Scoops on Softball: Presenting the 2024 Midseason Awards, the Mondos

I really did it this time. I really did. There’s a big milestone coming up and I’m doing it big.

Yes, it’s time for the semi-regular North Jersey softball midseason awards, the Mondos, named for former Emerson coach Steve Mondadori. I did them last year, Hooray! But have also skipped a couple in the last couple of years, Boo!

Oh yeah, but there’s something even better.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Bergen County softball tournament, as promised (or maybe, as threatened), I have been working on a list of the 50 greatest Bergen County softball players of all time. The list is about 95 percent done. I’m still tracking down a few stars from the past, and it’s not that easy. Anyone with Karen Mischelof's contact information, please let me know.

I also want to thank all the former coaches who gave me insights and input on softball in Bergen County dating back to 1974.

There’s even a Mondadori on the list! But I won’t be revealing the full list of women until the week of the Bergen County softball final, probably between IHA and Ramsey, at the end of May.

Passaic County is a whole other story. I think six different teams could win that tournament.

Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. There are still lots of tournament left to be played, but if this was a story sponsored by those giant betting companies (you know who they are), IHA and Ramsey would be big favorites to get there.

These are the 2024 Mondos, my name for the midseason awards for the North Jersey softball season. Yes, I did consult him on the 50 greatest players list. I asked Mondo if he had a message for the North Jersey softball world and he came through:

I want to see Weehawken play, my alma mater. It’s great they’re doing so well. I heard those three sisters are fun to watch. Maybe I retired too young. I miss the action. I still get out to watch local games. I love to watch the teams that bunt and run, putting pressure on the defense, taking the extra base here and there. I sent an e-mail to Notre Dame, but no one got back to me. I think that would be a fun time!!! Don’t tell my wife!!!

OK, you heard him, don’t tell his wife. Here are the 2024 Mondo Midseason Awards in North Jersey Softball:

The Mondo Midseason Team of the Year Award

It would be so easy to just hand IHA every award here, right? The Blue Eagles are - at the moment - North Jersey’s best softball team. Diana Fasano just became the fastest coach ever to win 200 games (I’m making that up, but maybe) in her career. The team is good, fun, and fun and good.

But the best team isn’t always the Team of the Year, especially not in the Mondo Galaxy. If you named the No. 1 team the Team of the Year every year, the award gets diluted after a while. That’s not to say though that if IHA finishes 28-1 and wins the triple crown, they don’t deserve it.

To me, the Team of the Year should also be one of the biggest surprises in North Jersey softball.

And I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but both Bergen Charter and Paterson Charter are having their best seasons ever. Paterson Charter has a legit shot at finishing with a winning record this season.

At the moment though, the Mondo Midseason Team of the Year is Ridgefield Park. Yes, I know Ramapo and IHA just socked them last week, but so what? The Scarlets got the No. 3 seed in Bergen County. They’re 13-4. They’ve played a tough schedule.

I still remember I went out to the Pit to watch Mahwah and Ridgefield Park a couple of years ago. It was then-Mahwah coach Craig Nielsen’s 500th win. Mahwah was good. Ridgefield Park was not. But I remember Scarlets coach Greg Hansen telling me there were some girls coming in and it was going to change. He was right. Ridgefield Park has arrived. They’re the team of the moment. Do I think they can win Bergen County? Probably not. But the section is there for them.

The Mondo Midseason Player of the Year Award

I’m at The Rock watching the ice hockey state finals. Don Bosco and St. Augustine combined for 16 goals in the Non-Public A final, a fact that still boggles the mind.

Then came the girls game, IHA vs. Pingry, and who’s in the Blue Eagles line-up? Gabby Shadek.

You know, the home run hitter, committed to Duke for softball. I was like, ‘this should be fun.’ It was a fun game. IHA and Pingry both had chances. There were times I kept waiting for Gabby to just like… get the puck and go to the goal because I didn’t think Pingry really had anyone who could check her. But she stayed back and played in the system, moved the puck. She showed great vision.

And it’s sort of the same thing in softball. Gabby is worth a run defensively for the Blue Eagles because of her ability to pick off runners and keep runners from moving up a base. It’s an incredible advantage. At the plate, she hits ropes and bombs. She’s the best catcher I have seen in North Jersey since… probably Steph Pasquale from Pompton Lakes back in the day. Steph had a great college career at Temple and Nebraska.

But she didn’t play ice hockey. Mondo never had an ice hockey player either.

The Mondo Coach of the Midseason Award

It’s a tough time to be a high school coach in New Jersey. Parental pressures, inconsistent support from administration, ever-changing demands and social media controversies all make the job a thankless one.

I wrote a column about this two weeks ago, and received more than a dozen letters and comments from coaches saying I don’t know the half of it. And it’s true, I’ve heard horrible stories from successful, winning coaches, who just can’t believe the things they have to put up with.

I’ve been critical of coaches too in the past. I worry not enough of them have adapted to the changing times, but the majority have, so for a moment, I’m going to point out the strengths of North Jersey softball coaches. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and it always fascinates me the different personalities and coaches.

Diana Fasano does amazing things to put her players in positions to succeed at IHA.

No one enjoys watching a player improve and get better than Brian Calebrese at River Dell.

Wallington coach Andrea Piela squeezes every ounce of talent that she has.

Sarah Piening had to take a team to a whole new school at St. Mary and navigate that social minefield.

Melissa Landeck always has her teams prepared and ready to go. No matter what.

Waldwick coach Mike Kilgallen seems to make every game and practice a valuable, teachable moment for his team.

Lakeland/Kinnelon coach Laura Junta makes her teams feel like a part of the family.

Ramapo coach Darren White has never lost his enthusiasm to get to the field each day and has never put himself on a pedestal.

Joe Leicht makes his teams work hard at Indian Hills and gives them the greatest gift of all: expectations. He believes in them before they believe in themselves sometimes.

I could go on and on, Mike Boorman has the perfect perspective that this is just a game played for fun, Kathy Hill never lets all her success go to her head, Chris Caserta stays on message and is consistent, no matter what. He’s his team’s rock.

The funny thing about this list though is, I guarantee -guarantee - that there is a parent who thinks they are lousy. And there’s nothing you can do to tell them otherwise. Parents with no perspective have no concept.

If I had to pick one coach, just one, right now, it would be Mook Iannacone at Hawthorne. Pound for pound (ahem), there may not be a better softball coach in North Jersey. The last couple of years with the Bears, he squeezed as many wins out of them as possible.

Listen, the Bears won’t win any All-Airport teams, but they play scrappy and hard. This season, yeah, there’s a little more talent in the program, and Hawthorne is a legit contender in Passaic County. We should measure a coach on his or her ability to elevate a program, and Mook has done that for years in Hawthorne (and before that, Ridgefield Park and River Dell). Let’s see how high the Bears can go.

The Mondo Midseason Predictions

Last year in this space, I predicted IHA vs. Ramsey in the Bergen County final, and I have seen and heard nothing to make me think otherwise. Remember the name Brooke Donofrio for Ramsey. If there was a Mondo Freshman of the Year, she’d be it.

And just like last year, I think it will be a heck of a game, a toss-up.

But what about the semifinals? Through the first round, the seeds have basically almost all held. But we have some good match-ups in the second round. Ridgewood-River Dell. You know, back when Ridgewood used to be one team that gave IHA fits (small ball, Mondo style). Can Indian Hills hit Delilah Tabaka from Wallington? Ramsey-St. Mary is a legit good game.

My Bergen semis at the moment look like this…IHA vs. Indian Hills and Ramsey vs. Ramapo. If we get that, whew, that would be fun.

Over in Passaic County, Passaic Tech is the top dog for now, but let’s see. No. 6 seed West Milford has beaten Lakeland already. Can Passaic Valley get to the final? Wayne Valley just beat Passaic Valley in the regular season and they'll meet in the quarters. Whoever wins that can also win it. I’ve already told you about Hawthorne. But DePaul is there too.

Right now, I will ride Passaic Tech.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ softball: Presenting the 2024 Midseason Awards, the Mondos