Softball star on the horizon
North Bergen’s Smith looms as next pitching standout
A few years ago, Tiara Smith had no concept of baseball or softball.
"I didn’t know a single thing about the sport," said the 12-year-old Smith. "I really didn’t care to know."
Her stepfather, George Kolodinsky, signed her up to play in the town’s recreation program, even though young Tiara didn’t have much of an interest. Because of her size, Tiara became a catcher.
However, soon after she signed up, local softball coach John Solan, Sr., the father of former North Bergen High School pitching great Tara and St. Peter’s Prep football standout John, saw Smith and took an instant liking to her.
"I could see that she was a good athlete," Solan said. "She was strong and I could tell that she could throw the ball well. I thought she had good potential."
Sure enough, Solan took Tiara under his wing and taught her the proper way to pitch softball.
Smith didn’t know the nuances between being a windmill pitcher and a slingshot. She didn’t know the different variety of pitches that a softball pitcher could throw. But Solan could tell early on that she was eager to learn.
"I could see that she had it," Solan said. "She picks up everything we teach her and does it well."
Tiara didn’t exactly have instant success.
"At first, I was really wild," Smith said. "I was throwing it on the roof and rolling it on the ground. But John showed me the basics and got me going. He taught me how to step, how to release."
Smith enjoyed mild success last summer in her first year of pitching, winning eight games and losing eight in the North Bergen Recreation league.
Last fall, Tiara went to a local gym to work with Solan and his accomplished daughter, who is North Bergen’s all-time leader in victories.
"Tara works with Tiara as well and Tara thinks she has potential," Solan said.
Over the winter months, Tiara also went for private pitching lessons with Jimmy Mack, the coach at St. Mary’s in Rutherford.
"He taught me all the different pitches, like the screwball, the changeup," Smith said. "I have a decent fastball, but I’m learning all the different grips. Right now, I’m still learning the drop."
However, this summer, Smith has enjoyed some astounding success – mostly all against older competition.
She pitched for the Yankee Girls in the North Bergen Rec league and finished the season undefeated with a 14-0 pitching mark, breaking the league strikeout record in the process.
Smith is also pitching for Solan’s 14-year-old team in the Bergen County UGALS softball league, the North Bergen Bandits, where she has a 3-0 record. Smith is also pitching for the Fair Lawn Outlaws, another 14-and-under team, where she has a 6-2 record and a 1.77 earned run average. Combine the three teams and Smith has a stellar 23-2 record this summer. Not bad.
"She plays for a lot of teams," said Kolodinsky, who drives his stepdaughter from venue to venue. "She even plays for a team in Little Ferry in the fall. She’s mentally tough for someone her age. When it comes to a game, she’s right there, but once it’s over, she’s on to the next thing, even if that’s music or something else. And she has a really good attitude about it."
Added Kolodinsky, "The Solans have been a really big help to her. I think Tiara keeps gaining confidence with each game she pitches."
Solan thinks that the young lady doesn’t even know how good she can become.
"She could be the next great pitcher coming in," said Solan, following the legacy of his daughter, who is entering her senior year at Ramapo, and current North Bergen standout Jodie Hild. "She can fall right in line with those two. She’s really progressing very well and has the potential to be really big someday."
Smith has been shocked by her success this summer.
"It really does surprise me," Smith said. "I see these older girls strike out against me and I say, ‘Wow, is this really happening?’ It’s pretty shocking."
Smith, who will enter eighth grade at Lincoln School in the fall, said that she is impressed when someone mentions that she could be the next in line of great North Bergen hurlers.
"It’s very flattering to me when people say that," Smith said. "If people feel that way, it makes me feel great. I love it. I love when high school coaches come up to me and tell me that I’m pitching good. I just want to do my best."
And Tiara Smith’s best might be something to behold for many years to come. – Jim Hague
The EXTRA INNINGS feature runs weekly throughout the summer months, featuring local baseball and softball teams outside of the high school season. If you have any noteworthy information to contribute to the EXTRA INNINGS, feel free to contact Jim Hague by voice mail at 201-798-7800, ext. 751, by general mail at 1400 Washington St., Hoboken, NJ 07030, or via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com. Please include a telephone contact name and number, in order to secure further information for a possible story.