Despite her youth, freshman pitcher Alexis Nisyrios has been a key contributor to the varsity softball team, bringing a competitive mindset and passion for the game to the field.
Nisyrios began playing softball when she was just seven years old, joining her local rec league in South Windsor. By the time she was 10, she was playing on a travel team out of East Hartford and hasn’t looked back since. “I just love the competitiveness of the sport and building friendships with people,” she said. She now plays for the Rhode Island Thunder, an elite national team that gives Nisyrios exposure to college coaches.
With lots of outside experience, Nisyrios brings a competitive spirit and a high level of maturity to the KO team. Nisyrios joined the team last year as an eighth-grader, immediately making a difference as the starting pitcher. Head coach Jason Bradley highlighted her impact on the team. “Alexis is a consistent two-way player,” he said, referencing her abilities as both a pitcher and offensive player.
Junior catcher and Co-captain Olivia Gallup agreed. “She comes from a very prestigious travel organization, and she definitely brings that same attitude to our team and pushes us to be better every day,” she said. “Even as a freshman, she is a leader on the team. You can tell she has a deep love for softball.”
Looking ahead to the rest of the season, Nisyrios has set a goal to win the Founder’s League championship for the second year in a row. “We’re really strong this year, and if we all come together, we’ll come out and win again,” she said.
Outside of KO, Nisyrios has a lot to look forward to in the upcoming months. After the last day of school, she will head to New Jersey for a tournament with her travel team. “I love everyone on my team and the coaches,” Nisyrios said. “Being able to see them again and play with them is gonna be great.”
For the rest of the summer, they will travel across the country to California, Texas, Tennessee, and more. Each of these showcases will allow Nisyrios to be looked at by college coaches, which is important since her goal is to ultimately play Division I softball. Nisyrios has already started being contacted by college coaches and invited to camps, but she expects the recruiting process to become especially busy during her sophomore year, with the hopes of committing during her junior year.
When she’s not playing softball herself, Nisyrios enjoys giving back to the community where she found her own love for the sport. “I help out with little kids in my town for the rec league that I used to play for, so I’m giving back to what they gave me,” she said.
Nisyrios certainly has a bright future ahead of her, and we wish her and the rest of the varsity softball team the best of luck for the upcoming season!
