Southington Girls Softball Squad Pays Tribute To Fallen Wolcott Coach

SOUTHINGTON/WOLCOTT, CT — A tragic drowning last month hit close to home for one Southington girls travel softball team.

The Southington Thunder, a 10-and-under travel team, has a friendly rivalry with the nearby Wolcott Eagles travel squad, with emphasis on "friendly" over "rivalry."

Sadly, one of the Eagles' assistant coaches, Pradesh Ragunauth, died July 21 in a drowning accident at a backyard swimming pool in Wolcott.

He was 46 and left behind a wife and two daughters, in addition to numerous loving relatives and several softball players on the Eagles.

According to Southington Thunder Coach Amanda Grabowski, the Southington and Wolcott squads forged a tight relationship that emphasized friendship as much as competition over the years.

As a result, the team paid tribute to the Wolcott Eagles during a recent tournament at Panthorn Park in Plantsville.

To show their support for their Wolcott friends, the Thunder wore red hair ribbons and had "W's" painted in their arms in homage to Ragunauth's legacy and the difficult time the Wolcott softball community is enduring.

Grabowski couldn't have been prouder of her team or the other squads participating in the event, who also paid tribute to Wolcott.

"It's very cool to see how neighboring towns can rally together to show support when in need," Grabowski said.

From July 21: 'CT State Employee Drowns In Wolcott Swimming Pool: Police'