially with playing at third and being able to chase down quickly hit balls.”
Being a perennial favorite to finish tops in the Shoreline, Natalia and North Branford enter each campaign knowing full well that every club is gunning for them. Yet she embraces the challenge of keeping hold of the throne as a privilege rather than a detriment.
“There is pressure of having to win another one, but we have to keep going knowing that everyone has a target on you,” Natalia says. “It is the ultimate goal for us to keep the legacy going. We also know someone on the team will come up big for us, and the pressure honestly keeps it fun.”
T-Birds’ softball Head Coach Nick DeLizio notes that Natalia really picked up the pace at the plate in the season’s second half, becoming a reliable leader and bat in white-knuckle moments of games and putting her team’s tension at ease.
“Natalia really came out of her shell as a player this year. I saw early on that she made significant strides in her game, especially in her offense,” says DeLizio. “She was consistent all year, but she really went on a tear during May. She came up clutch in many situations with either game-tying or game-winning hits. Those clutch performances showed the confidence she had in herself and her teammates. In all of my 15 years coaching, I’ve never seen a player perform like her in consistent pressure-filled situations with the game on the line.”
Even with a year of high school to go, Natalia wants to play extras with softball on the college scene. Regardless of which path her life goes post her T-Birds’ tenure, she has acquired essential life skills that will bode well for her no matter the journey.
“I want to go to college to pursue psychology or criminology, and I want to play softball. Whichever division in the NCAA the school is does not matter to me,” says Natalia. “I learned it is important to be part of a team and create bonds. No team is about only yourself. Even if I have a bad game, I am still part of the team and the team matters more than you. There is a greater purpose to everything. I also learned that you might not always see results of your work right away, but the work you put in will make a difference down the road.”