The Newtown Hawks 10-and-under travel team is in a perfect position to host the Connecticut Babe Ruth Softball state tournament this weekend.

The Hawks are 9-1 so far this summer, having out-scored their opponents 131-61 along the way.

“We’re young but we’re aggressive at the plate,” said assistant coach Frank Galante. “We rarely get cheated on our swings.”

The Hawks will open the state tournament on Friday at 5:30 pm at Liberty Field. Play will continue through the weekend at Liberty Field as well as Treadwell and Dickinson Parks and at stake is a berth in the New England Regional Tournament.

The locals are led by veterans Morgan Macchiarulo (P/SS) Karlie Kuligowski (P/C) and Abi Kuligowski (P/OF). As the only returning players on a team that fields seven nine-year-olds the trio is counted-on to provide both physical and emotional leadership.

That the three, along with newcomer Gillian Galante, handle the majority of the pitching duties goes a long way toward the team’s success.

“We have what are arguably the four best pitchers in the league,” said head coach Mark Macchiarulo. “With three of them being veterans they provide a real sense of stability that the entire team feeds off of.”

Led at the plate by the hard-hitting Macchiarulo (.565, four home runs, including one grand slam), newcomers Danielle Shine (.444), Emily Woznick (.440), and Mikayla Kuligowski (.400), Newtown boasts a team batting average of .426 … 100 points higher than the average of their opponents.

Defensively, the Hawks are solid on all fronts, with third-basemen Kayla O’Grady and Katie Mossbarger anchoring the infield along with second baseman Emily Davis. Aimee Alexander, Shannon Mullins, and Kathryn Kerins handle the majority of outfield duties.

“These kids really understand the game,” said coach Macchiarulo. “At this level they have a defensive responsibility on every play – either in a primary or back-up role – and I can count on one hand the times a girl has missed her assignment.”

With 10 of 13 players playing travel for the first time – and more than half the team made up of nine-year-olds – the team’s relative inexperience showed in its only loss of the season.

“The kids were tired and did not really know how to get it going for a second game,” assistant coach Mark Kuligowski said of a 13-8 loss at the hands of Norwalk in the nightcap of the team’s first double-header. “But they fought hard and learned something about themselves.”

The Hawks were down 10-0 after two innings in that game and fought back to within one run before finally losing. The loss was avenged later when the Hawks visited Norwalk and won in convincing fashion, 18-7.

“The best thing about these kids, this team, is their attitude,” said coach Macchiarulo.