Colchester — To answer the question, "why has she coached so long?" East Lyme High School's Judy Deeb turns it right back around to her players, the way she did early Friday afternoon, the occasion of her 600th career victory.

"You've got to give these girls credit," said Deeb, in her 45th season, the only coach the high school's softball program has ever known.

"To put the time in to play softball and baseball ... think about all the skills you have to practice over and over and over again. There's so much instant gratification with kids now and you don't get that with softball. There's nothing harder than hitting a round ball with a round bat.

"That's why I stay. These kids are putting in that time, especially when there are so many other opportunities."

Freshman Isabel Siciliano pitched a four-hitter with seven strikeouts and no walks and Mikaela LoPriore's two-run home run sparked a 10-run first inning under a bright sun Friday for East Lyme's 16-0 victory over Bacon Academy in the Eastern Connecticut Conference Large Division. LoPriore had four RBI, all in the first, and Alex Chambers added a two-run homer in the seventh for the Vikings (7-1, 2-1).

Deeb, 600-313 in her tenure, is already Connecticut's all-time wins leader for high school softball. A Danbury native, Deeb is longtime physical education teacher in the East Lyme school system, currently at the Lillie B. Haynes Elementary School.

She is a member of the Connecticut High School Coaches' Association Hall of Fame and Connecticut Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame, as well as the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame and Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame as an official. She was awarded a Gold Key by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance in 2006.

Two of Deeb's former players, Cashel Gaffey with the varsity and Kate Stone with the junior varsity, are now members of her coaching staff.

Gaffey calls her former coach a "legend."

"It was cool to realize I was part of 500 (as a player) and now I'm helping to guide girls for 600. There's not many times you get to be a part of something so big," Gaffey said Friday. "Even after we graduate, we all keep in touch with her. She follows your successes, your stats."

"It's really fun to see how long she's been able to coach so well," said LoPriore, a senior pitcher for the Vikings who is a testament to the rapport Deeb still has with her players. "It's a fun banter with her."

Deeb said one of the first things she does in the offseason is talk to JV coach Warren "Whitey" Whitehouse.

"'What do you think, Whitey?' 'Yup, give it one more year,'" Deeb said with a smile of the conversations between the two.

Deeb, a graduate of Southern Connecticut State University, was hired at East Lyme to teach and coach in the spring semester in 1972, having graduated from college mid-year.

She doesn't remember much about her first appearance, but believes she won her first 10 games and went 11-1 overall that season. She's been a mainstay at East Lyme since.

She won a Class M state championship in 1994, 1-0 over Stonington. On May 11, 2013, East Lyme toppled Ledyard 15-5 for Deeb's 553rd victory, setting the state record, and the Vikings went on to win the ECC Large Division regular season and ECC tournament titles.

"They can't get rid of me now," Deeb said. "As far as that's concerned, I'm not much of a risk-taker. I take my risks on the field, but not as far as stability is concerned. Plus, East Lyme was a growing community. I wanted to stay.

"I've had great kids, great parents."

Deeb was also pleased that East Lyme made it through a second straight game Friday without making an error, completing the week 3-0. The Vikings next play at home Tuesday against Griswold.

East Lyme sent 14 hitters to the plate in the first inning against Bacon, highlighted by four RBI from LoPriore on the home run and a bases-loaded single to left, a bases-loaded walk to Sage Dubreuil and a two-run double by Kaylie Crosby. Crosby and Alexis Bell executed a double-steal for the Vikings' first run, with Bell taking second and Crosby coming home.

"We were inside a lot," Deeb said of the early-season weather. "I knew as soon as we got outside, the kids would start to play much better."

v.fulkerson@theday.com