Printer Friendly Version - Valley Softball Primed to Strike Shoreline by Returning Veteran Group

Returning a great deal of depth from a postseason berth last spring, along with adding some promising freshman prospects, the Valley Regional softball team is primed to be one of the upstarts in the Shoreline Conference this year. Photo courtesy of Olivia Whitehead

Pictured is the projected 2024 starting outfield for the Valley Regional softball team in Kellyn Kolber, Raegan Wyrebek-Brasky, and Helen Manco. Photo courtesy of Olivia Whitehead

One of the bigger stories within the softball landscape of the Shoreline Conference this year looks to be the emergence of a young but seasoned group in the Valley Regional softball team. The Warriors return virtually the entire club that made a playoff push last year while also welcoming back an emphasis on persistence and producing first-class people.

With first-year Head Coach Olivia Whitehead in 2023, the Warriors amassed an 8-12 record for the regular season–earning themselves trips to both the Shoreline Conference and Class M State Tournaments. After a first-round 12-0 defeat to top-seeded and eventual winner North Branford in the conference draw, 31st-seeded Valley nearly pulled off an upset but fell short in the opening round of the state tournament with a 12-11 loss to No. 2 O’Brien Tech to finish 8-14 overall.

Back for her second slate with assistant coach Julie Zacarelli, Whitehead explained that the Warriors have certainly added some numbers to their roster to give them some latitude with the lineups. Yet away from the action, the girls are gaining some essential attributes to garner success in all facets of the program.

“We are excited to say we have a much bigger roster this season than last. We have enough girls to have a JV team and have a healthy varsity roster,” said Whitehead. “We are excited to have some flexibility to try out different lineups, both offensively and defensively, and really play our best strategic game against our opponents. Off the field, we have adopted some core values that we are often revisiting: adaptability, discipline, perseverance, and resilience.”

Leading the charge for Valley this year will be second-year captain Riley Soares, looking to anchor the midfield at shortstop while also playing some catcher. Fellow squad steward Taylor Rae will also platoon with Soares at short and behind the plate. Lastly, Raegan Wybrek-Brasky will guide the girls in the grass at center field.

“Riley has great leadership skills and would give the shirt off her back for anyone. She is always checking in with her teammates and giving them positive yet constructive feedback. Riley is also fantastic at giving instruction and extremely patient,” said Whitehead. “Taylor is extremely responsible, making sure the girls are always prepared and ready to go. She has a great work ethic and is always willing to take one for the team. Taylor pushes all of us to be the best version of ourselves. Raegan leads by example and is not afraid to be vulnerable. She is always pushing herself, reflecting, asking questions, and is not afraid to put it all out there. Raegan is also extremely approachable and someone the underclassmen can easily connect with. To have a captain like Raegan who is approachable, caring, and not afraid to learn from mistakes, is a huge win.”

The Warriors graduated only one senior from the 2023 group in Anna Benson, and sophomore Kellyn Kolber and freshman Megan Dugan will look to fill her void in the pitching circle. Kolber will look to give the team a quick pop offensively as a typical hitter leading off the lineup with some wheels. Another freshman in Elleigh Ortola will play a pivotal role in the dirt at second base.

“Kellyn is an all-around fantastic athlete and brings a lot of strength to all areas of our team. She is our lead-off hitter who has fantastic base running instincts. When she is not pitching, she will be in the outfield,” said Whitehead. “Megan will be sharing the pitching performance for the season with Kellyn. As a lefty, she gives us an advantage in pitching and at the plate. Elleigh is another player to look out for. As Taylor takes on a larger catching role, Elleigh is a key part in that equation, as she will be playing second base while Taylor catches. As only a freshman, she has such great offensive and defensive instincts. We are excited to watch her high school softball career take off.”

In scouting the Shoreline Conference, Whitehead noted that a lot of teams look to be in a state of flux with faces of their rosters. The Warriors look to utilize this to their advantage after returning much of last year’s team that made a strong run to the postseason.

“The Shoreline graduated a lot of softball players last season, so a lot of lineups will be looking different this year,” Whitehead said. “We only graduated one senior, and we are optimistic that we will be hitting the ground running this season and picking up right where we left off. Some key games this season for us will be against East Hampton, Hale-Ray, and Coginchaug.”

While the Warriors have been training diligently in preparation for the spring slate, they are consistently focusing on developing the character of the team with their tenet traits. As Valley gets ready to step into the fray, it is brimming with a collective open mind of optimism.

“We are really excited to see where this group of girls takes us. We are so fortunate to have such a large returning squad and really are starting back up where we left off,” said Whitehead. “We are going to continue to focus on our core values, along with the importance of reflecting. We are not only training physically, but really tapping into some mental and emotional training this season. We have such a bright season ahead of us, and we are excited to show the shoreline what we can do.”

The Valley roster is comprised of seniors Wyrebek-Brasky, Katie Schaefer, Soares, Rae, Mulanga Kazadi Drysile; juniors Angeleah Loftus, Miley Prue, Colbie Ryan, Nataly Pavon; sophomores Helen Manco, Hallie Moore, Amelia Giantonio, Kolber, Rorie Czenthe-Wickland; plus freshmen Ortola, Linnea Winkley, Addison Hardman, Dugan, Madelyn Stone, and Madelyn Delorso.