WAKEFIELD — The Middlesex League’s softball coaches met recently to vote on All-Stars for the 2025 season.
The Warriors had six All-Stars selected: juniors Kathryn Sliski and Jacki Sullivan along with sophomores Caroline Burns, Molly Burns, Chloe Seto and Kayla Shaw.
Molly Burns was also named the Middlesex League Freedom Division MVP. Burns and Seto accounted for two of the nine players across the league named to the All-Conference team.
The Warriors had more All-Stars selected than any other team in the league. Burlington, Wilmington, Reading and Lexington were all tied for second with four selections.
Wakefield won the Middlesex League Freedom Division title for the second consecutive season. After splitting first place with Wilmington and Burlington last year, the Warriors were outright champs this season. They went 15-5 in the regular season and 12-2 in league play. The Warriors only received the No. 16 in the Div. 2 tournament but were able to host a first round game, beating No. 17 North Attleboro 10-5 before falling to No. 1 Silver Lake 10-1 in the Round of 16. The Lakers went on to win the Div. 2 state championship.
Molly Burns’ MVP season included some incredible stats. The shortstop led the team in batting average (.451), on-base percentage (.579), total hits (28), home runs (3) and RBI (27). This is the second All-Star nod for Burns.
“There isn’t much you need to say about Molly after looking at her offensive stats,” said head coach Chris Tolios. “She just got it done. Other coaches were afraid to pitch to her. What goes overlooked and shouldn’t, though, is her fielding. Every ball hit to shortstop was an automatic out. She had great range and saved a lot of hits and runs for us.
“What makes this even more of an impressive accolade is that she is an awesome kid. Couldn’t ask for a better girl to have all of this success and get this notoriety as only a sophomore.”
Seto, Wakefield’s catcher, finished with a .393 average, .529 OBP, 24 hits, 1 HR and 26 RBI.
“Chloe had a really good year for us,” said Tolios. “Her hitting behind Molly really protected her and made teams have to make the difficult decision on whether to pitch to Chloe or Molly. It was a really good 1-2 punch for us for the season.
“Just by looking at the numbers you can see how much Chloe produced for us. Almost all of our offensive rallies and big innings had Chloe at the center of it. Also another one whose defensive efforts shouldn’t go unnoticed. Started all games for us at catcher which is difficult and tough on the body, but never one complaint out of her. Just a softball girl who loves to play and compete. A huge piece to our success. You can’t be good without a dominant catcher and we have one.”
Sliski made the All-Star team for the third consecutive season after another year as Wakefield’s ace while also hitting in the middle of the order. She earned 9 wins in the circle with a 2.70 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. At the dish, Sliski hit .290 with a .447 OBP and 16 RBI.
“Not much to say about Kathryn other than she did it again,” said Tolios. “She was our anchor in the circle for another season and gave us a chance to win every game.
“And of course her bat in the 3 spot of our lineup. Just all around consistent. Helps us in all facets of the game and was voted an All-Star for both batting and pitching — something you don’t see very often. She has had such a great career with us. One of the best for sure.”
Sullivan, a first baseman, earned her second straight All-Star nod. She had a .368 average, .492 OBP, 1 HR and 24 RBI.
“Jackie was huge for us, just the perfect clutch hitter,” said the coach. “Any time she was up in a big spot, she came through. Whether it was the rally against Andover or putting the game away with a grand slam against North Attleboro, she was the one you wanted up in a big spot.
“It was really good to see her build off of her All-Star season last year and do it again, and this time with more noise. She has turned into a top-tier player in the league and luckily we have her for one more.”
Shaw earned her first All-Star nod after another strong season in the circle and at the plate. She collected 8 wins with a 2.51 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. At the dish, Shaw had a .319 average, .509 OBP and 10 RBI.
“Kayla built off of her success last year and had an exceptional year,” said Tolios. “Her pitching numbers were dominant and we couldn’t ask for her to do any more in her sophomore year.
“She also turned into a really steady bat for us in the lineup and had a lot of clutch hits. She played in every game even when she wasn’t pitching because we couldn’t afford to take her bat out of the lineup. Just had a really nice year and it was great to see other teams take notice of her and vote her onto the All-Star team.”
Caroline Burns, a right fielder, also earned her first All-Star award after piling up a .361 batting average, .500 OBP and 19 RBI.
“Caroline was our 2-hitter in the lineup and she delivered every single game,” said the coach. “She is everything you want in someone on your softball team: Hard working, positive, a competitor and someone who executes. She would crush you with her bat and then drop down a bunt when you didn’t expect it which always made something good happen for us.
“She is a huge offensive weapon to have because she can play both big and small at the plate – will drive the gap or bunt for a base hit and you don’t know which one to try and defend against. She was a big reason for our success and just somebody I never worried about. A staple to everything we did.”
All six All-Stars will be returning for the Warriors next year as they will go for their third consecutive Freedom Division title and even more success in the state tournament.