LAUREN PITNEY RETIRES FROM STRATFORD BRAKETTES AS A PLAYER; NAMED HEAD COACH OF NEW SELECT BRAKETTES 18 & UNDER TEAM

Aug 14 - Ansonia's Lauren Pitney has announced her retirement from the Stratford Brakettes after a superb four-year playing career. However, she is not leaving the game of softball she loves, nor the Stratford Brakettes organization.

Shortly after her decision to end her playing career, the former St. Joseph High and Manhattan College star was named head coach of the Select Brakettes, the organization's new 18 & Under program that will debut in 2021.

The Select Brakettes will join the softball family of the recently crowned national champion Stratford Brakettes and second-year Junior Brakettes. The Select Brakettes will be comprised of players in their freshmen year of college and senior year in high school and they will play half their 2021 schedule in weekend tournaments. They are not a showcase or travel program.

With nine players already chosen for the Select Brakettes, Pitney has scheduled a second tryout for interested candidates who won't turn 19 before January 1, 2021 Thursday night at 6 p.m. at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field.

“We were caught off guard when Lauren said she was interested in applying for the position,” said Brakettes Softball General Manager Bob Baird. “She's at the peak of her career, but after speaking with her about her goals for the future it became clear that this is what she really wants to do.”

“Lauren's goal is to become a college head coach. And I think she'll make a very good one,” said Stratford Brakettes Manager John Stratton. “She's always been a leader on the field. She approaches the game from a coach's perspective. She just needs some experience and this will provide her a great opportunity.”

Since graduating from Manhattan College, where she was a four-year starting second baseman (2015-2019), Pitney has been thinking about her future. “Coaching softball is something I've always dreamed about. Playing for the Brakettes has prepared me to take the next step,” said Pitney who was selected the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2019.

Currently in her second and final year as a graduate assistant at Springfield College, working under Newtown's Katie Bowen, another former Brakettes second baseman, Pitney added, “I needed to get some head coaching experience on my resume. There's no better place to do that than with the Brakettes.”

Despite playing only four years Pitney ranks ninth all-time in career home runs with 30 and she is 25th in runs-batted-in with 142. A two-time batting champion (2018 at .489 and 2019 at .524), she finished with a .353 batting average this year with four home runs and 35 RBI in an abbreviated season because of the coronavirus. At St. Joseph High School she was a three-time All-State pick.