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Brakettes Name Lauren Pitney Manager as John Stratton Assumes New Role
 Mar 6 - Soon after the Brakettes captured the 2022 WMS Championship over Stripes & Strikes (PA) in dramatic fashion, John Stratton decided it was time to step aside as the Brakettes Manager, following 28 seasons leading the club. That decision would mark the beginning of an off-season of both triumph and transition for the Brakettes, unlike any other.
Two months after the 2022 season, Stratton received the ultimate recognition for his lifetime of achievement in fastpitch softball, when he was voted into the National USA (ASA) Softball Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. Stratton's 1,492 career wins, five ASA National titles and 12 WMS Championships as Brakettes Manager stand out as undeniable proof of the permanent mark he's left on the sport.
And just two more short months later, Stratton's longtime partner in softball, Brakettes General Manager (since 1988) Bob Baird, passed away after a battle with interstitial lung disease. In Baird's last few months, he and Stratton planned for the team's future as they would every other off-season, but this time, with a renewed focus. The pair agreed on a path forward for the franchise, with Stratton remaining in the dugout in a new role, while turning to a former Brakette star to lead the squad in 2023.
Two-time Brakettes batting champion Lauren Pitney (second base, 2017-2020) was chosen as Field Manager of the Stratford Brakettes for the 2023 season, after two successful campaigns as Head Coach of the 18U Select Brakettes (2021-2022). Pitney smashed 30 home runs in her four seasons playing with the Stratford Brakettes, while displaying solid defense throughout her career. She was a four-year standout at Manhattan College and served for two years as a graduate assistant coach at Springfield College.
More than a generation after former Brakette Hall of Famer (and former Women's Sports Foundation CEO) Donna Lopiano and others ushered in the Title IX movement, Lauren Pitney will help kick off another era for the Brakettes and women's fastpitch softball. Pitney will be the Brakettes' first female manager in the team's 77-year history, and amazingly only the eighth skipper the team has ever known.
 Bernie Kaplan coached from 1947-1956, with Vin Cullen taking over from 1957-1961. Vincent “Wee” Dewitt served as manager from 1962-1967, before giving way to National ASA Hall of Fame Manager (and two-time US Olympic Team Coach) Ralph Raymond (1968-1994). John Stratton managed the National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) Connecticut Brakettes in the team's only professional season (2006), with his son, Jay Stratton, serving as co-manager of the Stratford Brakettes that year with Rich Roessner.
John Stratton will move into a Coach/Director of Player Development role to continue his work developing the softball talent coming up through the ranks with the Brakettes.
Jay Stratton will continue to serve as an assistant coach. Mark Dempsey will also be an assistant coach for the Brakettes, as well as the Official Scorer.
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