Meet our CVC All-Star teams inside
The strongest softball league in New Jersey, the Colonial Valley Conference enjoyed another great year with two state championships and the Tournament of Champions title.
The Group II state champ for the second year in a row, Robbinsville heads up The Trentonian’s All-Colonial Valley Conference team with five players on the first team. Group III and ToC champion Steinert is next with three first-teamers.
The Player of the Year is Steinert pitcher Kaylee Whittaker and the Coach of the Year is Steinert’s Jeannie Ruppert.
KAYLEE WHITTAKER
Our CVC Player of the Year, Whittaker led Steinert to a Group III state title and the Tournament of Champions crown. She was brilliant in the postseason, including shutout wins over Northern Burlington in the sectional final, Indian Hills in the state final and Lodi Immaculate in the ToC title game. The junior righty led all area pitchers with 252 strikeouts and has 448 on her career. Whittaker’s record was 21-3 and she pitched to an ERA of 0.88. She was also one of the team’s top batters and hit cleanup. She hit .352 with 20 RBIs and nine extra base hits. Whittaker is committed to C.W. Post.
KATE HUNTER
The Robbinsville senior didn’t have the numbers she did as a junior, but that’s because she split the team’s pitching and didn’t throw nearly as many innings. No matter, it was all Hunter in the circle down the stretch as she pitched the Ravens to consecutive Mercer County Tournament and state titles. In her 12 state tourney wins over the last two years, she gave up one earned run. Hunter had a record of 18-2 with 119 strikeouts in 124 innings. Hunter has a scholarship to play for Queens University in North Carolina.
SHEA WALSH
The Robbinsville junior catcher had one of the best years in the history of CVC softball. Walsh batted .529 with a staggering 54 hits and led her team with 33 RBIs. She also scored 44 runs and collected 14 extra base hits, including three home runs. Her career hit total is 130. As impressive as the lefty is while batting, she’s equally good behind the plate. Walsh gave up only a few stolen bases all year and she is also adept at blocking balls in the dirt. Along with Whittaker, she’s headed to C.W. Post.
OLIVIA MOSER
One of Robbinsville’s four juniors on the first team, Moser delivered some of her team’s biggest hits of the season. She finished with a .407 average with 37 hits, 11 of which were for extra bases. She also drove in 29 runs and played a strong first base by digging any errant throws out of the dirt.
CHELSEA MANTO
Well on her way to smashing the Mercer County career hit record held by Kristin Hallam with 140 in just three seasons, Manto had one of the best years in the annals of area softball. Her final batting average was a staggering .611 with what almost certainly is a county single-season record 58 hits. Considered by many as the fastest player in the state, Manto also stole a gaudy 41 bases and wasn’t thrown out once. In addition, her great range and strong arm allows her to play a superior shortstop. The junior is committed to play at Hofstra University.
CARLI BACKLUND
All the Steinert senior infielder did was play a key role in helping the Spartans win state titles in 2016 and 2018, and finish second in 2017. This year she had a ton of key hits, including a two-run double in the state final 2-0 win. Backlund ended up batting .374 with 11 extra base hits and a team high 33 RBIs. She has a softball scholarship to Central Connecticut State.
NICOLE CERASI
Easily one of the top defensive infielders in the area, the Steinert junior second baseman made all the plays en route to her team’s state championship. Often batting No. 2 in the order, Cerasi was also a productive offensive player with a .358 batting average and 16 RBIs. Her three-run double virtually sealed the deal in the tournament of champions final game.
ILIANA NYKTAS
A four-year starter at Nottingham, the Northstar shortstop completed a stellar career by leading her team with 31 hits and a batting average of .443. Of those hits eight were doubles. She finished with 106 hits in all and a career batting average of .401. Fielding-wise, Nyktas committed just one error in the entire season.
ALLIE TAYLOR
A Robbinsville junior outfielder who showed a strong arm on throws to the plate, Taylor exploded on the scene as the Ravens’ clean-up batter. Taylor pounded out 41 hits, 14 for extra bases, and drove in 23 runs. Her batting average for the year was a robust .466.
JULIANNA NISEN
The Ewing senior center fielder tore it up at the plate this year with 38 hits, 13 of which went for doubles. Her batting average was an impressive .514 and she easily led the Blue Devils with 31 RBIs. Her slugging average was .835 and her on-base percentage was .612. She will play next year for Ryan Zegarski’s powerhouse Mercer County Community College program.
DEVON KUENY
Another of Ewing’s three capable outfielders, Kueny was one once again one of the most effective table setters in the county. The Ewing junior batted .423 with 33 hits and led her team with 27 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Her excellent speed makes her a very good outfielder and she also is a capable pitcher.
McKENNA CARPENTER
The senior played a huge role in West Windsor North putting together a strong year with 15 wins and a division title. In the circle, Carpenter compiled an 11-5 record and struck out over 130 batters to finish with 250 for her career. At the plate, Carpenter batted .440 with 11 extra base hits and 24 RBIs. She also stole 10 bases and finished with 96 career hits.
ALLIE BRIDGMAN
Following in the footsteps of her older sister Holly, Bridgman has quickly established herself as one of the top players in the county. The Hightstown sophomore struck out 111 batters in 81 innings and allowed just 18 earned runs. She also hit over .400 with two homers, five triples and drove in 25 runs.
JEANNIE RUPPERT
Steinert has had better hitting teams and could have gotten down after three losses to Robbinsville, but none of that prevented Ruppert from guiding the Spartans to their second Group III state title in two years (the team finished second in the state in 2017). Steinert then struck even more gold by winning the ToC to finish on top of the New Jersey softball world.