By Dave Stewart
MaxPreps.com
MONROE, Conn. – It’s been three seasons since Rachele Fico first threw a pitch for the Masuk High softball team, but senior shortstop Alyssa Pagano still remembers that first day of that preseason, when a world of possibilities suddenly opened up for the Panthers.
“I knew I was going to have a good three years ahead of me,” Pagano laughed while looking back on that moment.
Talk of Fico and her superb pitching ability had been heard at Masuk well before she joined the team, but what the Panthers learned that first year in 2006 was there was no exaggeration to the rumors.
In the three seasons that have followed, Fico has put together a resume of achievements that is beyond description. The right-hander’s statistics look like something out of a video games — numbers that tell a story of overwhelming dominance to the point of near-perfection.
There is the strikeout rate of nearly two and a half per inning — 1,271 in 533 career innings and 370 in 149 innings this year. This spring, she struck out 25 in 11 innings against SWC contender Lauralton Hall on April 11, and 25 in 10 innings against another top conference team, Bunnell, on May 5.
There are a mere three earned runs allowed in 74 career games, a microscopic earned run average of 0.04, a 72-2 record, two SWC championships and one State Class LL title.
There are streaks of five consecutive perfect games to tie a national record, eight straight no-hitters, and current runs of 135 scoreless innings and 208 innings without allowing an earned run.
There are the 33 no-hitters and 16 perfect games in her career and 11 no-hitters and seven perfect games this season.
Beyond the numbers, however, is a high school junior, just short of her 17th birthday, who is as complete a player and a student as a coach could hope for.
“When you talk about all-around softball players and all-around athletes, people who are well-rounded with the grades, the character and the athletic ability, it’s Rachele Fico,” Masuk coach Jacqui Sheftz said.
“When you have somebody with that type of talent leading your team, and she’s humble and she wants her teammates to succeed before her, that’s huge. You have a lot of prima donnas out there pitching or as position players, but Rachele wants the best for everyone else first and then for Rachele. That’s contagious for her teammates. Her work ethic is contagious, her dedication, her passion and her drive.”
It fits Fico’s personality that the pitcher seems even more energetic when talking about her teammates than she does about her own staggering list of achievements.
“I’ve been pitching since I was nine, but I would be nowhere without my teammates and my coaches,” Fico said. “Without them, I can’t do anything. Everyone is always thinking Masuk High School softball is Rachele Fico, but it’s not at all. It’s such a team effort and without my teammates, it’s nothing.”
Fico already has her future in order, as she committed to play for the LSU Tigers starting in 2010.
“It ultimately came down between LSU and Alabama and the decision if I wanted to leave home or not,” Fico said. “I went to Alabama and the coaching staff was great, but when I went to LSU, it was different. I felt at home, the girls were great and everyone was so welcoming. I knew that’s where I wanted to spend my college career.”
In the meantime, Masuk, which beat Newtown Thursday night to finish the regular season 20-0, will be shooting for its fourth consecutive SWC championship this week. Contributions from everyone will be key, according to Fico.
“Every single position means so much,” Fico said. “Every girl has come up in clutch situations with clutch plays and hits in every game. Everyone contributes so much and we work so hard and have such a great chemistry together, that I think that’s the reason for our success. We get along together, we love to win and we love doing everything together. We’re all about team first.”
Those words rang true in last Wednesday’s 1-0 victory in nine innings against conference rival Lauralton Hall and its outstanding pitcher, Bridget Gates.
Fico came into the game having thrown 56 straight hitless innings and five straight perfect games, but both streaks came to and end when Lauralton Hall’s Courtney Collins singled off the third-base bag with two outs in the top of the first.
Fico would end up allowing two hits and two walks while striking out 21 in the nine-inning game, but the final drama was provided by first baseman Christine Leo in the ninth.
Pagano had walked leading off, but Gates retired the next two batters while keeping Pagano at first base. Leo then took a cut at Gate’s first offering and ripped a shot to deep left, a hit which went for a triple, scored Pagano from first and ended the game. It was Masuk’s only hit of the game.
“The second the pitch came in and Leo hit it, just hearing the ball come off the bat, I knew the game was done,” Fico said. “It was a shot, it went so far and I’m so proud of Leo for taking advantage of her first pitch.
“We just come in taking every play at a time, and being on the balls of our feet with every pitch,” Fico said. “Everyone is ready for every ball and wants to make plays. We knew our defense would hold up and eventually we would get them with the bats.”
The perfect game streak came to an end, but Fico said she hadn’t really let the hype affect her.
“To tell you the truth, I really didn’t even realize that I had a perfect game streak going,” she said. “People would come up to me and say ‘How many is it?’ and I had no idea. I just don’t keep track of that stuff. I just think about getting the W and that’s what we came here to do today and we did it.”
“We take it one game at a time,” Fico’s batterymate, senior catcher Caitlin Viccari, said. “We don’t really think about no-hitters, perfect games, a perfect season or State titles. It’s one game at a time. Every game is a big game, every game’s important, whether it’s a team that loses every game or a team that’s undefeated. Every team’s equal to us. We play our game; we don’t play other people’s games.”
Sheftz echoed that sentiment.
“We never talked about the streak, never talked about perfect games,” the coach said. “We’re a team and we we’re going for W’s. That’s very difficult as a coach to keep the team focused on the task at hand and not the fact that it’s been 56 hitless innings. I have a great coaching staff that enables me to give them free reign and keep the kids focused. If they get a hit, they get a hit. At the end of the day, it’s about W’s.
“At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. We want to win, we want to win championships and that’s what drives our team right now.”
That’s was the case even before Fico first came on the scene in 2006, but when the freshman joined the team, Masuk was propelled into Connecticut’s softball spotlight.
“When I first saw her, she was a 14-year-old freshman and you knew that she was going to be something special,” Sheftz said. “She has a gift and she also has the work ethic. As an incoming freshman, you could see the sky was the limit for her.”
“It was amazing seeing her,” Pagano said. “You always hear about good pitchers coming, but when you finally she her and realize what she can do, it’s amazing.”
Amazing, indeed.
In her first varsity game against Fitch, Fico spun a perfect game. She had five as a freshman, including one against Brookfield in the SWC final, four more as a sophomore, and seven more this season, including six during an eight-game span.
Her 16 perfect games put her well within reach of the national record of 20, established by Marissa Marzan of Fresno Bullard High School in California during the 1998 to 2001 seasons.
Even more remarkable was her five-game run of perfectos from May 2 to May 12. She struck out 96 in 36 innings during that stretch.
“A perfect game is hard to come by,” Sheftz said, “five in a row is just absolutely mind-boggling.”
Fico keeps her opponents off-balance with an array of six pitches, which include a fastball, change, curve, screw, rise and drop. She’s been pitching since she was nine, and works with renowned softball instructor Jen Hapanowitz of USA Elite Training.
“She’s helped me so much with my finding spins and making my ball move so much more and hitting my spots,” Fico said of Hapanowitz.
Fico has had success away from the Connecticut High School scene as well, helping her teams win the 2007 PONY U-18 National Tournament and the 2007 Big League World Series in Michigan. This summer, Fico will play for the Gold Coast Hurricanes U-18 team in Florida.
Perhaps the best spot for the show at Masuk has belonged to Viccari, Fico’s batterymate for the past three seasons.
“It’s an honor to catch for Rachele,” Viccari said. “She’s great. We keep the communication open always. Communication is absolutely the key. We’re able to adjust with each other. We grew up together and we’ve been playing with each other since we were small, so we know each other’s personalities and that helps us work well together.”
“Me and Caitlin are a battery and we’re together,” Fico said. “We just work on taking it one pitch at a time. We’re watching how a batter is set up, watching what they foul off and we go right at them. It’s just getting the job done.”
For the rest of her teammates, the key is staying focused. With Fico mowing down hitters to the tune of nearly 20 per seven innings, it would be easy for the fielders to let their attention, and possibly a batted ball, slip by.
“It’s always just staying in the game and being ready for any ball,” Pagano said. “You're rarely going to get any balls hit to you, but when you get that one, it’s going to count and you’ve got to make it count.
“We always cheer her on to do her best and she’s amazing. We love having her on the mound. She’s a great player and very team-oriented. You would never know she is as good as she is because she never acts like it.”
Fico is currently working on a streak of 19 consecutive shutouts, seven short of the national record of 24, a mark she would tie in Masuk’s second game in the states if things continue on their current track.
The only run Fico has surrendered this season was unearned; it came with two outs in the seventh inning of the Panthers’ 7-1 win over Fitch on opening day. She has allowed just 12 hits this season.
That’s helped make Masuk Connecticut's top-ranked team and an overwhelming favorite to win the SWC and Class LL championships yet again.
“Any time you can put a girl who’s so talented in the circle, it’s like when UConn had Diana Taurasi — we have Diana and you don’t,” Sheftz said. “Well, we have Rachele and you don’t. That’s clearly an advantage in leadership and overall athletic ability.”
While the team focuses on the task at hand, the playoffs and possible championships, Sheftz is enjoying her time with a player who will undoubtedly be remembered as one of Connecticut’s greatest high school athletes.
“I’m really just enjoying the moment,” Sheftz said. “The girls are living in the moment and the coaching staff is living in the moment. This has been a wonderful ride and we’re looking to create many more memories while she’s here.”
Masuk’s Rachele Fico has thrown 33 no-hitters during her career, 16 of which have been perfect.
Her perfect games are listed below with date, opponent and strikeouts.
Freshman Year, 2006
April 5 vs. Fitch, 19 Ks
April 19 vs. Kolbe Cathedral, 19 Ks
April 26 vs. Bethel, 13 Ks
May 3 vs. Barlow, 15 Ks
May 25 vs. Brookfield, 15 Ks (SWC Championship)
Sophomore Year, 2007
April 18 vs. Kolbe Cathedral, 14 Ks in 5 innings
April 30 vs. Notre Dame-Fairfield, 18 Ks
May 7 vs. Bunnell, 16 Ks
May 30 vs. Norwalk, 16 Ks (Class LL playoffs)
Junior Year, 2008
April 18 vs. Weston, 18 Ks
April 30 vs. Barlow, 20 Ks
May 2 vs. Brookfield, 20 Ks
May 5 vs. Bunnell, 25 Ks in 10 innings
May 6 vs. Stratford, 13 Ks in 5 innings
May 8 vs. Pomperaug, 19 Ks
May 12 vs. New Milford, 19 Ks
Dave Stewart, the Sports Editor of the New Canaan (Conn.) Advertiser, is a MaxPreps.com writer and photographer. He may be reached at 203-966-9541 or atsports@ncadvertiser.com.
