What’s often mistaken as the softer side of Little League is really tough as nails.
Millstone–Roosevelt Little League Coach Dave Dominici helps Heather Devine with her pitch release before the game between the Millstone-Roosevelt and Allentown softball teams in Millstone on May 7. SCOTT FRIEDMAN The girls on Coach Dave Dominici’s Millstone-Roosevelt Little League softball team hustle and play hard. Last year, the team went undefeated. This season just started, but player Heather Devine, 10, earned the girls bragging rights on opening day when she beat out the top boy batters to win the home run derby.
“I felt really happy,” Heather said of winning the derby. “I was excited to beat the best boys.”
Her parents, Sue and Tom, said they were proud watching her win out of 120 contestants.
“We didn’t think she would beat out the boys as well,” Sue Devine said. “She hit six out of eight home runs.”
Allentown’s Jane Kelm applies the tag to Millstone’s Nicole Miller during the Little League softball game between Millstone-Roosevelt and Allentown on May 7. Millstone won 11-5. SCOTT FRIEDMAN Giving credit to her daughter’s coach, she added, “Dave’s taken Heather and all the kids to the next level.”
Heather, a catcher and an outfielder, said, “Coach Dave is always there for me.”
Tom Devine said, “Dave Dominici is girls softball in Millstone.”
Dominici, who has been coaching softball in Millstone since 2000, said he enjoys the passion, dedication and attentiveness of his players. He and assistant coaches Randy Bailey, Todd Miller and Thomi Hickey work with the girls to develop their skills and instill the values of the game, Dominici said.
“We have a lot of respect for the game and we try to pass that on to them,” Dominici said.
Watching Heather win the home run derby was “fantastic,” Dominici said.
“That’s absolutely a testament to her hard work,” he said.
Tom Devine said, “The girls get no recognition. That’s why you need people like Dave Dominici.”
When asked if the girls get the credit they deserve, Dominici said, “I’ve been on both sides of it. When I was coaching on the hardball side, I didn’t pay a lot of attention to softball. You have to be in it to understand how well these girls can actually play.”
As an example, Cierra Dabkowski can pitch a softball 55 mph.
Cierra said, “People bash softball because we’re girls, but it’s harder than baseball.”
The girls see their discipline and hard work pay off during games like the one on May 7 against Allentown. The Millstone- Roosevelt team won 11-5.
Prior to batting, the girls huddled around Dominici who said he had a new “wrinkle” for them — leading off the bag on the release of a pitch to steal bases. The girls immediately put his plan into action, with lead batter Shae Dominici stealing second, third and home to get the team’s first point.
Sue Devine said, “The girls are just as good if not better than the boys.”
Lacey Hickey, who plays first and third base, said softball “builds character and teaches you how to be tough.”
Team mom Geraldine Hickey said, “It’s a great learning opportunity to be a part of a sport she loves. She eats, sleeps, dreams about softball.”
Hickey has watched the team of current fourth-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders improve over the last three years.
“These girls are great,” Geraldine said. “They’re really awesome kids.”
She said the players know the value of teamwork and treating each other with respect.
Lacey said, “We work as a team and root for each other. No one puts anybody down.”
Lacey said it’s important that the coach treats each player like he wants to be treated.
Her mother added, “They want to perform to make him proud.”
The rest of Dominici’s roster is Alyssa Ariano, Carly Bailey, Dana Bakerman, Ariana Grossi, Natasha Hlinka, Megan MacKenzie, Emma Meyer, Nicole Miller, Natalie Nazario, Stephanie Obusek, Becky Paglia, Veronica Parker, Nadia Ramos, Rachel White and Marissa Ziobro.
Veronica, who plays first base, said more people should come out and support softball.
“It’s really exciting,” she said. “Our teams are good and it’s really entertaining.”
Shae said the girls would feel more encouraged on the field if they had more support.
Heather said the girls need respect. The Little League often fails to line their field for games and never put lights on their field, she said.
“The boys have lights,” she said. “The girls have no lights. This kind of stuff gets my teammates and [me] upset.”
Softball is no longer a spring and summer pastime. For many of the girls on Dominici’s team, softball is a year-round endeavor. They play on the Little League, school, recreation and travel teams. They attend Jackson Baseball Academy. Some, like Heather, also invest in batting coaches like Mike Condin, of Manasquan.
“I love softball and have a passion for it. It’s my favorite sport on earth,” Heather said.
Heather’s immediate goal in the sport is to become a Millstone Cheetah, a select team that Dominici coaches. In the long run, she would like to play softball to get a scholarship to college.
“She wants to play in middle school, high school, and even take it into college,” her mother said. “She’s 10.”
To find out softball game information and how to sign up to play on a Little League softball team, visit www.mr-ll.org. To see a softball game, visit the field at 771 Perrineville Road in Millstone.