The Kingswood Oxford softball team, coming off of a successful 2023 season, has continued to live up to the hype. The girls have a record of 14-2 for the regular season, and they beat Cushing and Loomis Chaffee to become New England champions for the first time since 2014.
Throughout the season, the girls have had many amazing games. These include a 3-2 win against St. Luke’s, a 5-3 win over Westminster, and more recently, a big 4-1 win against Loomis Chaffee.
These victories would not have been possible without the whole team putting in a strong effort. Still, some specific players have stood out as strong performers. Freshman pitcher Alexis Nisyrios, has led the way for the Wyverns, throwing over 150 strikeouts while listing a .534 earned run average (ERA). On the other side of the plate, she is batting .622, with five home runs this season. Some other standouts have been eighth-graders Olivia Raccio and Reminisce Rosado, both of whom are batting over .400 with some great hits on the season. Rosado also stepped up as a pitcher while Nisyrios was injured and did an outstanding job. Along with that, junior catcher and first baseman Olivia Gallup, sophomore Olivia Doran, and seventh-grade catcher Lillian Evans have also been key contributors to the team’s success.
The softball team has shown a strong bond throughout this season. The team’s saying during this season has been “We before me!” This was shown in their game against Loomis Chaffee when the dugout was not quiet once throughout the entire game. “My favorite part of the season is bonding with my new teammates, working together and improving our game and team chemistry one day at a time,” Nisyrios said.
This chemistry is palpable in the team, especially as the Upper School players help to support their younger teammates from the Middle School. “Being a middle schooler playing on a talented high school team makes me feel supported in many ways,” Rosado said, “such as the older girls being very supportive in how we play, and even having supporters at our games.” Raccio agreed with this and explained how the team’s uplifting attitude affects her emotions during a game. “Being a middle schooler playing on a talented varsity team comes with stress, but we have many mentors like our captains that help us through practice and games,” she said.
For many players on the Kingswood Oxford team, their goal going into the season was to win the Founders League title, and they did this easily. In the semifinals, KO mercy ruled Cushing 10-0, and in the championship game, KO faced a more challenging Loomis team, ultimately besting them 10-8 in seven innings. Nisyrios dominated on the mound and even made the final out of the game, catching a slow pop-up to the mound. Evans played a strong game behind the plate and had an over the fence homerun to help propel the offense in the final innings.
Congratulations to the 2024 New England softball champs!
