Mountaineers get set for spring

FALLS VILLAGE — Spring sports are right around the corner.

Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) is set to field teams in five different sports for the 2024 season: baseball, lacrosse (girls), softball, tennis (boys and girls), and track and field (boys and girls).

Spring competition will begin with varsity softball hosting H.C. Wilcox Technical High School Saturday, March 30, at 10 a.m. Pete Foley will become head coach this season with Kaleigh Selino moving to the role of assistant coach.

HVRHS softball will be a team to watch this season after a generational state playoff run last year led it to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) quarterfinal game for the first time since 1990. Just two seniors graduated from last year’s team, leaving a 2024 roster of determined athletes with considerable postseason experience.

Tennis will retake the court Monday, April 1, for opening matches against Northwestern High School with service beginning at 3:45 p.m. The boys will be at home and the girls will be away. Last season, the boys finished with a record of 6-8 and the girls ended at 8-7. The boys are coached by Jeff Tripp and the girls are coached by Bill Markey.

Girls lacrosse will begin the 2024 season April 1 at home against Haddam-Killingworth High School. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Girls lacrosse graduated seven seniors last year, leaving head coach Laura Bushey a fresh lineup for this spring.

HVRHS baseball, led by head coach Darryl Morhardt, will look to improve on a tough season last year. A roster full of promising young talent gives reason for optimism in the season to come, including freshman Wyatt Bayer who brought some serious heat while pitching for Housatonic’s summer league team in 2023. Opening day baseball will be Tuesday, April 2, at 3:45 p.m. with an away game at Northwestern High School.

Track and field athletes will be coached by Alan Lovejoy. Last season, five competitors qualified for the CIAC championships: Kyle McCarron, Ava Segalla, Harper Howe, Sara Huber and Mia Dodge.

All five will return for the 2024 season, which will begin on the road with a meet against Wamogo High School and Nonnewaug High School. The meet is scheduled to take place Tuesday, April 23, at Plumb Hill Track in Litchfield beginning at 4 p.m.

Home games for all spring sports will be played on the fields and courts behind HVRHS. For full schedules, visit ciacsports.com.

Haley Leonard will return to HVRHS softball as a senior captain this spring.Riley Klein