Softball ballot: Vote for Central Jersey Player of the Week for Week 6
The final full week of the regular season is in the books, and so are another round of great individual performances around Central Jersey’s softball diamonds And though some teams have games to start the new week, states begin Wednesday, signaling the home stretch of the 2024 campaign.
Here are the nominations for this week’s Central Jersey Softball Player of the Week award. All stats through Saturday, May 18.
More: Softball roundup: Daily May results and links for Skyland , GMC, area Union County
More: Softball: Oller leads South Plainfield over Old Bridge in GMC Tournament final
Voting ends Friday at noon. Nominees selected by Simeon Pincus and Josh Rosenfeld. Voting winner will be featured as the Player of the Week.
KATELYN CUNHA
Bound Brook
Junior
Second base
The three-year starter has been one of the key bats for the Crusaders all season, as they swept their Skyland Conference Mountain Division slate to claim the title and are earned a top 4 seed in the Central Group 2 Tournament. Cunha was at it against last week, as Bound Brook went 3-0, running its winning streak to six games, going 11-for-23 during the stretch with two doubles, a triple, three stolen bases, five runs and 10 RBIs, bringing her season stats to a .415 average with four doubles, two triples, 25 runs and 17 RBIs for the season to go with 14 stolen bases.
TAYLOR FRANCIS
Pingry
Junior
Shortstop
The two-sport star, who is also one of the main cogs in the Big Blue’s basketball club, is enjoying the finest season of her three-year softball career, and was one of the main engines in Pingry’s sweep through two favorites to win the Prep A state title. Francis went 8-for-13 during last week’s 3-0 run that included upset wins over No. 2 Blair and No. 1 Hun in the tournament, with a double, triple and five runs, adding a stolen base. She’s hitting .514 for the season with 12 doubles, a triple, two homers, 31 runs and 12 RBIs, to go with seven walks and 10 steals.
GABRIELLE HILL
Spotswood
Freshman
Shortstop
There is a bumper crop of freshmen in the GMC this year but none has played at a higher level in bigger games than the Spotswood infielder. Hill went 3-for-7 last week and recently had 11 hits over a five-game span, including three hits off Old Bridge ace Gianna Lombardi. She leads the Chargers in batting (.491), slugging (. 982), home runs (five) and hits (27), despite missing the first nine games of the season rehabbing a minor injury. Hill went 3-for-4 with a triple, a home run and four RBI in her debut vs. Ewing.
KAITLYN KOZAK
Hunterdon Central
Senior
Pitcher
The first-year varsity performer didn’t expect to be the Red Devils’ ace, but after returning top arm Emily Van Cleef was slowed by an offseason injury, making her return to the circle sporadic and in small doses, the senior has given Central everything it could ask for, and more, including a win over Pope John in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament semifinals, and another victory over High Point in the final. Kozak went 2-0 in four games last week, allowing just one earned run in 16 innings on 11 hits and two walks, striking out nine. She’s posted a 2.58 ERA for the season, surrendering 85 hits and 22 walks, striking out 44 in 84 frames.
GINA MAHLIK
Bernards
Senior
Shortstop
A star since she set foot on a varsity field as a freshman, hitting .470 or better in each of her high school seasons, Mahlik’s enjoying another stellar campaign, including a dominant run in Bernards 3-1 week, with the only loss coming in nine innings to powerhouse Watchung Hills. Mahlik went 10-for-14 for the week, with a triple, nine runs and three RBIs, plus a pair of walks, and is hitting .500 for the season with seven doubles, a triple, two home runs, 25 runs, 12 RBIs, nine walks and 19 stolen bases.
DIMITRA MILONOPOULOS
Old Bridge
Senior
Catcher
The 11th Commandment might as well be ‘Thou shall not run on Dimitra,’ as South Plainfield was reminded during Saturday’s GMCT championship game. Arguably the league’s best defensive catcher, she’s just as effective at the plate as she is behind it. The senior had a 16-game hitting streak snapped by Erin Townley’s one-hitter in the title contest, after collecting two hits and an RBI in the semifinal victory over St. Thomas. She is batting .452 and slugging .562 with 33 hits, and could reach 40 hits for the third year in a row.
KATHRYN MORANO
Metuchen
Sophomore
Shortstop
One of the most improved players in the GMC, Morano has belted the first three home runs of her career over the last four games, going 8-for-15 in those contests. She has 20 hits in 56 at bats for a .357 batting average while slugging .643.
LIZ NEGRON
St. Thomas Aquinas
Junior
Shortstop/pitcher
The heir apparent to ace Hayley Wieczerzak in the circle for the Trojans, Negron improved to 7-2 with a seven-strikeout, five-inning win over East Brunswick, contributing two hits and an RBI, as well. She also poked a double in St. Thomas’s GMCT semifinal loss to Old Bridge. She leads St. Thomas with 24 hits, five home runs and a .381 batting average, while posting a 1.96 ERA with 66 strikeouts and 23 walks in 57 innings.
KATIE REED
North Hunterdon
Junior
Outfield
A three-year starter who homered in her first varsity at-bat, Reed has kept rolling, enjoying another standout campaign, and kicked into high gear last week as the Lions reeled off three straight wins. Reed went 5-for-10 during the stretch with two doubles, a homer, three runs and five RBIs, plus a stolen base, and is hitting .385 for the year with five doubles, a triple, six homers and 20 RBIs, plus 18 runs scored, 10 walks and five stolen bases.
ERIN TOWNLEY
South Plainfield
Junior
Pitcher
Townley hurled 12 1/3 scoreless innings last week, including a one-hit shutout of Old Bridge in the GMCT championship game, a five-inning shutout over Metuchen in the semifinals, and 1/3 inning of relief to earn a win over East Brunswick. She’s won her last six starts and held five of those opponents to one run or less, yielding two runs in the other. For the season, she’s 17-3 with a 1.07 ERA, 108 strikeouts and 25 walks in 104 1/3 innings.
VOTE NOW!! POLL CLOSES NOON FRIDAY!!
Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, and has been on the softball beat since 1999. He can be reached at CourierSoftball@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter/X @SimeonPincus
Follow GMC softball writer Josh Rosenfeld on Twitter/X @JoshPRosenfeld
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This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Softball ballot: Vote for Central Jersey Player of the Week, Week 6
