(Arnold Gold-New Haven Register) St. Joseph softball players (left to right) Jovanna Hillman, Lauren Blose and Nicole Williams.
STRATFORD >> This past Monday — exactly one week before St. Joseph’s season opener — coach Jeff Babineau was still tinkering with his lineup as he sat in his office at Erin’s Gym, the Cadets’ practice facility.
St. Joseph, the two-time defending FCIAC champion, enters this year with some uncertainty at several positions.
But not with its battery.
The Cadets return Class M coaches all-state pitcher, senior Nicole Williams, and catcher, junior Jovanna Hillman. The duo is expected to keep St. Joseph in the hunt in both the FCIAC and in Class M.
“I have to get my comfort zone yet with my defense, which is going to support her (Williams),” Babineau said. “Those two coming back, all-state pitcher and catcher, they know each other well. It’s huge. Now, we just have to support her. That’s what we’ve been working on the last week, which is tough. You have sophomores and freshmen, a couple of juniors, trying to vie for a couple of spots. It’s been fun.”
St. Joseph pitcher Nicole Williams (left).
Williams, an Ansonia resident, is one of the state’s best hurlers. She went 23-1 with an earned run average of 0.81 as a junior. She also batted .434 with 22 RBIs and three home runs.
In addition to the FCIAC title last season, Williams led the Cadets to the Class M state championship game before losing to Oxford. As a sophomore, Williams and the Cadets advanced to the semifinals. Williams hopes to cap her career with a state title.
“It motivated me and the rest of my team,” Williams said about losing in last year’s final. “We all have one goal this year, and it’s to win states. We know how close we got last year, and we just want to make it happen this year.
“I think it helped us (to get to the final). It was a really big stage last year. We all experienced what it was like to play there, so we’ll know what it’s like this year if we’re able to get there.”
Hillman enters her third season as Williams’ battery mate. Hillman, who lives in Seymour, batted .478 with 44 hits, including three home runs, as a sophomore. Although Babineau calls each pitch, Williams and Hillman have developed quite the bond. Hillman has been witness to an improvement in several areas of Williams’ game.
“She’s really worked hard at changing her speeds,” Hillman said.
Williams throws six pitches (fastball, change, drop, curve, screw and rise). Her velocity has increased by around 10 miles per hour since clocking in at 52 mph as a freshmen. Williams admitted her curve and rise are her favorite pitches.
“I’ve gotten a lot better with that (velocity),” Williams said. “And I’ve gotten better at placing the ball.”
Senior left fielder Lauren Blose, a four-year starter, juniors Melissa Bike (first base) and Hanna Errico (second base) and sophomore Hannah Hutchinson also return. The defense needs to be rebuilt on the left side, including at shortstop, where Lauren Pitney patrolled for three years. Pitney, a Register All-State selection as a senior, now plays at Manhattan.
“We’re hoping she (Williams) can 1-hit, 2-hit some teams and we can play defense well enough,” Babineau said. “We have to hit. We have quite a few good hitters coming back, so we should be decent offensively this year. I don’t know as well as last year, but we should be able to push some runs across the board.”
The Cadets are cautiously optimistic about their chances this season. Having Williams and Hillman back certainly helps.
St. Joseph opens its season at home against Newtown on Monday.
“We have to take it one pitch, one inning, one out, one day at a time,” Blose said. “I think we’ll be OK. It’s helpful knowing that we have one person (Williams) that can really help us out, day in and day out, and can keep us in every game.”
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