As the Kingwood Oxford varsity softball team leads the season with an incredible 4-0 record, nothing can stop this team. Full of players from a ll different grades and softball backgrounds, they have the same goal in mind: to win the NEPSAC championship for the third time in a row.
Starting the season off with a double header versus Mount St. Charles and winning both games, 11-3 and 17-7, was a great way to hit the ground running and bring the team together.
Sophomore third baseman Olivia Raccio shared her first thoughts on the team’s chemistry this early in the season. “The chemistry is very strong,” Raccio said. “We only have three new players, all of whom are freshmen, and overall, the team is still very young but works great together. Even though we’re a young team, I think our maturity level is very high and that we are capable of doing a lot of hard things, and I believe we’ll stick together through the ups and downs of the season.”
Even as a younger player herself, Raccio has been a vital part of the team’s success since her first year at KO, making this her third season here. She has been playing softball since she was 6 years old, and since the first fielded ground ball and first hit off the bat, she knew this was for her.
This year’s softball team is one of the strongest in KO history, with three new freshmen all making a huge impact and many strong sophomores and juniors. “My favorite moment was when our freshman, Jahnvi, had a diving catch in right field to end our game versus Ethel Walker,” Raccio said. The team stayed locked in, winning against Kimball Union Academy at home and keeping them to 0 runs. Their next two games were away, one at Ethel Walker and the other at St. Luke’s, where they kept their momentum going and beat them 10-0 and 11-1. The following game was one of the biggest and toughest games of the season, which resulted in a 3-1 loss. The team reflected and explained that they couldn’t hit and just needed to be aware next time they played them. This losing feeling did not sit well with the team, and it led to them winning the next two games, against Cheshire Academy and Worcester, where the final scores were a 5-0 win at Cheshire and a 19-1 win at Worcester.
Even with some changes of the team, some leaving and some coming, the team’s way of loving the sport and loving each other never dies. “Cheering on the newer teammates and the freshman and celebrating improvement is what I think is truly good,” Raccio said. “I think the best thing you can do is just be people’s biggest supporters and cheerleaders since the game is so mentally challenging.”
Another great player on the team is junior pitcher Captain Alexis Nisyrios, who is committed to Oklahoma State University for softball. Nisyrios is a great addition to the team as a player and as a teammate. “Alexis helps a lot, and even though she’s committed to OSU, she treats me like an equal and never acts like she’s above anyone else,” Raccio said. “She’s always focused during practices and games, constantly working to improve herself while also supporting her teammates. What really makes Alexis special is that she isn’t just focused on her own success; she genuinely wants everyone around her to get better, too.”
Nisyrios is truly a team player and loves to bring the group of girls together through the highs and lows. She also tries to keep the energy high and to have a good mindset to help the team. “I try to remain positive and lead by example,” she said. “When I am up, I feel the team stays up. We keep the energy high and take one inning and one out at a time. We fight until the last out is recorded.”
Nisyrios has one more season of KO softball before she takes her talents to the next level at OSU, which is one of the top softball schools in the country. When reflecting on softball, Nisyrios talked about the many strong aspects of herself that have come from this game and this team. “Softball has taught me about leadership and communication,” she shared, “how to execute under pressure and be mentally tough, especially during moments of failure. It’s taught me how to rise above failures and to come out stronger. This sport has taught me to dream big and that with hard work, anything is possible. A little girl’s dream of playing Division I softball became a reality.”
Only eight games in, the team is already showing its ability to work hard, persevere, and succeed as a team. KO softball is one of the strongest sports at KO, and it’s not just the skill they display or the home runs they smack out of the park; it’s truly their love of the game and the teamwork that they show every day. With only weeks left of the 2026 KO varsity softball season, this team will push to all limits and attempt to win another championship.
