Stavola dominant for Dowling after transferring from UConn

When Jessie Stavola was a lights-out high school softball pitcher at East Hampton - she compiled a record of 98-9 - her world revolved around the sport. Selecting a Division I college as the next level seemed the logical progression. Connecticut became the choice.

"I was kind of young then,'' Stavola said. That was two years ago and she's become a bit older and a lot wiser. The D-I life was not for her. "I realized the Division I aspect was not what I was looking for,'' the sophomore said. "It was focused more on athletics. I wanted to focus more on academics.''

But the pitcher who struck out 1,099 batters in high school wanted to continue her K-areer.

Stavola left UConn after her freshman year (where she was 4-2) and transferred to D-II Dowling. The 5-7 sophomore leads the East Coast Conference in strikeouts this season with 223 and smashed Dowling's single-season record for strikeouts, which had been held by Sharran Wilson with 153. She had 19 strikeouts against Stonehill and 18 against NYIT.

Stavola had 15 more strikeouts against Queens Saturday in a 6-1 victory. She is 13-3 with a 1.48 ERA.

A big showdown is in store Saturday when second place Dowling (32-12, 19-3 ECC) hosts first place C.W. Post and its ace pitcher, Sarah Kiser. The ECC tournament, with an NCAA bid on the line, begins shortly thereafter and will be at Dowling's new facility in Shirley. Stavola is 8-0 at home.

"I didn't know the [big] difference between Division I and II,'' she said. "There's a lot more traveling [in D-I] and on the whole aspect of producing. I figured out when I was there [at UConn] what was more important to me. The team here was so welcoming. The transition was easy. At first, I was nervous, this whole unknown of switching schools. It worked out really well.''

UConn's loss has been Dowling's gain. "I used to play against her when I went to high school [at Bay Shore]," senior outfielder Kristina DeMeo said. "She was always a very dominant pitcher, very strong. We used to be a little nervous to face her because of how good she was. When I heard she was coming here, I was very excited. Jessie's got great movement with her pitches. They go up there and just swing. They feel they are going to miss, anyway, so why go down looking.''

Dowling coach Debbie DeJong said Stavola's presence "means we are capable of winning more in our conference and going to postseason. She throws high heat; that's what she does. She throws a rise ball and she throws the ball hard.''

Stavola has a message for high school players in the midst of selecting a college destination.

"Give everything a look,'' she said. "Look at all aspects, your goals. It's not the difference in divisions, it's where you are going to be happy, where you are going to be performing. [See] what's best for your future, not so much what looks good on paper.''