Woodland Hawk’s Softball Team left the NVL field last year in despair with Lucia Rubano sulking on first.
“I didn’t help the team,” said Rubano, senior captain for the 2024 spring season. “The bat and the ball just couldn’t connect.”
After losing to Oxford for the title of Naugatuck Valley League Champion 3-0, the girls had to reflect on why the outcome wasn’t in their favor.
According to Rubano, the team was having trouble staying in a positive mindset. They constantly were getting in their heads for the length of the nine innings.
“This season, I want to make sure we are not worrying as much as we did during the NVL game,” said Rubano. “We have to stay in that positive mindset.”
Rubano is using her experiences from last season to be a good leader and mentor to the younger players. She wants to show them how to work hard through difficult situations. In order to accomplish these goals, Rubano hopes to be her best on and off the field, bringing 100% of her abilities to both practices and games.
Rubano hopes to bring home another State Championship ring with her team.
Despite a disappointing NVL game, Woodland’s softball team has held the Class M State Championship title for the past two consecutive years and hopes to make it three. In the most recent state game, the Woodland Hawks dominated Sacred Heart Academy with a 16-0 victory at Uconn’s Burrill Family Field. Rubano started off the game by smacking the ball right up the middle and bringing in two runs, impressing not only her team, but also a few people sitting in the stands.
Rubano was approached by college coaches who offered her an opportunity of a lifetime: playing for Team USA. For her performance on first base, the coaches invited’]l Rubano to continue her athletic career overseas in Italy to represent her country against teams from various areas of the world, like India and China. She will take the eight hour and fifty-two minute flight on July 15th to play for nine days in Rome.
Using this future experience as motivation, Rubano hopes to improve her 0.440 average before she leaves.
“I want to show my strength mentally and physically this season, so my teammates will also show their strength.”
By proving to herself she is stronger than the 2023 Naugatuck Valley League game with her strong performance in States, she is ready to lead the Hawks into a successful season.
