The GameTimeCT Top 10 Softball Poll: Heavyweights all in contention for league titles

Fairfield Ludlow’s Elena Ohe (12) heads to home plate and waiting team mates as she circles the bases after hitting a home run in the girls varsity softball game between Fairfield Ludlowe and Danbury high schools. Tuesday afternoon, May 17, 2022, at Danbury High School, Danbury, Conn.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

As the regular season concluded the top two-thirds of the top 10 held steady in their positioning, while the bottom third experienced some turbulence.

But there were no upsets (yet) as of Tuesday morning. All of the ranked teams remained in contention to claim league championships.

One new team entered the fray, as Glastonbury checks in for the first time at No. 10 after weeks on the periphery. The Guardians enter the CCC tournament as the No. 2 seed behind Southington. Glastonbury’s only two losses this season have been 2-1 to No. 7 Hall and 11-2 to No. 4 Southington.

Ludlowe solidified its No. 1 ranking with a 9-0 win over previously undefeated Danbury, but the No. 5 Hatters will get a rematch in the FCIAC championship on Wednesday.

No. 2 Masuk retained its two first place votes and will look for its fifth straight SWC title this week. Woodland also kept its lone first place vote after an undefeated regular season and will look to defend its NVL title.

Southington cruised through its final week with wins over No. 7 Hall and No. 8 Waterford to stay at No. 4.

No. 6 East Haven ended its regular season on a 10 game winning streak and won its SCC quarterfinal game to stay put as well.

Hall moved up to No. 7, switching with now No. 8 Waterford after both lost to Southington. Hall lost 4-0 and Waterford lost 4-1 to the CCC favorite.

Jonathan Law remained at No. 9 after debuting in the poll last week, and will play in the SCC semifinal round on Tuesday.

GameTimeCT Top 10 Softball Poll (May 24)

TEAM

REC

PTS

LAST

CLASS

1. LUDLOWE (11)

21-1

410

Last Week: Def. Danbury 9-0, Staples 9-1, McMahon 8-0, Trumbull 13-2.

This Week: FCIAC Championship vs Danbury, Wednesday, 5 p.m.

The Bottom Line: The Falcons will look to defend their FCIAC title against Danbury, which it beat 9-0 just a week ago, May 17.

2. MASUK (2)

20-1

388

Last Week: Def. Newtown 8-4, Staples 8-1; def. Notre Dame-Fairfield 3-0 in SWC quarterfinals.

This Week: SWC Semifinals vs Immaculate, Tuesday, 5 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Masuk will play Immaculate in the SWC semifinals and is looking for its fifth conference championship in a row.

3. WOODLAND (1)

22-0

358

Last Week: Def. Crosby 23-0; def. Torrington 13-0 in NVL quarterfinals; def. Naugatuck 11-2 in NVL semifinals.

This Week: NVL Championship vs Seymour or Oxford, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Woodland finished its regular season undefeated, and has earned a chance to defend its NVL title against the winner of Seymour and Oxford on Wednesday.

4. SOUTHINGTON

19-1

352

Last Week: Def. RHAM 10-2, Bristol Central 8-0, Waterford 4-1, Hall 4-0.

This Week: CCC Quarterfinals vs Avon, Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Southington finished the regular season with one loss, to now-No. 2 Masuk. The Blue Knights will begin the postseason against Avon on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round.

5. DANBURY

21-1

296

Last Week: Def. Greenwich 9-1, Westhill 3-0.

This Week: Lost to Ludlowe 9-0; Def. Ridgefield 1-0, Bridgeport Central (Forfeit); def. Staples 1-0 in FCIAC quarterfinals; def. St. Joseph 2-0 in FCIAC semifinals.

The Bottom Line: Danbury lost its first game in the final week of the regular season to Ludlowe, who it will now face on Wednesday for the FCIAC crown.

6. EAST HAVEN

19-2

272

Last Week: Def. Branford 13-1, Amity 7-1, North Branford 5-0; def. Shelton 2-0 in SCC quarterfinals.

This Week: SCC semifinals vs West Haven, Tuesday, 4:30 p.m.

The Bottom Line: East Haven ended the regular season on a 10-game winning streak which carried into a 2-0 SCC quarterfinal win over Shelton. East Haven will face West Haven in the SCC semifinals Tuesday.

7. HALL

16-3

230

Last Week: Def. South Windsor 13-0, Conard 4-1. Lost to Southington 4-0.

This Week: CCC quarterfinals vs Bristol Central, Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Hall moved up one spot despite losing to Southington for a second time this season. Hall will play Bristol Central in the CCC opening round on Tuesday as the No. 4 seed.

8. WATERFORD

16-4

210

Last Week: Def. Woodstock Academy 15-1, Stonington 7-0. Lost to Southington 4-1.

This Week: ECC Quarterfinals, Wednesday, TBA

The Bottom Line: Waterford drops one spot after its 4-1 loss to Southington. The ECC tournament will begin on Wednesday as Waterford will look to defend its title.

9. LAW

19-2

184

Last Week: Def. Foran 9-2, West Haven 5-1; lost to North Haven 2-1; def. Amity 9-1 in SCC quarterfinals.

This Week: SCC Semifinals vs Guilford, Tuesday, 4 p.m.

The Bottom Line: The Eagles finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed after losing the final regular season game to North Haven. Law will face Guilford in the SCC semifinals on Tuesday before a potential championship matchup on Thursday.

10. GLASTONBURY

18-2

157

Last Week: Def. Wethersfield 8-0, Ellington 2-0, Manchester 6-1, Simsbury 11-6.

This Week: CCC quarterfinals vs. Maloney, Tuesday, 3:45 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Glastonbury makes its debut as the regular season comes to an end. The third CCC team in the Top 10 enters the conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, and will play Maloney in the quarterfinal round Tuesday.

Dropped out: St. Joseph (No. 10).

Records through Sunday.

First-place votes in parentheses and points tabulated on a 30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-11-10-9-8-7 basis.

Also receiving votes: St. Joseph (16-6), 152; Haddam-Killingworth (19-2), 90; Guilford (19-2), 88; Bristol Central (17-3), 76; Ellington (17-2), 55; Cromwell (19-2), 42; Cheshire (15-6), 40; Trumbull (16-6), 27; Avon (16-4), 26; Enfield (16-4), 24; Oxford (18-3), 23; Amity (13-8), 20; RHAM (15-5), 17; West Haven (17-4), 17; Newtown (17-4), 9; Ledyard (15-5), 7.

The Following Voted: George DeMaio, WELI; Jimmy Zanor, Norwich Bulletin; Will Aldam, GameTimeCT; Mike Madera, Hearst Connecticut Media; Nick DeLizio, North Branford; Ken Pereiras, Seymour; Jeff Babineau, St. Joseph; Terry Dinan, New Canaan; Tony Calcagni, Mercy; Scott Ericson, Stamford Advocate; Vickie Fulkerson, The Day; Dave Phillips, Hearst CT Media; Tim Jensen, Patch Media; Lori Riley, Hartford Courant.

Compiled by Will Aldam