John Solan doesn’t think he’s doing anything special, other than trying to teach some area girls the right way to play softball.
"I just enjoy doing it," said Solan, the head coach of the North Bergen Bandits, the UGALS-14-and-under softball team that is making its share of noise in several different tournaments already this summer. "I just want to bring quality softball to them, so that when the time comes for them to play softball in high school, they’ll already be good players and have an impact right away."
While other recreation teams are content with playing a game here and there, Solan takes his team practically all over the Northeast, playing in tournaments.
"We play the best teams around," Solan said. "We played the Clifton Cobras, the Clifton Charmers, the Morris County Belles, all teams that are recognized for being good teams."
The Bandits won the Rockaway Tournament, placed second in the Westchester County Heat tourney and took third in a tourney in Montville.
Incredibly, the Bandits have played a total of 40 games already since April and will probably play as many as 50 more games before the summer is through.
"We’re doing fine," Solan said. "The girls are playing hard and they’re getting better. They also get along pretty well. They’re good kids and they just love to play."
Solan, who helped develop his daughter, Tara, into a dominating pitcher at North Bergen High School and then Ramapo College, then did the same for Jodie Hild, turning Hild into a four-time Hudson Reporter All-Area performer, believes he is developing the next in line of dominating North Bergen High School hurlers in Tiara Smith.
Smith, who will enter North Bergen High in the fall, is pitching for the Bandits for the second straight year. Smith was an amazing 39-3 last year, and although she’s already lost more games this summer than last, she still owns an impressive 16-4 record with an earned run average under 1.00. Smith fired a no-hitter against Wayne Tuesday night to increase her current scoreless streak to 24 innings.
"She’s getting better all the time," Solan said of Smith. "She’s picked up a rise-ball [a rising fastball] and has been doing great with it. She has a fastball, a screwball, a knuckle-change and now the rise. She moves things around a little. I think she’s going to be a very good one. Her work ethic is very good. She never complains. She just plays. I think she’s going to be ready to take over [at North Bergen] next year."
Smith, who also plays second base when she’s not pitching, has proven to be talented at the plate as well, batting .425 with 25 RBI.
Another key performer for the Bandits has been Lauren DeGrushe, the talented High Tech infielder who earned All-Area honors this spring from the Reporter as a freshman.
DeGrushe, who batted .623 for the Lasercats, leading them to the HCIAA Seglio championship, has continued her brilliant ways at the plate for the Bandits, batting .552 with three homers and 40 RBI.
"Lauren’s the key to the entire team," Solan said. "She’s the best 14-year-old player I’ve seen in a long time. There were a few other teams that were after her and she could have played against older players, but she decided to play with us. She’s the captain. She’s the one who makes us go."
Another key performer has been first baseman Cassandra Chenet, who is batting .333 with 30 RBI.
"She has tremendous power for a 14-year-old," Solan said. "She swings an excellent bat."
Third baseman Cathy Alvarez has also been a steady influence on the Bandits. Both corner players will join Smith at North Bergen High in the fall, which should make Bruins’ coach Tom Eagleson very happy.
Outfielders Stephanie Cintron (High Tech) and Leslie Gonzalez (North Bergen) add speed to the Bandits’ lineup. Infielder Victoria Perez, headed to St. Dominic Academy, has displayed a flashy glove at second base.
Caitlin Lundberg, a pitcher/first baseman, is headed to Holy Family Academy in the fall. Lundberg has delivered her fair share of clutch hits for the Bandits this summer.
A rising star is Joanna Gonzalez, Leslie’s younger sister, who will only enter the seventh grade in the fall. The younger Gonzalez is a catcher and first baseman who Solan believes has a lot of promise.
"She needs a little work, but she’s going to be a good one," Solan said.
The Bandits have already qualified for the national UGALS tournament, but Solan said that they haven’t decided if they will go. They will also participate in the UGALS Bergen County Tournament in Bergenfield July 18 and 19 and will look to repeat as Bergen County UGALS league champions.
Obviously, they’re doing something right in keeping a softball tradition alive in North Bergen…
Here are some names to watch in the future.
First, remember the name of Jack Montanile, who is the younger brother of All-Area baseball first baseman Alex Montanile of Weehawken.
The younger Montanile has been a standout in the recent District 6 Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Star tournament.
In one game, Montanile was the starting and winning pitcher, earning the win in Weehawken’s 13-4 win over Secaucus, striking out nine and allowing just two hits in five innings. He also had four hits and drove in three runs.
For his regular season team, the Weehawken Education Association Reds, Montanile had three hits, drove in two runs and struck out 10 in a win over the previously undefeated S&D Giants.
Obviously, Jack has a bright future and will carry on the Montanile name, as older brother heads to Barry University in Florida to play baseball…
The other name to watch is Hoboken South Little League standout Justin Pagan, who has been brilliant in the opening rounds of the annual District 7 Little League 11-and-12-year-old All-Star tournament, which kicked off last week.
Pagan fired a no-hitter, striking out 11 and walking none in a 12-0 win over College in a winner’s bracket game, a day after Pagan had three hits and three RBI in Hoboken South’s 6-4 win over Bayonne National.
It’s good to see youngsters excel at such an early age. Many youngsters will do so during the District 7 tournament throughout Hudson County over the next few weeks. Try to catch the action.
The EXTRA INNINGS feature continues next week, focusing on the best stories that come from local baseball and softball leagues throughout the area.
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. – Jim Hague