By paul salus
Staff Writer
When the All-State girls softball team was announced last weekend, Red Bank Catholic head coach Randy Scinto was not surprised to see Kate Marvel’s name on the First Team.
After all, Scinto spent the entire season watching the talented junior play, and knew firsthand that there are not many better players in the state.
In fact, he ranks the speedy outfielder up there with the top players he’s ever coached.
"Obviously, she batted close to .500 for three years in a row, so she would have to be right up at the top of all the girls I’ve coached throughout the years," he said.
"She made First Team All-Shore and First Team All-State, which is an incredible accomplishment. We’re all very proud of her accomplishments."
Marvel’s numbers were impressive this season, to say the least. Batting in the lead-off spot, she hit .488 with one home run and 13 RBIs. Her 42 hits in 86 at-bats included four doubles.
But Marvel is at her best once she reaches base, which her 25 stolen bases can attest to.
"When she got on base, she always scored," Scinto said. "She’s kind of like a Ricky Henderson-type of player when she gets on base. She makes things happen and scores."
Her ability to score runs helped the Caseys throughout the season, as they overcame what was a low-scoring offense to win their first Lady Buc title since 2000.
"We didn’t score many runs, so when she got on, and when she scored, it was huge for us," her coach said. "She was a huge part of our success this season."
Marvel is also regarded as one of the state’s top defensive outfielders, committing just two errors all year, and is a team leader in every sense of the phrase.
"She has a great attitude on and off the field, and she’s a great kid," Scinto said.
Another stellar season has pumped up what were already gaudy career numbers for the RBC junior. She is now hitting at a .548 clip for her career, with 125 hits in 228 at-bats, and 86 stolen bases.
Marvel joined St. John Vianney sophomore Tricia Reingle as the only local girls to earn First Team status.
The sophomore pitcher went 22-3 with 322 strikeouts in 184 innings, while recording a 0.30 ERA and limiting opponents to a .091 batting average. At the plate, Reingle hit .423 with 24 RBIs to lead the team in both categories.
Both players earned All-Shore status, as did Ocean’s Arielle Weinkofsky. The junior pitcher finished the season 17-5 with a 0.99 ERA, and struck out 213 batters in 155.1 innings. She allowed only 22 earned runs all year, and delivered nine shutouts to help the Spartans win the A North title.
At the plate, Weinkofsky hit .348 with one home run and 14 RBIs.
Among the local players to earn All-Division nods were Ocean’s Arielle Weinkofsky and her sister Allyson (first baseman), Stephanie Brady (infielder), and Lauren Ceravalo (outfielder) in A North; Monmouth Regional’s Mary Gardiner (pitcher), Stephanie Kovach (first base), and Red Bank’s Erin Godly (infielder) in B North; Red Bank Catholic’s Marvel, Natalie Cruz (pitcher), Erin Cusmano (infielder) and Kalynn Davies (outfielder) in A Central; and Shore Regional’s Michelle Polzois (pitcher), Missy Somers (catcher), Amy Rosenblum (first base) and Lauren Hennessy (infielder) in B Central.