Softball Clinches NEPSAC Championship

The Kingswood Oxford (KO) softball team has emerged victorious in the New England Prep School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) championship, capping off an impressive season with a remarkable record of 16-2. Despite facing some setbacks, the team demonstrated resilience and unity, key factors that propelled them to this prestigious title.

 
KO’s overall record was outstanding, with only two losses marring an otherwise perfect season. Their first loss was to Choate, a game in which the starting pitcher, Alexis Nisyrios ’27, was sidelined due to an injury sustained during warm-ups.Their second loss came in their last regular season game against Suffield, a tight 2-1 defeat.

 
One of the standout features of this championship team is its youth. With a starting lineup featuring four middle school students – Remy Rosado ’28, Lily Evans ’29, Olivia Raccio ’28, and Aniajah Sanchez ’28 – the team’s future looks incredibly promising. This season, KO will only be losing one senior, Sophia Radmanovich, which means that the team’s core remains intact and ready for future challenges.

The team’s composition included one senior, one junior, one sophomore, and eight middle school and freshman players. This is the youngest team Coach Jason Bradley has ever coached, making their accomplishment even more remarkable.

 
Coach Jason has focused on recruiting top talent from Connecticut’s middle schools, a strategy that has paid dividends. By targeting younger players and keeping them engaged at KO, he has built a robust program, tapping some of the best seventh and eighth-grade players in the state. “I was always fascinated by KO because it allowed me as a coach to say, ‘I can build a program and build my own team,’’ he said. And so he has.

Despite their impressive record, the season was not without its challenges. The team faced maturity issues, typical for a group so young. Learning to prioritize the team over individual goals was a crucial part of their development. Coach Bradley emphasized the importance of chemistry and unity, which sometimes required difficult decisions, like benching players to instill the right team-first mentality. He often used the leadership of the older team members to strike the right note with the younger players as well. Key moments included the Suffield loss, which served as a lesson in the importance of team cohesion.

KO’s playoff journey was a testament to their growth and resilience. They faced Cushing in the semi-finals, a rematch of the previous year’s semi-finals where they lost 1-0. This year, however, they triumphed with a commanding 10-0 victory, showcasing their determination and improved chemistry. “Nobody was beating us that day,” Coach Bradley said. “I think you could have brought in a college team that day, and we would have beaten them. Our team was loose and locked in.”

In the final, KO faced Loomis, a team they had already beaten 4-1 earlier in the season. The championship game was a hard-fought battle, but KO emerged victorious with a 10-8 win, clinching the NEPSAC title.

With only one senior, Sophia Radmanovich, departing, the future looks bright for the KO softball team. Their youthful lineup is set to return, bolstered by the experience and lessons learned this season. Nisyrios, the team’s standout freshman pitcher who was nominated for the Boston Globe’s Player of the Year, has been a cornerstone of their success. Despite her youth, she has shown remarkable talent and maturity, earning nominations for several prestigious awards. Her leadership development will be crucial in the coming years as the team aims for continued success.

With a strong foundation and a clear vision for the future, KO is poised for continued excellence in the seasons to come.