Steinert’s Bonacci is our CVC Player of the Year
The two best softball teams in Mercer County this year were Steinert and Notre Dame, so it should come as no surprise they head up The Trentonian’s All-Colonial Valley Conference teams with three players apiece.
In terms of the top individual honors it was a clean sweep for state finalist and county champion Steinert with Isabella Bonacci the selection for Player of the Year and Jenn Melker the choice for Coach of the Year.
RYLEE MICHALAK
The hard-throwing Notre Dame righty continued to solidify her status as one of the top pitchers in the entire area in her sophomore season. Michalak struck out a CVC-high 198 batters while posting a 1.52 ERA in 115 innings pitched. Among her bet- ter efforts was a 3-1 loss to Parochial A state champion Donovan Catholic. She also contributed at the plate with a .378 average for a Notre Dame team that went 19-5 and advanced to the South Jersey semifinal.
ISABELLA BONACCI
No CVC team got the job done like state finalist Steinert this year and the most visible star on the team was this junior pitcher and clean-up batter. Bonacci struck out 139 batters in 115 innings of work and pitched to an ERA 1.77. A first baseman when she was not pitching, Bonacci batted .392 with 29 hits, including four home runs, and had the second most RBIs with 25. What really set her apart was not so much her stats, but rather the ability to beat quality teams in the biggest games of the year.
IZABELLE CORNISH-DiDONATO
Arguably the premier defensive catcher in the CVC with a strong arm and good at framing pitches, Cornish-DiDonato continued to excel in her sophomore season for Hopewell Valley and made it hard to run on the Valley Girls. Her batting average was .356 and she knocked in 23 runs.
CHRISTA ANDRUSIEWICZ
One of just two seniors in the Notre Dame starting lineup, Andrusiewicz
was an excellent fielding first baseman and the most feared batter in the Notre Dame lineup. Andrusiewicz led the team with 36 hits, batted .480 and also easily had the most RBIs on the team with 30.
KAYLEE MUSHINSKI
Allentown enjoyed another strong season with a 14-6 record and this senior first baseman/ pitcher played an important role in that success. Mushinski led the Redbirds with 34 hits and batted a robust .548. Of those 34 hits, 10 were for extra bases and she also led the team in RBIs with 21 and runs scored with 24.
STELLA LOGAN
Anyone who has seen this talented sophomore can easily envision Division 1 softball in her future. Logan anchored the Allentown infield at shortstop and was dynamite in the lead-off spot as she combined speed with power. She batted over .400 with nine extra base hits. Logan easily led the Redbirds with 13 stolen bases.
AVERY KONTURA
An unusual four-year starter at Steinert and even more impressively for all those years it was at shortstop, Kontura hit second in the Spartan order and consistently delivered for the county and league champion. Kontura led the
team in three offensive categories with 35 hits, 36 runs scored and 34 RBIs. Steinert started just two seniors at the end of year and replacing Kontura will clearly be its biggest off-season challenge.
CEARA O’NEAL
The Steinert junior batted third in the order and was in the center of a murderers’ row that included Kontura, Bonacci and Paige Schultz. O’Neal had some of the biggest hits of the year and collected 31 in all while accumulating the team’s second most RBI with 29. Her batting average was .440 and she played a solid third base as well.
ELLA McCOLGAN
After hitting second in the order at the start of the season, McColgan became one of the premier lead-off batters in the area. Also a fine outfielder because of her speed, the Notre Dame sophomore slapper batted .463 and along with fellow sophomore slapper Helen Woloshyn was a terror on the bases with 26 stolen bases.
ANGELINA BENITEZ
The Hightstown sophomore outfielder has quickly emerged as one of the top table setters in the area. This year Benitez collected a team high 36 hits, 22 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Her final batting average was a very robust .581 for a
team that posted an 11-7 record.
MEA ALLEX
An excellent defensive senior center fielder with a strong arm and outstanding speed, Allex played a big part in Hopewell Valley’s much improved season from the previous year. Allex led Hopewell with 33 hits and had her team’s second most stolen bases with 14. She was also second in runs scored with 22.
ABBY BELL
The Hightstown senior catcher wrapped up a stellar high school career that included key home runs in the Rams’ march to the Group IV state championship in 2019. This year Bell batted .410 with 17 RBIs and hit six home runs, including an absolute monster shot high into the trees at Notre Dame.
JENN MELKER
Our Coach of the Year who possesses a calm demeanor to go along with an upbeat confidence in her players, Melker guided Steinert to an outstanding 21-5 season that included a Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division championship, a Mercer County Tournament title and a berth in the Group III state finals. And she did it with only two starting seniors in the lineup by the end of the season.