Around Town

Young and Hungry: 2015 New Canaan Rams Softball Preview

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As recently as a couple weeks ago, Waveny’s Orchard Field was covered by snow. In just a few days it will be covered by the New Canaan Rams softball team. 2014 was seen by most outsiders as a rebuilding year as New Canaan lost seven starters to graduation. Even so, Rams head coach Danielle Simoneau saw it as an opportunity to both develop talent and win at the same time. The Rams made both the conference and state tournaments in 2014, finishing with an FCIAC record of 11-7 (11-11 overall). The 2015 squad is looking to take that experience and continue to grow in order to get back to both tournaments and possibly go even further into the postseason.

Sports

New Canaan Softball Shocks Darien, Solidifies Position in FCIAC

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What a difference a day makes. 24 hours after Tuesday’s potentially devastating 7-5 loss to a sub-.500 Trinity Catholic squad, the New Canaan Rams softball team came back and stunned the FCIAC world Wednesday afternoon at Waveny’s Orchard Field with a dramatic 2-1 upset win over #2 ranked Darien. “That’s softball,” New Canaan head coach Danielle Simoneau told NewCanaanite.com. “That’s why it’s so frustrating when you make careless mistakes because you know you’re better at the game than what we showed. But they came back today and proved we are better than what we showed.”

The game featured two of the best pitchers in the FCIAC and more than lived up to its billing.

Sports

2 Days, 3 Wins for New Canaan Softball

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Playing three games and 25 innings over two days had New Canaan’s head coach Danielle Simoneau feeling like she was in the summer tournament circuit as opposed to FCIAC play. Scheduling conflicts and rainouts made the logjam a somewhat unwelcome necessity. That said, when all was said and done, all that mattered to Simoneau were the three games the Rams added to the win column. After an 11-inning 4-3 marathon win over Danbury on Friday, the Rams swept a doubleheader on Saturday–beating Norwalk 15-9, and McMahon 4-3. “It feels great anytime you win,” Simoneau told NewCanaanite.com.

Sports

Despite Dropping First Two Games, Plenty of Bright Spots for New Canaan Rams Softball

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Over the first two games of the 2014 season, the New Canaan Rams softball team saw some great pitching, solid hitting and adept fielding. The only issue was…they couldn’t put it all together in one game. On Thursday the Rams lost the season opener at Fairfield Ludlowe 1-0, as they could only muster 4 hits for hard-luck starter Ali Reilly. And in the home opener the following afternoon, the Rams dropped a 9-5 decision to Greenwich in a game that saw its fair share of hits–including a home run by freshman Molly Keshin–but also its fair share of errors. “You expect things like this,” Rams head coach Danielle Simoneau said following the Greenwich game.

Sports

New Canaan Softball 2014 Preview: Re-armed and Rebuilding

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After guiding the 2013 New Canaan Rams to the first FCIAC title in school history, one might think the head coach would be content to rest on her laurels, especially heading into a rebuilding year after losing all but two regular starters to graduation. That said–if you know Danielle Simoneau, such a thought would never cross your mind. Heading into her fourth year at the helm, Simoneau is looking at the 2014 season with excitement and a hint of that competitive fire. These qualities helped make her one of the best softball players in the history of the FCIAC while pitching for Westhill in the early 1990’s, and they’re qualities Simoneau will hope to pass along to her young team. “It’s a challenge,” Simoneau told NewCanaanite.com.