Softball notebook: 300-win coaches, Marelli's return, undefeated Knights

Jason McGowan and Harold Cooley III have been staples of Suffolk softball for a long time. Earlier this season, both coaches joined the 300-win club.

McGowan is in his 19th year coaching softball, and 13th at East Islip. He reached the milestone in an 8-2 win over West Babylon on April 2.

McGowan has led East Islip (10-4) to three Suffolk County titles, most recently the Class A championship in 2022.

He started his coaching career at Half Hollow Hills, where he spent three seasons, before spending another three at Plainedge. McGowan’s father, Jim, is the winningest coach in New York softball history, with 661 wins from 1983-2011 at Bay Shore.

“His shoes will never be filled,” Jason McGowan said. “Carrying on that legacy of being passionate, giving it my all and building relationships with these girls and making them better people . . . I’m proud to be a part of that McGowan tradition.”

Cooley has spent his entire 20-year career at Commack, leading the Cougars to Suffolk Class AA titles in 2016 and 2019. His 300th win came April 8 against Huntington.

Commack (12-0) and Bayport-Blue Point (13-0) are the only remaining undefeated teams in Suffolk.

“You think about how many great kids we’ve had come through the program in a long time period of being a coach,” Cooley said. “There are some people who reached out from like 2009, 2010 . . . To know that you still have a relationship with people from 15 years ago is really cool.”

Marelli back and blazing

Mya Marelli has been slowly building up her stamina since returning from a fall surgery that repaired a small tear of the posterior labrum in her pitching shoulder.

The Riverhead senior returned to the circle on April 15 and has looked more like her old self. After pitching four innings in each of her first two appearances, the goal going into her start against Longwood on April 24 was to go five innings. She bargained with coach Rich Vlacci Jr. to pitch the sixth, which she needed just five pitches to get through.

“She goes, ‘You’re not taking me out. I’m finishing this game,’ ” Vlacci said. “You love when you have a competitor like that. You could see in her that she wasn’t just pitching, she wanted to finish what she started.”

She struck out 14 and allowed three hits in a complete-game 2-0 win.

The Mercy commit and Newsday All-Long Island first-team selection has 44 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings while posting a 0.93 ERA and 0.79 WHIP. She’s batting .500 with a 1.405 OPS and 16 RBIs. Riverhead (11-3) is in second place behind Patchogue-Medford (11-2) in Suffolk League I.

Marelli and the Blue Waves will visit the Raiders on May 15.

Matthews, Knights undefeated

Tiffany Matthews and Floral Park have already wrapped up the Nassau VII title.

The Knights (14-0) are the only remaining undefeated team in Nassau. Floral Park has outscored opponents by 160 runs, scoring double-digit runs in 10 games.

Matthews has anchored a prolific lineup, hitting .759 with a 2.298 OPS. The sophomore has 13 doubles, 11 triples and 29 RBIs.

Chloe Zielinski has pitched 46 innings and impressed with her bat. The freshman is hitting .679 with a 1.643 OPS.

The Knights have two games remaining in their quest for a perfect regular season.