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07/22/2024 01:20 AMThe Madison 12-U All-Star softball team recently completed another tremendous campaign after finishing as the runner-up in the state championship, falling 3-1 to Milford on July 16. Previously this summer, the girls won the District 9 crown before taking the Section 3 championship.
Looking back further to the successes of the squad, these Madison Little League girls have been winning summer All-Star games since 2020, when they first played in masks during the pandemic. They have won four District 9 titles to go along with a trio of Section 3 Championship titles, and they have made three berths to the state tournament–being a finalist twice.
“This is the most accomplished set of Madison Little League softball players ever to represent Madison,” said Head Coach Sue Leckey. “They have dedicated a lot of time to each other and the dream of competing at the highest level of Little League softball possible. In that time, they have not only become great softball players who love the game, but also who love each other and love representing Madison beyond our community. They have been great ambassadors of the game to peers and younger players. They have benefited from many dedicated volunteers who have helped foster their love for the game. Their commitment, their play, and the visible joy of their journey for themselves and for the fans who followed have been displays of what youth sports and particularly Little League can bring to a community. They have absolutely been ambassadors to the game of softball here in Madison. The girls, the coaches, and the families have loved chasing the dream to represent CT at the Regional Little League Tournament, and what we have gained along the way are tremendous memories, friendships, and a strong sense of pride.”
Looking back on the journey that began on June 20, the girls were undefeated at 6-0 in pool play, winning in convincing fashion by an average of 14.5 runs per game. Their efforts qualified them for a best-of-3 series against Guilford, ultimately winning two games in gritty fashion, 3-2 and 2-0, to win the district title.
In sectional play against Glastonbury and Waterford, the Madison girls were also perfect in three games, prevailing 11-0 over Waterford, 10-2 over Glastonbury, and then the sectional championship game by a 7-0 decision over Glastonbury. Pushing through these two tiers of postseason play brought Madison to the state tournament for the third time in three summer seasons. Leckey commended the girls for their tireless commitment to themselves and each other to be the best and push themselves as deep into the playoffs as they could go.
“The girls had a desire to be better than last year. They committed to playing the game and training year-round to be able to compete at the highest level,” said Leckey. “Then at the end of Little League season, when 12 girls were selected to represent Madison on the All-Star team, they took the commitment seriously. They supported each other and sacrificed the past 35 days to hours and hours of preparation and games, emotionally and physically committing to the team and the quest to go as far as they could in the tournament. This team has strong pitching, strong hitting, and athletically gifted players that filled every position we needed to be successful in the tournament. This easily could have been a state championship team. Their accomplishments fell just short of that goal, but the achievements were significant, and the journey was fun, rewarding, and memorable!”
It was a long, laborious, but rewarding summer for the girls. Leckey noted that the girls took solace in the fact that not only did they go deep into the postseason draw of the state tourney, but they also did it by taking on only the toughest challenges along the way.
“Sweeping a very good Guilford team in the District 9 Championship was a big accomplishment and reason to celebrate. Then, winning Sectionals over new opponents breathed some more confidence into our team,” said Leckey. “But, the greatest moments came in the state championship, when we had to face the state’s best teams. We defeated a strong Windsor team 3-0, took a tough loss to Milford in late innings 3-2, and then had to defeat that Windsor team again to be able to get back to a two-game championship match-up. It was definitely a hard road, but we believed it would make us stronger. They overcame the adversity, defeated Windsor 4-1, and then Milford 13-3 to secure a rematch. The Madison girls went out to a 1-0 lead in the championship game but were not able to hold the lead, ultimately losing 3-1. It was a tough end of the road that came abruptly and too soon for all of us who were riding the train, but we are super proud of all of our accomplishments. Madison came out in big numbers to proudly support the girls. The team and coaches want to thank Madison Little League and the community of Madison for all of the support!”
In closing, Leckey–also the head coach of the Hand field hockey team in the fall–explained that this campaign and run best symbolized and encapsulated the true tenets and rewarding moments of why a coach chooses their profession.
“Coaching is empowering girls to believe in themselves, and coaching is seeing players believe in each other,” said Leckey. “Coaching is being able to help players see the sacrifice that their families and their communities make for them, so they can appreciate being a part of a team, a family, a community. We all empower each other, or not, and this group of girls has been given the opportunity to believe in their own power to assist others and to shape their own lives.”
For the pool play portion of its season, Madison defeated Middletown 19-6 on June 20, Haddam-Killingworth 15-0 on June 21, shut out East Hampton 11-0 the next day, blanked East Haddam 23-0 on June 24, downed Guilford 7-4 on June 25, and routed North Branford 23-1 on June 27.
In the District 9 Championship series, Madison prevailed 3-2 on June 30 and 2-0 on July 1.
For Sectional pool play, Madison won 11-0 against Waterford on July 5, beat Glastonbury 10-2 three days later, and then took the title tilt with a 7-0 triumph over Glastonbury.
To start the double-elimination state tournament, the girls first won 3-0 over Windsor on July 12, lost 3-2 to Milford the next day, and bounced back on July 14 with a 4-1 win over Windsor. After a 13-3 prevailing against Milford on July 15, the season concluded with the 3-1 loss a day after.
The Madison 12-U All-Stars roster is comprised of players Campbell Leckey, Riley Amenta, Riley Marchese, Isabella Fahy, Chase Ferraiolo, Claire Mackay, Emmalyn Wells, Eden Anderson, Ava Mirante, Lexi Fulton, Audrey Sears, and Sadie McHugh. Coaches for the squad are Leckey, Ste Leckey, and Tom Fahy.