This season’s Pomperaug High School softball captains are, left to right, senior Annabella Pastorok, junior Laurel Williams and junior Ashley Antonazzo. (Ken Morse photo)
By KEN MORSE
Special to the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer
The Pomperaug High School softball team has the pitching and the hitting to be a contender in the South West Conference (SWC) this season. The Panthers went 13-7 last year during the regular season and 14-9 overall.
Pomperaug reached the SWC semifinals and fell in the first round of the Class L state tournament last season. The team is looking to take it a few steps farther this year.
Just two years ago, Pomperaug posted its highest winning total in over 25 years, going 17-3, and a couple of those key players are still in uniform looking to get back to those heights.
The Lady Panthers will be led by these captains: senior Annabella Pastorok, junior All-SWC and All-State Laurel Williams and junior All-SWC pitcher Ashley Antonazzo.
Pomperaug graduated a couple of big bats, losing Erin Ruggiero a .400 hitter with four triples and two home runs, and two-time All-Colonial Division Brianna Antonazzo, a .303 hitter who led the team with 18 RBIs, two triples and two home runs.
The biggest loss coming into the season is senior Rebecca Meyer, who is out for the season with an ACL injury. Meyer hit .412 last year and led the team with 21 runs, 18 RBIs and four home runs.
“We lost some key bats, but we have a good solid core coming back,” said Pomperaug head coach Paul Masotto. “Ashley on the mound, Annabella at third, Laurel was All-State at second base and our other senior, Annie Yacavone.
“Even with those players back, we do have a young squad. But a lot of them produced and gained some experience last year.”
The key for the Panthers’ success is three-year pitcher Ashley Antonazzo, who went 14-5 last year with a stingy 2.31 ERA, striking out 132 batters in 127 innings. She also carried a productive bat at the plate, batting .357.
Williams led the team in batting with 33 hits and a .434 average and scored 20 runs. Pastorok was just as effective with a .328 average on 20 hits and 12 runs scored.
One of the young players coach Masotto was talking about is sophomore Samantha Wisnefsky, who batted .362 last season on 22 hits and 14 RBIs. Sophomore Caley Ruggiero proved to be a solid bat and a stable defender in the infield.
Pomperaug is looking to freshman catcher Kaitlin Flood to carry the load behind the plate. Freshman Breanna Quinn also will see time in a utility role in the infield and outfield.
Yacavone brings the leadership you expect from a senior and will play outfield and first base, with junior Gillian Stiber also lending some experience to the mix. Sophomores Hailey Latta, Natalie Kelly, Emily Winfield, Brooke Anderson and Emily Ostar also will be looking to take on expanded roles this season.
“We are looking for a lot of these younger players to contribute to the team,” said Masotto. “We have a nice combination of experienced players and a good solid group of younger players who are ready to step up.
“Kaitlin is a young player, and we are looking for her to fit into her role as catcher and hopefully help us to get to the next level. A lot of our players can play multiple positions, so you will see players at different positions from time to time.”
Pomperaug will get the season started Monday, April 4, at Ridgefield and will be at home on Friday, April 8, against Danbury.
You must be logged in to post a comment.