By Dan Cleary

4/11/2008 - SCIL Home to Top Hurlers

The other day when I was sitting down to tape my softball talk segment with Jerry Morelli, Mugs asked me a pretty good question. He asked, “Dan, it seems like this year there are a lot of good pitchers, but no dominant ones. Why is that?”

I thought about it for a while and the answer is not that there aren’t great pitchers in the Mugs Media area, but the talent pool is so deep, that it will be tough for just one pitcher to take the Sussex County Interscholastic League by storm like in years past.

For a long time, the SCIL was top-heavy with just a few good teams like Jefferson, Lenape Valley, Sparta and Pope John with High Point, Hopatcong, Kittatinny and Vernon having wonderful seasons in between. But as the years have gone on, that gap has closed and from top to bottom the SCIL is as good as it gets.

So the days of one pitcher rolling through the SCIL are over. Sure, you might get a pitcher who could go undefeated, but it won’t be without a fight. Plus, the new trend over the last few years or so has been for teams to develop two good pitchers and share the duties. I’m not so sure you will see the days of former Jefferson All-Stater Kristyn DePasquale, who pitched almost every inning of every game in her amazing four-year career with the Falcons.

So as I was going through my mental rolodex, trying to remember the top pitchers I’ve seen over the years, I figured I would try to come up with a Top 10 list. Now, my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be, but I’m pretty confident in saying that the following hurlers are the best I’ve seen over the last 10 years. Some may argue, and they have every right, but here in no particular order are my Top 10 pitchers of the last 10 years.

Kristyn DePasquale of Jefferson, 2001—It was an absolute joy watching DePasquale rewrite the state record book during her four years in the circle for legendary head coach Ed Levens. The crafty righty won a then-state record 101 career games before graduating in 2001. DePasquale, who led the Falcons to their first Morris County Tournament championship, was not overpowering, but worked the count better than anyone I’ve ever seen. A 3-0 count was nothing to her as she would battle back for a strikeout or induce a weak grounder to get out of jam. She knew the value of good defense and she let the Falcons’ great defense do its job. She was joined by fellow seniors, catcher Colleen Miller, second baseman Becky Turton and first baseman Jackie Shedlcok as the key components of the Falcons’ great run to 101 wins in four years. DePasquale went onto Ramapo College and County College of Morris and still gives pitching lessons to this day.

Carolyn McCrea of Jefferson, 2004—McCrea, who is currently a Division III All-American at Montclair State University, turned in one of the greatest single-season efforts her senior year, leading to the Falcons to their second straight state title. The flamethrower, who battled injuries and illness early in her career, split time with Jaime Turton and Brittany Gerritsen before taking over the reins in 2004. She went 27-2 and powered the Falcons to the SCIL, Morris County, sectional and Group 2 state titles. In the final she blanked Sterling 2-0. She also could hit and posted a .342 average.

Michelle Krupna of Sparta, 2003—There wasn’t a more intimidating presence in the circle than the 6-foot righty, who helped turn Sparta’s softball program around during her outstanding four-year tenure. Krupna, who started her career sharing time with Kathy Hennessey, helped Sparta win its first-ever SCIL crown in 2002 with a 21-7 record with 361 strikeouts. With her long blond locks and powerful windup, Krupna was a site to behold as she would easily top 60 mph on the radar gun. She was also the Spartans’ top hitter and went onto enjoy a solid career at Dominican College (N.Y.)

Brittany Gerritsen of Jefferson, 2006—One of the best all-around players to come out of the SCIL, Gerritsen made an immediate impact as a freshman and helped the Falcons win their first-ever state title when she posted an extra-inning win over Hamilton West in the Group 3 final in 2003. The game will always be remembered for Dawn Gilchrist’s dramatic walk-off homer, but it was also Gerritsen’s coming out party. The next season, Gerritsen showed her versatility and moved to short as McCrea led the Falcons to the title. Gerritsen was also one of the top hitters in the SCIL and in her three seasons as a pitcher, she helped Jefferson win three SCIL crowns.

Kristie Pellicani of Sparta, 2005--Pellicani waited patiently for her turn and she didn’t disappoint. The hard-throwing righty went 22-3 her senior season and helped Sparta win its first sectional crown when it beat Nutley. She notched 330 strikeouts in 201 innings with a 0.29 ERA. In a wild 3-2 extra-inning loss to Jefferson she fanned an incredible 29 batters. Pellicani could also hit and went onto to play at Moravian College.


Tami Parrott of Blair Academy, 1997—Parrott, a Wantage resident, is arguably the best player Blair Academy has ever produced. The flame-thrower could do it all in the circle and helped the Bucs become one of the top prep schools in the state. Parrot could also punish the ball and one was one of the most-feared hitters in the state. Parrott went onto a stellar career at Brown University and still holds several offensive records.

Becky Pollack of High Point, 2003—Pollack struggled with injuries throughout her career, but when she was healthy she was one of the best around. She could throw hard, but she had a wicked curve and drop and could baffle batters all game long. She was also one of the top hitters in the SCIL and she led the Wildcats during their magical run to the North 1, Group 3 sectional title her senior year. She went onto a terrific two-year stint at Sussex County Community College before heading off to Ramapo College for the 2006 season.

Shannon Padula of Hopatcong, 2005---Padula was the Chiefs anchor for four seasons as the lefty led Hopatcong to its first section crown since 1986 when she blanked Indian Hills 4-0 in the North 1, Group 2 final. Like DePasquale, Padula was a member of a most memorable senior class that led the Chiefs to their best fours years in school history. Padula, who has pinpoint control, is currently a standout at West Chester University (Pa.).

Deborah Kozy of Blair Academy, 2002—Kozy, a Sparta resident, took over after Parrott left and the Bucs didn’t miss a beat. Kozy, like Parrott, could blow the ball past you or fool you into hitting her pitch. Arm troubles plagued Kozy later in her career, but she always found a way to top Jefferson when the two titans would clash. Kozy continued her career at Emory University in Atlanta.

Emily Trenz of Vernon, 1998—Trenz was a two-sport standout for the Vikings and led the Vikings to two SCIL crowns in her tenure. Trenz, who went onto swim at Division I St. Bonaventure, would come out of the pool in March and take the circle without breaking a sweat. Trenz was sneaky fast, but she had great control and locked up with DePasquale in two classic encounters when she was a senior and DePasquale a freshman.

Now there are some other pitchers that could have made the list like Kate Hunter of Pope John, Erin White of Kittatinny, Meredith Mayes of Newton and Katy Parker of Lenape Valley. But that just shows how good the SCIL has been the last decade.

And for those old school SCIL fans, I would be remiss not to mention Loren Arrowsmith of Lenape Valley, who went onto star at Seton Hall in the early 1990s, and Karen Lewandowski of Lenape Valley, who led the Pats to consecutive Group 2 titles in 1990 and 1991. There is also Beth Kershaw of Jefferson, Robin Gozdenovich of Sparta, who sent onto Iona College, and Sussex County Hall-of-Famer Erin Grove of Hopatcong, who had an outstanding career at Trenton State College, now known as The College of New Jersey.

So who will be the next stud pitcher to come out of the SCIL? Well, there are plenty of candidates like Sarah Fletcher of Sparta, Rachel Senatore of Pope John and Kelsey Roberts of Kittatinny, who shares time with Sara Stocklinski and has tossed two no-hitters already this season. But only time will tell and I can’t wait to find out who will emerge as the next top gun.

That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.