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04/10/2023 04:12 PMThe Valley Regional softball team will have a new look to it this year in more ways than one, but it will be the same story for the Warriors this spring as they will continue to compete and improve with every contest while harvesting growth through overcoming hurdles.
Valley finished the year with an overall record of 8-13, posting a mark of 8-11 for the regular season in 2022. Following the regular season slate, Valley entered the Shoreline Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed and took a 5-0 loss to No. 2 Cromwell in the first round. The Warriors went on to compete in the Class M State Tournament as the No. 25 seed, taking an 11-1 defeat versus No. 8 Wolcott in a first-round game.
Valley began the 2023 slate with an 11-5 loss to East Hampton on April 3.
This year, Valley returns to the field with a new skipper at the top in first-year Head Coach Olivia Whitehead. She explained that while the Warriors may sport a youthful squad this spring, they are certainly spry and have the talent and tools to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the Shoreline Conference in terms of mechanics and maturation.
“We have a very young team, but I expect we will have a competitive year,” said Whitehead, who is assisted by Julie Labbadia. “We are the new kids on the block in the Shoreline, but we will hold our own. I am excited to see them put their game faces on and compete. We are looking to have fun out there, be competitive, and also have the ability to reflect when things do not go our way and take it all in stride.”
Leading the bunch through it all will be two co-captains for the Warriors. Lone senior Anna Benson returns to the fold as the pitching staff’s main hurler, and her captain cohort will be junior Riley Soares, who plays third base but exemplifies Valley’s team-first attitude–volunteering to fill a deficit behind the dish.
“You will see a lot of Anna on the mound this year. She led the staff last year, and we look forward to another great year. She is a terrific role model for the girls; she teaches them and is patient with them while being one of the most positive people I have met,” Whitehead said. “Riley came up to me before the season and said how she’d be more than willing to catch to fill our void there. Both captains work really well together. They work hard to take the knowledge they have gained from travel softball and teach the girls.”
Additional sparks from the junior class will come from speedy and game center fielder Raegan Wyrebek-Brasky and second baseman Taylor Rae. Sophomore Nataly Pavon will keep Wyrebek-Brasky company in the outfield. A trio of freshmen are also jumping right into the starting varsity fire in utility player Hallie Moore, pitcher Kellyn Kolber, and Amelia Giantonio at first base.
“This is Raegan’s first varsity year after playing JV the last two years. She is so ready to take on the responsibilities of the position. She is fast, motivated, and her instincts are amazing. She is a great teammate and not afraid to learn from tough situations,” Whitehead said. “The three freshmen will be a huge presence in all of our games; they have been welcomed by the whole team, and you wouldn’t know they are freshmen by watching the way they play.”
As they look to learn the ups and downs of a campaign as a club, the Warriors will traverse an always tricky Shoreline Conference with varying tiers of teams. Whitehead detailed that Valley is ready to sweep the season series against some and not showing any fear when facing others.
“We want to do our best every game, win or lose, and have everyone say it was a great game,” said Whitehead. “There are very tough teams in the Shoreline like Haddam-Killingworth, North Branford, Cromwell, and Old Lyme. We also have teams like Hale-Ray, Coginchaug, and East Hampton, where the games with them have been close the past few years. We are looking to take two wins against them instead of splitting. Versus the more competitive teams, they do not scare us, and we will take pride in playing them.”
While the girls have had to get accustomed to each other both on and off the field, they have emerged from the other side of that process with a sound feel for how the squad will function as a unit this year. Whitehead mentioned that as she is giving the players more of a vocalization, she wants them to embrace adversity and sportsmanship.
“We definitely had awkwardness between the girls, because with the newer roster, they had not played together,” said Whitehead. “We let the girls lead practices and let them have a say in what we will do, which we call Captains’ Practices, where the girls can use their voices. The girls also have a goal of maintaining Valley’s reputation as one of the friendliest teams in the conference. We also want all of the girls to become utility players and get more into the community with the Little League and middle school teams. We will stay together when things go south, because that is the foundation of a good team.”
The 2023 Valley Regional softball team roster is comprised of senior Benson; juniors of Mulanga Kazadi Drysile, Katie Schaefer, Soares, Wyrebek-Brasky, Taylor Rae, and Trinity Plott; sophomores in Miley Prue, Angeleah Loftus, Colbie Ryan, and Pavon; and finally freshmen of Giantonio, Kolber, Helen Manco, and Hallie Moore.
2023 Valley Regional Softball Regular Season Schedule
Monday, April 3: at East Hampton at 4 p.m.
Monday, April 5: at Morgan at 3:45 p.m.
Thursday, April 6: vs. Cromwell at 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 8: vs. Haddam-Killingworth at 11 a.m.
Friday, April 14: at Hale-Ray at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 18: vs. Old Saybrook-Westbrook at 3:45 p.m.
Saturday, April 22: vs. Somers at 11 a.m.
Monday, April 24: vs. Portland at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 25: at North Branford at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, April 26: at Coginchaug at 4 p.m.
Friday, April 28: vs. Old Lyme at 3:45 p.m.
Monday, May 1: vs. East Hampton at 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday, May 2: at Somers at 4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 3: vs. Morgan at 3:45 p.m.
Friday, May 5: at Cromwell at 4 p.m.
Monday, May 8: at Haddam-Killingworth at 3:45 p.m.
Wednesday, May 10: vs. North Branford at 3:45 p.m.
Friday, May 12: at Old Saybrook-Westbrook at Westbrook at 3:45 p.m.
Monday, May 15: vs. Hale-Ray at 4 p.m.
Tuesday, May 16: vs. Windsor Locks at 4 p.m.