By Wayne Witkowski
Jackson Liberty High School’s softball team goes into the NJSIAA tournament this week armed with its first Ocean County championship and its best record at 19-2.
With three players hitting better than .400 and eight players in double figures in RBI, the Lions have the hitting and pitching behind Meghan Conroy to play deep into the tournament schedule. They won their first Ocean County championship, 9-7, May 18 over Donovan Catholic High School. The Lions had reached the county tournament semifinals the past two seasons.
At 11-1, Jackson Liberty finished a game ahead of Pinelands Regional High School for the Shore Conference B South Division championship. It split its games with Pinelands during the season.
Jackson Liberty’s other loss came to Nutley High School.
It also earned a 4-1 victory over seven-time Monmouth County Tournament champion St. John Vianney High School, as Conroy pitched a six-hitter, Ilian Flores and Taylor Martini slapped run-scoring singles in the fourth inning and Kayla Connors singled home an insurance run in the seventh.
“I would consider this the best start for our team,” coach Laura Borrelli said. “In past years, we did have a few stretches of being undefeated, but I consider this year’s schedule the most challenging one we have had to date. So to maintain such a strong record going against some of the top teams in the Shore and state, we are very proud of our standings.”
Conroy has pitched every inning with a miniscule 0.63 ERA off nine earned runs allowed. She has 158 strikeouts and 22 walks over 122 innings pitched. She helps herself with a .435 batting average and 18 RBIs.
“Meghan Conroy has been playing exceptionally well for us this season,” Borrelli said.
Chelsea Czapkowski was the Ocean County Tournament Most Valuable Player, driving in two runs in the county championship game against Donovan Catholic — one in the second toward a 5-0 lead and another in the fifth when the lead grew to 7-1. Czapkowski has a team-best .478 average and 19 RBIs.
Kayla Conners is batting .464 with 27 RBIs.
“When other coaches or umpires give feedback on our team, one thing I hear very often is how impressed they are that all our hitters — one through nine — are real offensive threats,” Borrelli said. “We really don’t have any holes in our lineup. In fact, almost every one of our kids have had at least one triple this year and most of them can put it out at any field. Knowing that at any point, any player can change the game for us with one swing of the bat gives us a great deal of confidence up at the plate.
“Our mentality is come out swinging. We want to be aggressive; we are there to hit. Of course, we emphasize discipline. But if that ball is in the zone, our kids are attacking it.”
Briana Holder (.384, 16 RBIs), Kayla Hayes (.327, 15 RBIs), Ashley Eckett (.333, 12 RBIs) and Tayler Martini (17 RBIs) add plenty of punch to the lineup.
And the defense is just as aggressive as the offense, according to Borrelli.
“Our defensive mindset is very similar to our offensive one — attack the ball,” Borrelli said. “Everyone is dirty at the end of our practices because we expect everyone on that field to lay out for every ball that comes their way. Since our players are so comfortable with each other, we know that if one goes for it, someone else will be there to get their back if need be. They really are exciting to watch.”
The key from here is more on the mental side.
“We need to stay confident and play loose. Our only focus should be winning the game right in front of us,” Borrelli said. “As long as we keep that focus and maintain our work ethic, I believe we will do well in the postseason.”
