WORCESTER — During her standout career at Millbury High, former Woolies slugger Cali Brouillard faced another pair of stars, West Boylston’s Peyton Maloney and Grafton’s Taylor Coonan, and had a bit of success against the ex-high school aces.
“I hit a home run off both of them,” Brouillard, who is now a freshman at Worcester State, said with a laugh before the Lancers’ practice Tuesday afternoon at Rockwood Field, “so that was exciting.”
Maloney and Coonan never played against each other in high school, but they knew a lot about each other through local softball circles and newspaper write-ups. Maloney and Coonan, as well as Brouillard, made the highlights regularly.
As seniors in 2023, all three earned T&G Super Team all-star honors. This spring, the trio joined forces at Worcester State, and is contributing to the Lancers’ success.
“They’re all great kids first and foremost,” Worcester State coach Keri Bianchini said. “I’m so happy to have all of them on the team. They are all fantastic ballplayers and hard workers who show up every day with great attitudes ready to do whatever is asked of them for the team, and I appreciate that.”
Brouillard, Maloney and Coonan each chose Worcester State for its proximity to their homes, to pursue their chosen courses of study, and to continue playing softball.
“It checked all the boxes for me,” said Maloney, who is majoring in criminal justice and psychology and this week added a pre-law minor.
Maloney, who led West Boylston to the Division 5 state final her junior season, finished her outstanding high school career with 674 strikeouts. As a senior, she went 18-3 with an ERA of 0.83. In 129 innings, she struck out 235 and walked just 17.
Last spring, Coonan finished another fantastic season 14-6 with a 1.53 ERA, 153 Ks and 18 walks.
Maloney and Coonan are part of a five-person pitching staff, along with senior Emily Bartlett, junior Sarah Gosselin of Charlton and Bay Path Regional, and Ella Beaulieu, at Worcester State, and have been in the rotation, come out of the bullpen and added great depth.
“Having five pitchers,” Bianchini said, “from the outside looking in that can be, ‘How am I going to get playing time?’ We want all of our players to be a family, especially our pitchers and catchers, a family within a family. The expectation is to support each other, help each other and pick each other up, and they are doing a great job fitting in with that vibe.”
In nine appearances with four starts, Maloney is 4-1 with a 2.72 ERA, 16 strikeouts and 10 walks.
“Pitching at the college level is a bigger adjustment than I thought it was going to be,” Maloney said, “but everything I hoped it was going to be. I love all my coaches and teammates, and all of us can attest to the fact it’s the hardest we’ve ever had to work. Nothing is going to be given to you. The level of competition is so much stronger at the college level. You have to be on your ‘A’ game every day.”
Maloney is coming off a strong performance against Fitchburg State. In the second game of a doubleheader on Monday, she pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout to lift the Lancers to a 1-0 victory.
In the first game of the doubleheader, Coonan earned her first save. She came on in relief of Bartlett and closed out a 5-4 win by striking out two of the three batters she faced.
Coonan has made 10 appearances and two starts. She is 1-0 with a 3.04 ERA, 19 strikeouts and 8 walks.
“It’s gone really well,” said Coonan, who is a biology major, “but I can attribute that to the work I’ve put in, practicing and learning how to contribute in new ways. Having amazing teammates has made the transition to much easier.”
Maloney, with a strong rise ball, and Coonan, with a nice drop, complement each other well.
“They are a great duo,” Brouillard said.
Brouillard, an outfielder, has played in all but one game this season. She is batting .364 with five doubles and nine RBIs.
“It’s going great,” Brouillard said. “The team is awesome, and I’m so glad we have such a great team.”
Last season, Brouillard led the Woolies with a .514 batting average. She clubbed 4 homers, 8 doubles and 6 triples, and drove in 29 runs.
Worcester State, a consistent MASCAC contender, again is near the top of the standings. The Lancers (15-10, 5-3) were facing nonconference foe WPI in a doubleheader Wednesday.
Brouillard, Maloney and Coonan are among 12 former Central Mass. high school players on Worcester State’s roster.
“They bring a great element to our team,” Bianchini said. “We’re playing to their strengths, and they are doing whatever job we’ve asked them to do with a smile.”
—Contact Jennifer Toland at jennifer.toland@telegram.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.
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