2005 All-Long Island Softball

BY JASON MOLINET | STAFF WRITER
June 9, 2005
A look at the best of the best on Long Island's softball fields this spring.

DIANA DiPIANO
Valley Stream South, Pitcher, Senior
 DiPiano, a three-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick and six-year starter, carried Valley Stream South to the Nassau championship series in four of the last five seasons. She won a pair of Nassau Class B crowns. DiPiano went 15-5 with a 0.68 ERA and 245 strikeouts in 154 innings this season. She also batted .324 (22-for-68) with 8 RBIs and 10 runs. DiPiano finishes her career with 79 wins, seven no-hitters and 1,008 strikeouts in 864 innings, a Nassau record. DiPiano will play at Adelphi. "She's the ultimate competitor," coach Dom Fontana said. "She knows how to pitch. She doesn't just throw."

CASEY FEE
Long Beach, Second Base, Senior
 Fee, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick and four-year starter, won two Nassau titles in her career. Coach Carmine Verde called Fee the fastest player in program history. And speed is reflected in every part of her game. Fee batted .443 (27-for-61) with 26 runs and 10 RBIs from the No. 3 spot. Fee will play at Hofstra. "She's tremendous," Verde said. "I enjoyed watching her play all season. Players like that don't come along often. It was a treat."

CHRIS HILCKEN
Seaford, Pitcher, Sophomore
 Hilcken, a three-year starter, led Seaford to the Long Island Class A championship, including a 5-0 shutout of Sayville. She went 19-5 with a 0.47 ERA and 183 strikeouts in 169 innings. Hilcken also batted .392 from the leadoff spot. But her most impressive number was a 6-1 playoff record. "Her strong point is her inner strength to compete – the warrior in her," coach Rob Perpall said. "She doesn't throw 60 mph, but she's a real competitor."

EMILY JANIS
East Hampton, Catcher, Senior
 Janis, a four-year starter and four-time All-Suffolk pick, led the Bonnackers to the Suffolk Class A title game this season. She batted .527 (39-for-74) with 9 doubles, 7 triples, 5 home runs, 27 RBIs, 47 runs and 30 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. The catcher picked off 11 runners and threw out 17 of 21 would-be base stealers. Janis, who was a Newsday hifive! All-Long Island field hockey selection, will play field hockey at Fairfield. "She was the life and soul of the team," coach Lou Reale said. "She made me want to go to practice every day."

JESSICA LEGENDRE
Port Jefferson, Shortstop, Senior
 Legendre, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick, led the Royals from the Suffolk Class C semifinals a year ago to the Long Island championship this spring.
The five-year starter batted .400 (22-for-55) with 7 doubles, 4 triples, 5 home runs, 33 runs, 25 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. She finishes her career with a .533 average and 151 RBIs. Legendre will play at Oklahoma. "Jessica is one of the hardest workers I've seen," coach Stacy Marzigliano said. "She has so much heart. I've never seen someone love the
sport like she does."

JENNY McNULTY
Bay Shore, Catcher, Senior
 McNulty, a three-year starter, was a co-captain and leadoff hitter for Bay Shore, the Long Island Class AA champions. She batted .547 with 2 home runs, 20 RBIs, 36 runs and 16 stolen bases. McNulty, a slap hitter and switch hitter, managed a .629 slugging percentage. She was a perfect fielder, including occasional starts at second base and centerfield. The catcher threw out 11 would-be base stealers. McNulty will play at Siena.

MELISSA MEDINA
Holy Trinity, Leftfielder, Junior
 Medina, a three-year starter and two-time All-CHSAA pick, won her third straight CHSAA Downstate championship. She batted .473 (43-for-91) with 5 triples, 14 RBIs, 37 runs and 24 stolen bases from the leadoff spot. The left-handed hitter owned a .596 on-base percentage and was perfect in the field. "She's a little catalyst," coach Sue Cassidy said. "She's the key to everything for us. What makes her so good is she can hit for power or drop a bunt and beat it out."

HALEY MIRRER
East Islip, Pitcher, Senior
 Mirrer, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick, pitched the Redmen to back-to-back Suffolk Class AA semifinal berths. She went 10-3 with a 0.37 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 94 innings. Mirrer tossed two no-hitters and six shutouts. She also played second base and shortstop, batting .492 with 9 doubles, 4 triples 2 home runs, 26 RBIs and 21 runs from the No. 3 spot. Mirrer has seven no-hitters in two seasons at East Islip. She began her career at Bay Shore, playing four seasons. She owns 536 career strikeouts. Mirrer will play at Cornell.

ALLIE MUSSEN
Carey, Pitcher, Junior
 Mussen, a five-year starter, blossomed this spring. She went 12-3 with a 0.98 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 107 innings, sending shockwaves through Nassau by upsetting defending champ Long Beach and then Hicksville in the regular season. The Seahawks were no less surprising in the playoffs, beating last season's Class A champ, MacArthur, in the best-of-three Class AA Nassau championship series. She batted .225 with 6 RBIs and owns three career no-hitters. "We matured as a team," coach Anthony Turco said. "And she matured as a pitcher."

STEPHANIE PLOCHOCHI
Sayville, Pitcher, Senior
 Plochochi, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick and five-year starter, saved her best for the stretch run this season. She struck out a Suffolk-record 23 batters in a 1-0, 10-inning win over East Hampton for the Suffolk Class A championship. Plochochi went 19-4 with a 0.91 ERA and 228 strikeouts in 137 innings. And she batted .388 (31-for-80) with 21 runs, 16 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. Plochochi is 80-17 with 792 strikeouts and 33 shutouts in her career. Plochochi will play at Dowling.

MARY BETH PUCCIO
Bay Shore, First Base, Senior
 Puccio, a three-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick and five-year starter, led the Marauders to the Class AA Long Island championship this spring. She batted .469 (39-for-83) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 7 home runs, 46 RBIs, 33 runs and 10 stolen bases from the No. 3 spot. The co-captain had a .533 on-base and .887 slugging percentages, and was a great fielder. Puccio finished with 23 homers, 135 RBIs and 127 runs in her career. She won a Class A Long Island title as an eighth-grader and Gatorade state player of the year as a junior. Puccio will play at Fordham.

CHRISTIE SOFTY
Floral Park, Catcher, Junior
Softy, a four-year starter and three-time All-Nassau pick, led the Knights to the Nassau Class A semifinals. She batted .500 (26-for-52) with 3 doubles, 4 home runs, 16 RBIs, 11 runs and 4 stolen bases. Softy owns a .423 career average, 8 homers and 40 RBIs. But it's her strong arm, not her bat, that draws raves. Few teams dared to run on her this season. "She calls a good game and defensively is excellent," coach Dan Sackman said. "Her arm is outstanding and few pitches ever get by her. She really takes control of a game."

JENNA VANACORE
Holy Trinity, Pitcher, Sophomore
 Vanacore, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick, pitched the Titans to back-to-back CHSAA Downstate championships. Vanacore recorded 13 shutouts for 25-2 Holy Trinity. She went 18-1 with a 0.22 ERA and 192 strikeouts in 130 innings, with two no-hitters. The two-time CHSAA player of the year is 34-3 with 331 strikeouts and 24 shutouts in her young career. "She added a changeup this year and it made her that much more challenging to face," coach Sue Cassidy said. "She made a lot of kids look silly."

BAILEY VERTOVEZ
West Islip, Pitcher, Senior
 Vertovez, a two-time Newsday hifive! All-Long Island pick and five-year starter, pitched the Lions to the Class AA Long Island championship as a junior. West Islip reached the Suffolk Class AA semifinals this spring. She went 15-5 with a 0.83 ERA and 282 strikeouts in 152 innings. Four of those losses came in extra innings. She tossed two no-hitters and nine shutouts. Vertovez also batted .343 with 21 runs from the leadoff spot. Vertovez owns 57 wins, 911 strikeouts, 32 shutouts and six no-hitters in her career. Vertovez will play at Harvard.

COACHES OF THE YEAR
ANTHONY TURCO
Carey (16-5)
 No one expected Carey to soar so high this season, especially after an enrollment increase bumped the Seahawks into the Class AA ranks. But Turco believed, and riding the arm of Allie Mussen and solid defense, the Seahawks dispelled doubters one game at a time. It culminated when Carey edged MacArthur to win the Nassau Class AA championship series in three games. Turco is 36-20 in three seasons as coach.

JIM McGOWAN
Bay Shore (24-2)
 Bay Shore flew under the radar only to emerge as Suffolk League III champion, perhaps the toughest league on Long Island. And then the Marauders rolled to the Suffolk Class AA title, capped by a 1-0 win over West Babylon. It was McGowan's first county title in four years and his ninth in 23 years as coach. He added the program's eighth Long Island championship one week later. McGowan is the winningest softball coach in state history and owns a 515-72 career record.

Copyright © 2008, Newsday Inc.

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