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BRIDGEWATER -- More than 400 career wins and 25 years later, Bridgewater-Rayham High softball head coach Mike Carrozza is still facing new challenges.
Tryouts and practices for the 2025 spring season began two weeks ago. In total, Carrozza said that there were 24 players in total who came out, which will be split between the varsity and junior varsity teams. With players needed to fill out both rosters, B-R will not field a freshman team this season.
More: State champ scorers and more: Vote for the High School Girls Hockey Player of the Year
Typically, Carrozza likes to operate the program like a farm system, taking no more than one or two freshman onto the varsity roster, and letting some of the younger underclassmen develop on junior varsity.
In recent seasons, Carrozza has not had that luxury. Last year, the varsity team had nine freshman on the roster out of necessity. As a result, the junior varsity team needed to call up several eighth graders to field a team.
Despite the inexperience, the Trojans earned the No. 13 seed in Div. 1 and made it to the Round of 16 in the state tournament.
"It was a learning experience last year," Carrozza said. "I'm looking forward to this year that they're going to step up and be a little more improved than they were last year."
This year's roster features only two seniors, captains Olivia Roy and Lily Berman. The entire infield will be made up of underclassmen, with Roy and Berman patrolling the outfield.
"It's good that someone else stuck with it," Berman said, referring to Roy. "Olivia has always been there."
The two seniors have played together for the better part of 12 years, and have known each other for even longer, through town clubs and other extracurriculars such as Girl Scouts. As the lone senior captains, it's fitting that they will play side by side with Berman playing in left and Roy at center field.
More: 'It's night and day': BC High baseball approaches state title defense with different look
Their role this season is bigger than being captains for their current teammates. They're also trying to be promoters for the future of B-R softball.
"We're here to show people that when you love it, it's pretty fun," Roy said. "You meet a lot of good people with it. Having fun and just enjoying the sport helps a lot too."
Under Carrozza, a standard of being one of the top teams in Div. 1 softball has been built. B-R won the state title in 2014 and has won four sectional titles, with only one missed tournament with Carrozza at the helm.
No matter the roster size or makeup of the team, he expects that level of success to continue this year, and every year, especially given the schedule he put together for this season.
The Trojans will face two defending state champions in Joseph Case (Div. 4) and Dighton-Rehoboth (Div. 3), and the Div. 1 runner-up King Phillip. All three are home-and-home matchups. With many underclassmen being thrust into important roles last year with little experience, Carrozza hopes that benefits them ahead of a difficult regular season schedule.
"They were basically thrown right into the fire. Hopefully they all respond from that," he said.
Bridgewater-Raynham opens it's season on Tuesday, April 1 on the road at Plymouth North. The Trojans home opener will be Friday, April 4 against King Phillip.
The Trojans' schedule also includes games against Bishop Feehan, which made the Div. 1 Elite Eight and other Division 1 2024 playoff teams in Braintree and Plymouth North.
"He (Carrozza) puts as much into this as he can. He gave us a really hard schedule this year because he has faith that we can do it," Berman said. "Through his leadership and ours, we'll make the team get through it."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Bridgewater-Raynham softball has tough 2025 schedule awaiting
Continue reading...
Tryouts and practices for the 2025 spring season began two weeks ago. In total, Carrozza said that there were 24 players in total who came out, which will be split between the varsity and junior varsity teams. With players needed to fill out both rosters, B-R will not field a freshman team this season.
More: State champ scorers and more: Vote for the High School Girls Hockey Player of the Year
Typically, Carrozza likes to operate the program like a farm system, taking no more than one or two freshman onto the varsity roster, and letting some of the younger underclassmen develop on junior varsity.
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In recent seasons, Carrozza has not had that luxury. Last year, the varsity team had nine freshman on the roster out of necessity. As a result, the junior varsity team needed to call up several eighth graders to field a team.
Despite the inexperience, the Trojans earned the No. 13 seed in Div. 1 and made it to the Round of 16 in the state tournament.
"It was a learning experience last year," Carrozza said. "I'm looking forward to this year that they're going to step up and be a little more improved than they were last year."
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This year's roster features only two seniors, captains Olivia Roy and Lily Berman. The entire infield will be made up of underclassmen, with Roy and Berman patrolling the outfield.
"It's good that someone else stuck with it," Berman said, referring to Roy. "Olivia has always been there."
The two seniors have played together for the better part of 12 years, and have known each other for even longer, through town clubs and other extracurriculars such as Girl Scouts. As the lone senior captains, it's fitting that they will play side by side with Berman playing in left and Roy at center field.
More: 'It's night and day': BC High baseball approaches state title defense with different look
Their role this season is bigger than being captains for their current teammates. They're also trying to be promoters for the future of B-R softball.
"We're here to show people that when you love it, it's pretty fun," Roy said. "You meet a lot of good people with it. Having fun and just enjoying the sport helps a lot too."
B-R to be battle tested
Under Carrozza, a standard of being one of the top teams in Div. 1 softball has been built. B-R won the state title in 2014 and has won four sectional titles, with only one missed tournament with Carrozza at the helm.
No matter the roster size or makeup of the team, he expects that level of success to continue this year, and every year, especially given the schedule he put together for this season.
You must be registered for see images attach
The Trojans will face two defending state champions in Joseph Case (Div. 4) and Dighton-Rehoboth (Div. 3), and the Div. 1 runner-up King Phillip. All three are home-and-home matchups. With many underclassmen being thrust into important roles last year with little experience, Carrozza hopes that benefits them ahead of a difficult regular season schedule.
"They were basically thrown right into the fire. Hopefully they all respond from that," he said.
Bridgewater-Raynham opens it's season on Tuesday, April 1 on the road at Plymouth North. The Trojans home opener will be Friday, April 4 against King Phillip.
The Trojans' schedule also includes games against Bishop Feehan, which made the Div. 1 Elite Eight and other Division 1 2024 playoff teams in Braintree and Plymouth North.
"He (Carrozza) puts as much into this as he can. He gave us a really hard schedule this year because he has faith that we can do it," Berman said. "Through his leadership and ours, we'll make the team get through it."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Bridgewater-Raynham softball has tough 2025 schedule awaiting
Continue reading...
