STRATFORD BRAKETTES OPEN 75TH SOFTBALL SEASON FRIDAY AGAINST CT ROGUE

June 2 - The Stratford Brakettes enter their 75th season of women's major fastpitch softball Friday night when they host the CT Rogue in a 7 p.m. doubleheader at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field. Since that initial season, there have been two constants for the Brakettes, softball excellence on the field and current manager John Stratton.

The 38-time national champion Brakettes are unmatched when it comes to success. They have a record of 3,975 wins against only 408 losses. No other team even comes close. With the passing of Annette (Verespy) Kalafus in January, the only remaining person from that first team is Stratton, who served as the bat boy at the age of 10. Now in his 44th year with the Brakettes, including 27 as the manager, Stratton has compiled a 1,409-136 record and 15 national titles.

The Stratford Brakettes entertain the Junior Brakettes, the program's 18+ team, Saturday at 7 p.m. while the Junior Brakettes and Rogue finish the weekend at 4 p.m. Sunday with a doubleheader.

Gates to DeLuca Field will open at 5:45 p.m. Pre-game ceremonies will feature the dedication of the DeLuca Field press box in honor of the late Hal Baird, the Brakettes legendary public address announcer since 1986. His tenure spanned both iconic Raybestos Memorial Field and the current DeLuca Field. From 1988 when the team took up residence at 1000 Main Street, Baird announced 1,250 Brakettes games. Mayor Laura Hoydick will present to Hal's wife Martha a plaque for mounting on the press box wall. Rebecca Johnson (.489) won the 2020 Stratford Brakettes batting title, while Abby Ota of Joel Barlow High, the 2020 Gatorade Player of the Year, won the Junior Brakettes crown with a .552 average. They will also be honored.

Coming off a 34-2 campaign, in which the team finished on an 18-game win streak, the Brakettes return virtually all their key players. Pitcher Abby Abramson is giving up softball to begin medical school and Monroe's Gretchen Bunovsky, who took a gap year at Yale, is performing an internship in Pennsylvania as she prepares to return to Yale. Catcher Alexa Milius of Torrington, who is doing an internship at Virginia Tech after leading the Hokies to a berth in the NCAA Super Regionals, is also not returning. The biggest loss is four-year WMS All-America second baseman Lauren Pitney, who has become the head coach of the Select Brakettes, who will debut in two weeks.

Pitchers Ali DuBois (8-0, 0.64 ERA) of Torrington and Boston University, Waterbury's Sarah Lawton (11-1, 1.16), Shelton's Kaysee Talcik (6-1,1.22) and North Branford's Sydney Senerchia (4-0, 1.91) are all back to pitch.

The Brakettes have added Big East Freshman of the Year in shortstop Jana Sanden, a first team all-league performer. Lauren Rende, a standout on the Junior Brakettes last year, and outfielder Jessica Burlingame of Bemijdi State, MN, an All-American outfielder and former pro league performer, are the other newcomers.

Centerfielder Val Suto (.488), Briana Marcelino (.483), who will be moved to second base, Kaitlin Flood (.400) and Norwalk's Katie Sciglimpaglia (.448) all enjoyed outstanding years in 2020.

The CT Rogue features many former area standouts, including ex-Stratford High pitcher Angela Grindrod of Albertus Magnus and former Bunnell star Riley Matto of Eastern Connecticut, the Little East Conference champions.

General Manager Bob Baird said the team will abide by Governor Lamont's decision to rescind the mask and social distancing protocol, but urges patrons to exercise common sense during the season. The concession stand and permanent bathrooms also will be open after they were closed in 2020.