Ellington softball sophomore ace Camryn Fisher is among the best in CT

A big part of Knights’ success has been sophomore ace Camryn Fisher, who led Ellington to a 1-0 win over top-seeded North Haven in the quarterfinals. Fisher pitched all 10 innings, striking out 16 and allowing three hits.

“She is everything to us,” Ellington coach Tom Gordon said. “We are just so proud of her.”

Fisher has gone 16-5 this year with a 0.46 ERA and a 0.54 WHIP. She has struck out 297 batters in 136 innings pitched (2.18 Ks/inning) while only allowing 37 hits (.083 batting average against). Simply put, the sophomore has been one of the best pitchers in the state. 

“I think it is her work ethic,” Gordon said. “After practice she goes home and she will throw 150 pitches, or she will work out on a tee at her home by herself. She is always doing extra this and extra that, you can’t keep her down. She has a tremendous amount of energy.”

Fisher is building off a strong freshman season in which she had a 0.79 ERA with 156 strikeout in 71 innings pitched. For her career, she holds a 0.60 ERA with a startling 453 strikeouts. 

She helped lead Ellington to the NCCC regular season title in 2022, but was unable to claim the NCCC tournament title. This year however, Fisher has already helped the Knights take home hardware. 

In the doubleheader conference tournament on May 25th, Fisher threw a complete game in the semifinal round to defeat Rockville 7-1. She allowed two hits and one run while striking out 14 batters. Shortly after, she started the championship game against regular season champion Coventry. 

“We always battle with Coventry to the bitter end,” Gordon said. “Every year it is like that with them. They got us earlier in the year, 2-1. Luckily we got it when it counted the most. We are happy with that, and Cam (Fisher) threw 11 innings that day.”

Fisher threw the first four innings of the 1-0 shutout victory for Ellington to earn the win, allowing one hit and walking two while striking out five before being relieved.

“It was fun, obviously I got taken out but that was fine,” Fisher said. “I have Keyleigh (Flaherty) behind me. And the team is behind me too, they have been hitting. It was a fun win.”

The marathon day was indicative of a trend that has been developing over the last two years for Fisher, a culmination of training to extend herself in the circle. 

“With the way travel works now, she very rarely pitched more than three or four innings in a game before high school,” Gordon said. “So now, she’s learning how to be stronger at the end of the game and how to finish those games.”

Fisher only threw 71 innings last year, which she has bumped up to 136 this season. She has thrown 12 complete games (including a nine inning outing against Enfield and a 10 inning shutout in the Class L quarterfinal), and has gone six innings in five starts. She has recorded double digit strikeouts in 17 of her 21 starts, and has reached 20 strikeouts twice this season. 

“It has been fun but it is definitely clearing a good path for me and setting high expectations for next year,” Fisher said. “I definitely want to go DI, I am just not sure what school yet.”

Fisher has pitched every inning for Ellington so far in the Class L tournament, including a perfect game in the first round against Platt. Fisher went the full seven without allowing a base runner. In fact, only one batter even put a ball in play as she struck out 20. 

“We are only graduating two seniors too,” Gordon said. “I have been trying to retire for about five years, but they just keep sending me these pitchers. We have another one coming in eighth grade now who is already throwing almost 60 mph. It is crazy.”

Before Gordon does finally retire from coaching, perhaps a state championship is within grasp. Regardless, the future looks ever so bright for Ellington.  

“We are really excited for whatever happens the rest of this year, and whatever happens next year,” Gordon said.