Connecticut Brakettes

Last updated
Stratford Brakettes
ConnBrakettes.PNG
Information
League Amateur Softball Association
Location Stratford, Connecticut
BallparkFrank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field
Founded1947 [1]
Colorsred, white, blue [1]
   
ManagementBob Baird [2]
CoachJohn Stratton

The Connecticut Brakettes is a women's fastpitch softball team based in Stratford, Connecticut. The team has won many state, regional, national, and international tournaments (28 as of 2009). [1] [3] [4]

Contents

History

The team was founded in 1947 by William S. Simpson as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars. [5] Over the years the team name has changed to Raybestos Brakettes (1948), Hi-Ho Brakettes, Stratford Brakettes, or Connecticut Brakettes (2006). [1] The Brakette name is derived from the main product of the Raybestos plant in Stratford which produced brake linings for automobiles and trucks. [1]

In 2006 the Brakettes fielded two teams. The Connecticut Brakettes were members of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), finishing second in the regular season with a record of 27–15. In the NPF championship game, the Connecticut Brakettes lost to the fourth place New England Riptide 2–0. In 2006 they also fielded the Stratford Brakettes in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). They won the 2006 women's major fastpitch tournament held in Amherst, New York. [6]

The Brakettes dropped out of the NPF league in 2007, but still competes as an amateur team in the women's major division of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA).

Highlights of the Brakettes' seasons include: [1] [7] [8]

yearwinslossespost seasoncomments
1947164Lost in the state tournament quarter-finals in a 22–21 gameTeam founded as Raybestos Girl All-Stars
1948182Eastern Coast Women's Softball championship winnersTeam name changed to Raybestos Brakettes
1950Appeared at ASA national tournamentA national tournament game against host San Antonio, Texas Thompson team is won 2–1
19564th-place finish in national tournament held in Clearwater, Florida
1958525Beat the Hacienda Rockets for first ASA Women's Major Fastpitch championshipNational tournament held at Raybestos Memorial Field in Stratford
1959–1960Second and third consecutive national championship winners
19613rd-place finish in 2–1 loss to eventual championship winners the Whittier, California Gold SoxChampionship held in Portland, Oregon
1965At the first ISF Women's World Championship in Melbourne, Australia, Brakettes finish 2nd place in a loss to the host team
1966744
1967Winner of their 6th ASA national championship, the National All-Star Series, and the Pan American Games
1968Tie with Orange, California Lionettes for ASA National title (7th for the Brakettes)
19702nd-place finish at ISF Women's World Championship in Osaka
1971570ASA fastpitch national championship
19741st-place finish at ISF Women's World Championship, ASA Women's Major Fastpitch champions (4th consecutive year) [1] ISF championship is held at Raybestos Memorial Field in Stratford [1]
19764411ASA fastpitch national championshipJohn Stratton is temporary coach for disabled Ralph Raymond
1978788ASA national champions (1978 is the 8th consecutive and 15th overall championship for the Brakettes)Bill Simpson, the team Owner came to Hayward, CA where the team won the ASA championship.
1980ASA national championsChampionship held in East Lansing, Michigan
1985Team name is changed to Hi-Ho Brakettes
1986Winners of the ISF championship in Auckland, New Zealand; gold medal in U.S. Olympic Sports Festival, First place at Canada Cup in Vancouver; 2nd place ASA championship
1990D'Addario drops sponsorship, resumed by Raymark-Raybestos (no longer in Stratford) through 1995
19932nd-place finish in ASA championship against the Redding RebelsThe championship is held in Stratford at DeLuca field. [9]
1995573
19964-way tie for 9th-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [10] Championship held in Stratford at DeLuca Field. [9] Team is sponsored by David Olin Carpenter.
19974-way tie for 9th-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [11]
19984-way tie for 9th-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [12]
19993rd-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [13] Championship held in Stratford
20003rd-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [14]
20013rd-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [15]
2002781ASA Women's Major Fastpitch champions (24th) [16] Championship held in Stratford at DeLuca Field. [9]
2003655ASA Women's Major Fastpitch champions (25th) [17] 4th-place finish at Canada Cup
2004504ASA Women's Major Fastpitch champions (26th) [18]
200551172nd-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [19] Championship held in Stratford at DeLuca Field. [9]
200627152nd-place finish in NPF Team called Connecticut Brakettes in the NPF league
4641st-place finish in ASA Major fastpitch tournament (27th) in Amherst, New York against the Southern California Sliders [6] Team called Stratford Brakettes in the ASA league
2007ASA Women's Major Fastpitch champions (28th) [20] Only an ASA team is fielded this season
20083rd-place finish in ASA fastpitch national championship [21]
20094974th place after 1–0 loss to Stratford BreakersRegional ASA championship held in Stratford at DeLuca Field [22] [23]
Total> 3,2423 ISF Women's World Championship, 28 ASA National Championships, 19 National Hall of Fame members, and 11 Olympians

Players

Notable Brakette players have included:

Coaches

Brakette coaches have included: [1]

Stadia

The Brakettes played from 1947 through 1987 at Raybestos Memorial Field near the center of the town of Stratford. [51] In 1974 Raybestos Memorial hosted the ISF Women's World Championship in which the United States beat Japan for the gold medal. Starting in the 1988 season they played at a field that was originally built in 1966 and has been known as Avco Lycoming Field, Textron Lycoming Field, AlliedSignal Field, and was renamed Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in 1997. [9] [52] Frank "Hooks" DeLuca was a pitcher for the men's slowpitch team sponsored by Avco Lycoming in Stratford who was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1974. [53] In addition to the Brakettes, DeLuca Field is home to the Stratford Breakers and Stratford Seahawks softball teams, the Stratford High School girls' softball team, the Stratford Police Athletic League girls' softball teams, the Men's Industrial Slow Pitch League, and the Stratford Recreation Department Slow Pitch League games. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stratford, Connecticut</span> Town in Connecticut, United States

Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, and the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled by Puritans in 1639.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa Fernandez</span> American Olympic gold medalist

Lisa Maria Fernandez is an American former softball player and current associate head coach at UCLA. She played college softball at UCLA as a pitcher and third baseman, and is a three-time medal winning Olympian with Team USA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Softball Federation</span>

The International Softball Federation (ISF) is the former international governing body for the sport of softball with its world headquarters and training centre at Plant City, Florida. The ISF is a non-profit corporation recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and SportAccord.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dot Richardson</span> American softball player and coach (b. 1961)

Dorothy Gay Richardson is an American physician and former two-time gold medal-winning Olympian softball player at shortstop. Richardson is currently the head coach at Liberty. Richardson played college softball at UCLA and won the inaugural NCAA Division I softball tournament in 1982. She is a USA Softball Hall of Fame honoree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Pro Fastpitch</span> American professional womens softball league

National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), formerly the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL), was a professional women's softball league in the United States. The teams battled for the Cowles Cup.

Joan Joyce was the softball coach at Florida Atlantic, for 28 years until her death in 2022. She previously was a softball player for the Raybestos Brakettes and the Orange Lionettes. She also had set records on the LPGA Tour as a golfer and on the USA women's national basketball team, and was a player and coach for the Connecticut Clippers volleyball team.

Donna Lopiano is the President and founder of Sports Management Resources, a consulting firm that focuses on bringing the knowledge of experienced, expert former athletics directors to assist scholastic and collegiate athletics departments in solving growth and development challenges. She was the chief executive officer of the Women's Sports Foundation from 1992 to 2007 and focused on ensuring athletic departments throughout the nation were compliant with Title IX regulations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fastpitch softball</span> Form of softball

Fastpitch softball, or simply fastpitch, is a form of softball played by both women and men. While the teams are most often segregated by sex, coed fast-pitch leagues also exist. Considered the most competitive form of softball, fastpitch is the format played at the Olympic Games. Softball was on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) program in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2020. It will not be a part of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raybestos</span> Manufacturer of automotive brakes

Raybestos is a brand of automotive brakes established in 1902 by Arthur H. Raymond and Arthur F. Law of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Sheila Marie Cornell-Douty is an American, two-time Gold Medal winning Olympian and former collegiate right-handed softball first baseman, originally from Woodland Hills, California. Cornell-Douty won two National Championships with the UCLA Bruins in 1982 and 1984. After graduating from UCLA she played for the Stratford Brakettes from 1988 through 1994. She also competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she received a gold medal with the American team. She was also a member of the American gold winning team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum in 2006, and the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 2007.

Katherine Burkhart is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional All-Star softball pitcher and softball coach. She played college softball at Arizona State, and won a national championship with the team in 2008 and was named Most Outstanding Player. Burkhart holds the career records in wins, strikeouts, perfect games, WHIP, innings pitched and strikeout ratio for the school. She also ranks in several career pitching categories and the top-10 for strikeouts and perfect games for both the Pac-12 Conference and the NCAA Division I. She has also pitched for the USA Softball team. She also helped remove snakes from a plane that was bound from Hawaii to Phoenix in 2023.

Sharron Backus is a former softball player and coach. She played as a shortstop and third baseman on seven Amateur Softball Association national championship teams from 1961 to 1975. She served as the head softball coach at UCLA from 1975 to 1997 and led her teams to nine national collegiate softball championships. At the time of her retirement in 1997, she was the winningest college softball coach in the history of the sport. Backus has been inducted into both the National Softball Hall of Fame and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aimee Murch</span> Australian softball player

Aimee Murch is an Australian softball player. She plays for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in national competitions, and for a local ACT club. She plays for the Australia women's national softball team. Furthermore, she is trying to earn a spot on the roster that will allow her to compete at the 2012 ISF XIII Women's World Championships. She plays professional softball in Italy for Nuoro. She is currently employed by the Queensland Department of Education.

Jill Justin-Coffel is an American, former collegiate NCAA Division I All-American, right-handed hitting softball player, originally from Oak Lawn, Illinois. She played for the Northern Illinois Huskies softball team as an outfielder from 1986–89, partly in the Mid-American Conference and defunct North Star Conference. She and later was a medal-winning member of Team USA softball. She is the 4-year batting average champion for the NCAA and owns nearly all Huskie batting records.

Mary Anne O'Connor is an American Olympian who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics on the first US Olympic women's basketball team.

Michelle "Mikey" Gardner, formerly Michelle Bolster, is an American softball coach and former player. Gardner is currently the head coach at Bowling Green. She was the head coach of the Indiana Hoosiers softball team from 2009 until 2017. She previously served as the head coach at the University of Nevada from 2003 to 2008. She also served as an assistant softball coach at Arizona State (1999–2001) and Florida State (1995–1998).

The Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field is a state-of-the-art softball facility located in Stratford, Connecticut. It is the home of the Connecticut Brakettes team of Amateur Softball Association (ASA).

The 2006 National Pro Fastpitch season was the third season of professional softball under the name National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) for the only professional women's fastpitch softball league in the United States. From 1997 to 2002, NPF operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL). Each year, the playoff teams battle for the Cowles Cup.

Kathy Arendsen is an American softball head coach and former professional player. Arendsen pitched for Holland Christian High School, where she won the state championship, before embarking on a successful collegiate and professional career. During her college years, Arendsen pitched for Texas Woman's University and California State University, Chico, where she led both teams to national championships. In recognition of her efforts, she received the 1978 Broderick Award as the nation's outstanding female athlete in softball. She was also selected to pitch for Team USA at the 1979 and 1983 Pan American Games, winning a gold and silver medal respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Moser</span> American field hockey player

Joan Elaine Moser is an American former field hockey and softball player. She played on the U.S. women's national field hockey team from 1967 to 1979 and was in the first class of inductees into the U.S. Field Hockey Association Hall of Fame. She also played for the world champion Raybestos Brakettes softball team.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Brakettes: History". Archived from the original on 2009-07-06. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  2. ↑ "Brakettes Softball;185 Lordship Road;Stratford, CT 06615". Archived from the original on 2007-05-22. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  3. ↑ "Brakettes Archives". Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  4. ↑ Hays, Graham (July 21, 2008). "The saga of the Stratford Brakettes". ESPN . Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  5. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: William S. Simpson" . Retrieved 2009-08-30.
  6. 1 2 "ASA National Championship Results: 2006 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Amherst, New York. August 10, 2006 through August 13, 2006. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  7. ↑ "Brakettes- National Tournaments". Archived from the original on 2008-08-20. Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  8. ↑ "ASA Prior Championships: Women's Fast Pitch" . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Stratford, Connecticut – DeLuca Field". Town of Stratford. Archived from the original on 2009-01-23. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  10. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 1996 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Stratford, CT. August 16, 1996 through August 21, 1996. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  11. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 1997 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Phoenix, AZ. August 13, 1997 through August 17, 1997. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  12. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 1998 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Decatur, IL. August 10, 1998 through August 15, 1998. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  13. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 1999 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Stratford, CT. August 13, 1999 through August 18, 1999.
  14. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2000 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Clearwater, FL. August 9, 2000 through August 13, 2000. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  15. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2001 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Phoenix, AZ. August 14, 2001 through August 19, 2001. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  16. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2002 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Stratford, CT. August 16, 2002 through August 21, 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  17. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2003 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Pekin, IL. August 12, 2003 through August 17, 2003. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  18. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2004 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Auburn, AL. August 10, 2004 through August 15, 2004. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  19. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2005 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Stratford, CT. August 12, 2005 through August 17, 2005. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  20. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2007 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". South Bend, IN. August 4, 2007 through August 7, 2007. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  21. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2008 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch". Amherst, NY. August 7, 2008 through August 10, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-22.
  22. ↑ "Brakettes Eliminated by Breakers as Plourde Shines". August 10, 2009. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved 2009-08-10.
  23. ↑ "ASA National Championship Results: 2009 ASA Women's Major Fast Pitch (cancelled)". Alabama. July 30, 2008 through August 2, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-29.
  24. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Shirley Topley" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  25. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: E. Louise Albrecht" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  26. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Rosemary (Micki) Stratton" . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  27. 1 2 "Player Bio: Joan Joyce :: Softball". Florida Atlantic University. Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  28. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Joan Joyce" . Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  29. 1 2 3 "International Softball Federation – The ISF: Inductess/Bios". Archived from the original on 2009-07-17. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Brakettes All-Time Roster". Archived from the original on 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2009-10-20.
  31. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Donna Lopiano" . Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  32. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Sharron Backus" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  33. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Bertha Ragan Tickey" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  34. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Peggy Kellers" . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  35. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Pat Harrison" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  36. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Kathryn (Sis) King" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  37. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Willie Roze" . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  38. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Rose Marie (Rosie) Adams" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  39. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Barbara Reinalda" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  40. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Dot Richardson" . Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  41. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Sheila Cornell Douty" . Retrieved 2009-08-08.
  42. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Diane Schumacher" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  43. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Gina Vecchione" . Retrieved 2009-10-23.
  44. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Kathy Arendsen" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  45. ↑ "Michigan Sports Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  46. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Pat Dufficy" . Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  47. 1 2 3 4 Fornabaio, Michael (August 3, 2008). "Connecticut Olympians aim for gold". Connecticut Post . Retrieved 2009-10-20.[ dead link ]
  48. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Vincent (Wee) Devitt" . Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  49. ↑ "USA Softball: All-time Olympic Games Rosters". Archived from the original on 2009-07-19. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  50. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Ralph Raymond" . Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  51. ↑ The remains of Raybestos Memorial Field are along Frog Pond Lane at 41°12′13″N73°07′16″W / 41.2037°N 73.1212°W
  52. ↑ "Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field". Archived from the original on 2009-07-21. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  53. ↑ "National Softball Hall of Fame Member: Frank DeLuca" . Retrieved 2009-10-22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.