By Joseph Staszewski
Britney Rodriguez’s legacy will be hard to match.
The Construction ace should go down as one of the best all-time players in the PSAL because she was far more than just a dominant softball pitcher or an elite hitter. While there were plenty of great Red Hawk players before her — like pitcher Sheila San Andres and shortstop Alyssa Burke during their run to the Class B city title — none did as much as Rodriguez.
She will be the one all forthcoming Construction players will be compared to, and rightfully so. Rodriguez was one of the city’s top windmillers. She also led the PSAL in multiple offensive categories, was a demon on the base paths and fielded her position extremely well, thanks to her athleticism.
Rodriguez was named the league’s Wingate Award winner. The prize is given to the top senior student athlete in each sport.
“You’ve had great pitchers and you’ve had great hitters. She is the package as a whole,” Construction Coach Marco Migliaccio said. “She’s a five-tool player. People talk about five-tool players. She is realistically a five-tool player. There are not many of them. She is one of the top softball players to put a jersey on in the PSAL.”
This year she was the PSAL’s leader in batting average, hits, runs scored, slugging percentage, strikeouts and wins. During her four years on the varsity squad, Construction never missed the semifinals, and the team won the school’s first PSAL Class A city crown during her junior season. Rodriguez enjoyed the ride, which ended in a loss to Tottenville in this year’s title game.
“It’s honestly amazing,” she said. “I have a great coach to support me. It feels great to bring the school to the top. I want it to continue.”
Rodriguez, who will attend the two-year Lackawanna College next fall, was never without her competitive spirit. Migliaccio, who has known her since she was 11, remembers her at that time pitching against his high school team with the same fire and will to win she displays now.
What has changed are her skill and maturity. She went from a hard “thrower” to a “pitcher,” who could more strategically attack hitters, he said. Her ability to lead rubbed off on future Construction stars Lizul Portual and Emily Perez.
“She transformed a lot,” Migliaccio said. “She went from a little fireball kid to an unbelievable teacher.”
One thing she hasn’t come to understand and may never develop is how to accept anything less than her best and anything less than success. She takes pride in what she accomplished and is appreciative of the help she got along the way, but the never-satisfied Rodriguez still wanted one more city title earlier this season.
“I had a team to back me up: my parents,” Rodriguez said. “It just feels amazing, but I wish we would have won.”
