Honoring the best softball players in the Greater Middlesex Conference and southern Union County Conference
FIRST TEAM
P: AVA MORMILE, SPOTSWOOD, JUNIOR
Mormile followed her breakout sophom*ore campaign with another first-team selection, recording an 18-8 record and 1.90 ERA while striking out 238 with 59 walks in 158 1/3 innings. She also bats in the middle of the order and hit .341 with 29 hits and 18 RBIs. She will enter her senior campaign with 466 career strikeouts.
P: ERIN TOWNLEY, SOUTH PLAINFIELD, JUNIOR
A second-team selection last spring, Townley was 20-4 with a 1.16 ERA, 127 strikeouts and 31 walks in 126 1/3 innings. She authored nine shutouts, including in the GMCT semifinal and championship games, when she hit one-hit Old Bridge in claiming the title. Townley enters her final season with 216 career strikeouts.
P: HAYLEY WIECZERZAK, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, SENIOR
The 2023 Player of the Year battled nagging injuries and occasional bouts of wildness, but remained one of the area’s dominant forces in the circle. Though her innings were reduced from 144 to 82, she still struck out 151 while walking 44, posting a 2.13 ERA and a 7-6 record against a challenging schedule. The senior, who finished her career with 760 strikeouts and a 1.34 ERA in 382 2/3 innings, will join former teammate Mary Kate Murray at Albany next year.
C: DIMITRA MILONOPOULOS, OLD BRIDGE, SENIOR
The returning All-Area selection and the area’s top defensive catcher did not throw out 32 runners as she did last year, but only because teams wouldn’t run on her. The catcher batted .477 and slugged .598 while collecting 39 hits. She hit .467 and slugged .589 for her career and heads to Middle Tennessee in the fall.
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1B: CAITLIN GAY, EAST BRUNSWICK, SENIOR
Gay earned first-team honors last year for her heroics in the circle, but returns this year for her work at the plate. She batted .488 and slugged .680 with 42 hits, 36 RBIs, five doubles and four home runs, while still hurling 31 1/3 innings with 25 strikeouts and four walks. She collected 104 hits, 75 RBIs and eight homers in her three-year varsity career and is an outstanding student, who will attend the University of South Carolina.
INF: ZOE MILONOPOULOS, OLD BRIDGE, SENIOR
The shortstop raised her batting average from .322 to .452 and her slugging from .467 to .893 to earn a first-team selection. She belted eight of the Knights’ 10 home run and her 37 RBIs represent more than a quarter of the team’s total of 138. She posted a career .427 batting and .748 slugging, with 132 hits and 19 home runs. Like her sister and fellow first-teamer, Dimitria, Zoe Milonopoulos is also headed to Middle Tennessee.
INF: LINDSAY OLLER, SOUTH PLAINFIELD, SENIOR
Oller returns to the first team after a banner senior campaign in which she powered the Tigers to the GMCT title. She slugged eight home runs, including two in the GMCT championship game, and drove in 25 runs despite leading off. She hit .417 and slugged .845. The Player of the Year attend Caldwell College in the fall after amassing a school-record 32 home runs, 151 hits and 132 RBIs in her career with a .442 batting average and .851 slugging.
INF: MYIAH SUTTON, COLONIA, SENIOR
One of eight returning first-team honorees, Sutton drove in a career-best 38 runs, batted .469, and slugged .778 with 38 hits and three home runs. For her career, she batted .457, slugged .758 with 138 hits, 121 RBIs and 14 home runs. She will continue her softball career at Hampton University.
OF: GIANNA ANGERMEIER, SOUTH BRUNSWICK, SENIOR
Led her team in batting (.411), slugging (.644), hits (37), triples (7) and stolen bases (18), driving in 20 runs while batting leadoff and competing in the top-tier Red Division. Angermeier elevated her stats in every offensive category from her junior year, when she batted .407. She had 12 multi-hit games as a senior and will be playing at DeSales University in Pennsylvania next year.
OF: BRIANNA ESTEVEZ, PERTH AMBOY, SENIOR
A second-team choice last year, Estevez led the Panthers in pitching innings, but earns her selection for her work at the plate and in the outfield. She posted career highs in virtually every offensive category, with 47 hits, 34 RBIs, 10 doubles, nine triples and eight home runs, battling .691 and slugging 1.456. She went 7-6 in the circle with 94 strikeouts and a 3.19 ERA, but will concentrate in the outfield when she becomes Perth Amboy’s first D-1 graduate at Manhattan next year.
OF: VICTORIA FROBOSILO, NORTH BRUNSWICK, SENIOR
The lone returning first-team outfielder helped the Raiders to a sweep of the Blue Division, batting.627 and slugging 1.027, with 14 doubles, five triples, two home runs and 46 hits in 74 at bats. Frobosilo, who is heading to Hofstra, batted .547 and slugged .865 for her career with 133 hits.
DH/P: LIZ NEGRON, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, JUNIOR
Negron is a first-team repeater who assumed a much greater load in the circle this season, while still contributing mightily at the plate. She led the Trojans in batting (.371), slugging (.700), hits (26) and RBIs (22), and delivered six of her team’s 12 home runs as a shortstop. As a pitcher, she went 8-2 while more than doubling her innings from 30 to 64 with a 1.75 ERA and 78 strikeouts. She is expected to take over the majority of the pitching chores next year.
UTIL: CAYDENCE BARTON, SAYREVILLE, SENIOR
Though her innings in the circle were nearly halved from last year, Barton contributed mightily to the Bombers success. She batted .393 and slugged .623, including the first two home runs of her career. She also posted a 1.24 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings. She will attend FDU, and graduates with a .372 career batting average and 212 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings.
UTIL: LESLIE FLAHERTY, METUCHEN, SENIOR
Flaherty is the epitome of a utility player, having played in the infield and outfield before taking over behind the plate this year -- even taking a turn in the circle after ace Alicia Montalbano was injured late in the season. Flaherty led the Bulldogs in most offensive categories, including batting (.435), slugging (.758), hits (27), doubles (8) and home runs (4). She batted (.488) and slugged (.882) for her career with 145 hits and 23 home runs, and is headed to Florida Gulf Coast University.
UTIL: VANESSA MORALES, WOODBRIDGE, SENIOR
Morales was a second-team selection last year and moves up after increasing both her batting and slugging by more than 100 points. Morales hit .444 as a senior while slugging .698, with 11 doubles and 26 runs scored, leading the team in all four categories. She finished with a career batting average of .343 and .527 slugging percentage. She’s headed to East Stroudsburg.
SECOND TEAM
P: Gianna Lombardi, Old Bridge, So.
P: Alicia Montalbano, Metuchen, So.
P: Jordan Tarabokia, North Brunswick, Jr.
P: Aralyn Torres, East Brunswick Magnet, Sr.
C: McKenna Healey, Middlesex, Sr.
C: Brielle Zarsky, Monroe, Jr.
INF: Sophia Alvarez, South Plainfield, So.
INF: Sophia Collucci, St. Thomas Aquinas, Jr.
INF: Gabrielle Hill, Spotswood, Fr.
INF: Ava Kwitkoski, Monroe, Sr.
OF: Lorelei Lorentzen, J.F. Kennedy, Jr.
OF: Nicole Swatko, South Plainfield, Jr.
OF: Savannah Martinez, Old Bridge, Sr.
U: Makayla Martinez, Mother Seton, Sr.
DH: Trinity Bernardino, Carteret, Fr.
THIRD TEAM
P. Ava Austin, Edison, Sr.
P: Peyton Chie, Middlesex, Sr.
P: Michelle Edralin, Highland Park, Sr.
C: Arlette Batista, Perth Amboy Magnet, Sr.
C: Makayla Caban, East Brunswick Magnet, So.
C: Marialys Ricourt, J.F. Kennedy, Sr.
1B: Faith Fiumaro, J.P. Stevens, Sr.
2B: Isabella Warrington, East Brunswick, Fr.
SS: Kathryn Morano, Metuchen, So.
3B: Rose Ciccolella, Dunellen, Fr.
OF: Sarah Alves, Wardlaw-Hartridge, Sr.
OF: Carmela DeMaio, East Brunswick, Sr.
OF: Rose Joseph, Sayreville, Jr.
UT: Gianna Lagomarsino, South Brunswick, Fr.
UT: Danielle Maher, Rahway, So.
HONORABLE MENTION
Calvary Christian: Ila Rowatti
Carteret: Cienna Diaz, Daniella Portillo
Colonia: Megan DaCunha, Shelby DeCillas, Mariella Spina
Dunellen: Savanna Burkeen
East Brunswick: Maria Rampolla
East Brunswick Magnet: Isabella Serronico, Rayna Serronico
Edison: Kaylin Kline
Highland Park: Melissa Evans, Vanessa Kohler, Alexia Valenta
J.F. Kennedy: Mia Montanez
J.P. Stevens: Bella Malinconico
Linden: Erica Hernandez, Kiara Jorge, Molly McDonald
Metuchen: Mary McGrath, Eva Szap
Middlesex: Jaclyn DeShields, Jamie Gorel
Monroe: Monica Bukowczyk
Mother Seton: Lucy Giglio, Anna Maliakal, Katelyn Moses, Sasha Smyth
New Brunswick: Kelsey De Leon
North Brunswick: Gabriella Melendez, Caleigh Shulas, Juliana Williams
North Plainfield: Sarah Zaher
Old Bridge: Amanda Jupinka
Perth Amboy: Edith Luciano, Izabella Pardo
Piscataway: Madison Matakevich, Jayla McNeil
Piscataway Magnet: Allyah Lewis, Gianna Petriello
Rahway: Amanda Lebers, Jenna Maher
Sayreville: Hailey Kilpatrick, Josephine Vanore
Somerset Tech: Sabrina Abella
South Amboy: Emma Kalantsis, Sarah McLaughlin
South Brunswick: Amanda Buttitta
South Plainfield: Hailey Fonti
South River: Leigha Borusovic, Veronica McKim
Spotswood: Hanna Brown, Hannah Graulich, Bella Vitale
St. Thomas Aquinas: Gwen Negron
Timothy Christian: Holly Medina
Wardlaw-Hartridge: Elyssa Ortega, Sophia Riccio, Giselle Rodriguez
Woodbridge: Gia Allan, Quinn Boyd
Woodbridge Academy Magnet: Kiah Parekh, Shruthi Saravanan, Zoha Shaikh
Teams selected by Josh Rosenfeld, based on coach’s nominations, statistics, and personal observations. Follow him on Twitter @joshprosenfeld.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Softball: The 2024 Home News Tribune All-Area teams
