By Tom Liljedahl
In its 26 years the Central Connecticut State University softball team has only had two winning seasons.
However, the Blue Devils are optimistic that this season will be the third, due in large part to the impressive play of left fielder Arielle Bruno.
As a freshman, Bruno plays the critical role of leadoff hitter, setting the tone for the rest of the lineup. She’s done this magnificently thus far in the young season, leading the Blue Devils with 26 hits and with a .464 on-base percentage. She remains second on the team with five doubles and in total bases with 36. Bruno also boasts a .419 batting average, has scored 17 runs, hit one home run and remains one of two players to hit a triple this season.
“She’s a very important piece to the puzzle,” said Head Coach Jeffrey Franquet. “When she is focused and ready to play she’s as good as any player I’ve seen.”
Franquet, who is in his second season as head coach, has been impressed with Bruno since meeting her at the Hit Doctor Softball Clinic in Cherry Hill, N.J. It didn’t take long for him to recognize that she was a phenomenal athlete who possessed all the tools and skills that an athlete needed to translate into success at the collegiate level.
In addition to her incredible ability Franquet saw all of the intangibles in Bruno, describing her as a “gamer.” This mentality has been a huge factor in her success. She stressed the importance of working hard, constantly learning and being mentally prepared to play every game. This productive attitude, according to Bruno, came from Les Olsen, her coach at Sacred Heart High School, a private school in Vineland, N.J.
“I don’t think I would be here if I went to a public school,” said Bruno, “Coach Olsen was very influential in helping me figuring out what I wanted to do in college and in softball.”
As the softball coach at Sacred Heart High School, Olsen planned annual spring training trips to Myrtle Beach, S.C. There his team played some of the best high school softball teams in the country, all of whom had made the trip as well. During Bruno’s senior season, the team raised enough money to make a trip to Puerto Rico where they got the unique experience of playing against the Puerto Rican Olympic Team.
During her time playing for Sacred Heart, Bruno recorded 176 hits, which shattered the previous school record of 126. As a sophmore in the summer of 2008 she played for the Vineland little league team, which went on to represent the east coast in the Little League World Series.
Now as a rising star for CCSU, Bruno admitted that the transition to collegiate softball has been a challenging new experience.
“It’s definitely a lot different from high school,” she said, “You go from knowing your entire team to knowing no one.”
Bruno is quickly becoming comfortable with the team and her place on it. Although she has known her teammates for a mere five months, she says that some already feel like lifelong friends.
These teammates think very highly of Bruno.
“Arielle is a hard worker with a good attitude,” said senior catcher Kat Knowles. “For a freshman, she is an awesome teammate and is always willing to help out.”
Bruno and the rest of the Blue Devils are currently 10-9-1 and sitting in a four-way tie for first place in the Northeast Conference. Currently boasting an undefeated 2-0 record in the NEC the Blue Devils share the top spot with Bryant (4-0), Sacred Heart (2-0 ) and Monmouth (2-0).
Bruno and the rest of the Blue Devil softball team will be back at home on Sat. April 2, at 1 p.m. to face Fairleigh Dickinson.