Small-School Softball Athlete of the Year

Athlete of the Year: Bella Milazzo, Ichabod Crane

Bella Milazzo was nervous about making her first varsity start with the Ichabod Crane softball team. She managed those jitters quite well as varsity start No. 1 resulted in her pitching a perfect game against Holy Names.

"It was a great way to start her varsity career," Ichabod Crane softball coach Tracy Nytransky said.

When Milazzo pitched for the second time for the Riders, she tossed a shutout. The sophomore's fourth start netted her a second perfect game of the season against Maple Hill.

The player who requested to wear the same jersey No. 4 Calista Phippen wore when leading the 2018 Riders to the program's second Class B state title made the shift from the JV level to varsity appear seamless.

"Following what Calista did was very exciting, but also very nerve-racking at the same time," Milazzo said. "Once the season started and I gained a lot of success and received help from my teammates, it ended up being an amazing season."

"As a sophomore, to come out and do what she did is impressive," Nytransky said.

What Milazzo did in 2019 was help lead the Riders to another Colonial Council title, a Section II Class B championship and a regional crown. She finished up with 16 wins and one loss, a 0.69 earned-run average and 199 strikeouts over 111 innings of work.

Seven of Milazzo's first eight varsity starts resulted in her tossing a shutout.

The sophomore finished with 10 shutouts overall, adding two more in postseason play with a 1-0 win sectional semifinal win against Tamarac and an 18-0 triumph over Plattsburgh in the state quarterfinals.

Milazzo said as things became more difficult as the competition the Riders faced elevated, she learned much more about herself and what she needs to improve upon for the future.

"I...