Cromwell Softball Champ Commits Bay Path

Madison Tessmer signs her commitment to play college softball at Bay Path University. Tessmer is surrounded by CHS head coach Angelo Morello (far left) and parents, Stehpanie and Jamie.  

Madison Tessmer graduated from Cromwell High School on June 10 and the following day won a state championship as the starting shortstop for the Panthers softball team that captured the program’s first state title.
           
Tessmer called the championship a “storybook ending”, adding, “couldn’t have done it without my family, coaches, and teammates.”
           
Following her high school curtain call, Tessmer now turns the page to her next journey of playing collegiate softball at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Mass.
           
“The school itself has a beautiful campus. I didn’t want to go somewhere too big or overwhelming and I know a few of the girls on Bay Path, so I already have a bond,” Tessmer said of her decision, “Everything about it was perfect.”
           
Tessmer said Bay Path’s campus and surrounding community had a similar feel to the small-town vibe of Cromwell where she developed her softball skills for the past four year under head coach Angelo Morello. 
           
Morello called Tessmer “a coach’s dream”, adding, “she’s a perfect example of what you would want in a player. Whatever you ask from her, she did.”
           
Tessmer was a starter from day one at CHS, earning All-Shoreline Conference (SLC) all three seasons (one season canceled because of Covid).
           
During the Panthers championship run this spring, Tessmer scored 38 runs and drove in 24 more as the Panthers won 23 of 26 games.
           
Tessmer’s final high school game was a grand slam win, fitting for someone who bookended her high school seasons with literal grand slams. As a freshman, she hit a four-run dinger against Portland and duplicated that feat this spring with another bases-cleaning blast against Valley Regional on April 11.   
           
She started at right field her first two seasons before moving to shortstop this spring. Morello said as good as Tessmer was at the plate, she was even better in the field where the steady fielder made only three errors in three seasons.   
           
“I really don’t know how I am going to replace a player like her,” stated Morello, “She will be missed. She was so coachable and always had a smile on her face.”
           
Morello added, “She will do well in college because she loves the games and is always willing to put in the extra work. The coaches [at Bay Path] will love her.” 
           
Tessmer said that Bay Path softball coach Steven Smith reminds her of Morello, which influenced her decision to join the Wildcats.
           
She will study early childhood development as she joins a program that will be entering its second season playing Division I within the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA).
           
Tessmer hopes her next stop is as fruitful as her previous, where she helped bring the initial softball title back to the “Home of the Champions” at CHS.  
           
“I will miss the community and how everyone is so close,” Tessmer said of Cromwell. “I will miss my coaches and friends. There has been a lot of laughs.”