Connecticut Women’s Softball League Is A Hit

The Canton U-30 softball team does not have a spicy nickname.

Instead, in its first season in the nine-team, fast-pitch Connecticut Women’s Softball League, Canton has elected to show all of its class, quality and flare on the field.

Featuring 14 players from all areas of the state, Canton cruised to the regular-season title in its inaugural season with a 13-1 record, three games ahead of second-place Simsbury (10-4).

The CTWSL was founded four years ago by Tony Muscarella for women’s players who are 30-years-old and younger and who are not ready for slow-pitch softball.

“There’s no other place for these players to play,” Muscarella said in a telephone interview. “Most leagues are U-12, U-14 or U-16.”

Muscarella said that the league draws younger players from the college ranks who are in their off-season and wish to hone their skills and older players who have no other avenue to play the fast-pitch game.

“As far as we know, we’re the only such league to give those players a chance to play,” Muscarella said.

The other seven teams — in addition to Canton and Simsbury — are based in Vernon, West Hartford, Bristol, Somers, Suffield, South Windsor and Enfield.

Canton, which plays its home games at the high school, was organized by Pam Niejadlik, the mother of the team’s centerfielder, and Canton resident Charley Batan, the team’s head coach and father of the team’s left fielder, Nicole.

Canton residents will most likely recognize two familiar names on the roster: Nicole Batan and Mo Gauthier, both of whom played major roles on the 2009 Canton High girls’ softball state championship team.

Nicole Batan and Gauthier now play softball at RPI and St. Anselm, respectively.

Pam Niejadlik and Charley Batan filled out the rest of the roster by scouring the Internet and following leads before settling on 12 more players.

Both discussed the hundreds of text messages they have sent to one another, many of which were of the early morning and late-night varieties.

Why devote so much time organizing the team?

“Because the girls love it,” Pam Piejadlik said. “And I love to come and watch the games.”

“If I don’t do it, who will?” Charley Batan, who was recently named the head coach of the high school team, asked rhetorically.

Most of the players are on college teams; two team members have college degrees and careers.

Middle infielder Van DeVeire, a 25-year-old Coventry resident, was on the Canadian Junior National Softball Team and played ice hockey at UConn.

Van DeVeire is a physical therapist in Tolland when she isn’t robbing batters of hits by going into the hole between short and third and gunning them down at first base.

“We definitely have some talent,” Van DeVeire said. “It’s been fun, but it’s also pretty competitive. We all still want to come out and play fast-pitch softball. I am so lucky to play with this team.”

Van DeVeire was filling for regular shortstop Gillian Ortega, a New London High School teacher whose defensive prowess was described by one spectator as “Oh-my-God” good.

“She’s awesome,” Wendy Batan, Nicole’s mother and Charlie’s wife, said.

One of Canton’s best hitters is centerfielder Michele Niejadlik, Pam’s daughter, who earned league co-Player of the League honors by going 2-for-3 with a home run and 5 RBIs in a win over West Hartford on July 17.

Starting pitcher Danielle “Diego” Leone hurled a no-hitter earlier this season against Suffield.

Perhaps the biggest surprise isn’t the high level at which the women play, but how quickly they all gelled into a winning team.

Part of that is attributable to the post-game barbeques the team holds at Gauthier’s house.

“It’s a good group of kids,” Pam Niejadlik said. “It’s the camaraderie that sets them apart.”