Connecticut Brakettes
| Stratford Brakettes | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| League | Amateur Softball Association |
| Location | Stratford, Connecticut |
| Ballpark | Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field |
| Year founded | 1947 |
| Colors | red, white, blue |
| Management | Bob Baird |
| Coach | John Stratton |
The Connecticut Brakettes is a women's fastpitch softball team based in Stratford, Connecticut. The team has won many state, regional, national, and international tournaments (28 as of 2009).
The team was founded in 1947 by William S. Simpson as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars. Over the years the team name has changed to Raybestos Brakettes (1948), Hi-Ho Brakettes, Stratford Brakettes, or Connecticut Brakettes (2006). The Brakette name is derived from the main product of the Raybestos plant in Stratford which produced brake linings for automobiles and trucks.
In 2006 the Brakettes fielded two teams. The Connecticut Brakettes were members of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF), finishing second in the regular season with a record of 27-15. In the NPF championship game, the Connecticut Brakettes lost to the fourth place New England Riptide 2-0. In 2006 they also fielded the Stratford Brakettes in the Amateur Softball Association (ASA). They won the 2006 women's major fastpitch tournament held in Amherst, New York.
The Brakettes dropped out of the NPF league in 2007 but still competes as an amateur team in the women's major division of the Amateur Softball Association (ASA).
Highlights of the Brakettes' seasons include:
Notable Brakette players have included:
Brakette coaches have included:
The Brakettes played from 1947 through 1987 at Raybestos Memorial Field near the center of the town of Stratford. In 1974 Raybestos Memorial hosted the ISF Women's World Championship in which the United States beat Japan for the gold medal. Starting in the 1988 season they played at a field that was originally built in 1966 and has been known as Avco Lycoming Field, Textron Lycoming Field, AlliedSignal Field, and was renamed Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field in 1997. Frank "Hooks" DeLuca was a pitcher for the men's slowpitch team sponsored by Avco Lycoming in Stratford who was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame in 1974. In addition to the Brakettes, DeLuca Field is home to the Stratford Breakers and Stratford Seahawks softball teams, the Stratford High School girls' softball team, the Stratford Police Athletic League girls' softball teams, the Men's Industrial Slow Pitch League, and the Stratford Recreation Department Slow Pitch League games.
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