CALDWELL- With last year’s ace Ava Kelshaw still working her way back from a back injury before she can assume more innings as the chilly, early spring transitions to hopefully warmer days, Mount St. Dominic coach Rob Stern turned to a precocious freshman with a big-time bat to help fill a void in the circle.
Enter Abby Cianfrocca, the younger sister of an already-established Mount standout, and the rapid rise of another young Lion player on the rise has been in moving in fast-track mode with an added twist because not only is she already emerging as one of the state’s top hitters, but her contributions pitching-wise have been an absolute godsend during the first month of the 2025 campaign for the Caldwell-based Catholic school’s storied softball program.
Cianfrocca has burst out of the gates at the plate and is 17-for-25 with 17 RBI, 6 doubles and 4 home runs for a .680 batting average and 1,400 slugging % in the first seven games for the 6-1 Lions, and she has worked well in the circle to not only fill innings but get important outs as well.
For her efforts, the Mount freshman phenom is the latest Parisi Fairfield/Sideline Chatter Athlete of the Week.
“I have never been prouder of one my players than with the way Abby has stepped up big-time for us,” said Stern. “We all know that she is a ‘stone-cold’ outstanding hitter, but with both Ava and Natalie (Marecki) out with (back) injuries we needed her to pitch.
“She’s such an unselfish kid who does whatever she can for the team, and although she is a natural infielder who hadn’t pitched in a while, it didn’t matter to her, and she has embraced looking to fill a very big role for us.”
Cianfrocca may have a rather pedestrian 3.95 ERA in 39 innings pitched, but she has helped make sure that the Mount continues to be a success.
“I hadn’t pitched since July for my travel team (Finches Aces), but I was happy to do it when Coach Stern asked,” said the Mount’s versatile freshman. “I know that I wouldn’t be striking out a lot of people, but I just try to hit my spots and trust my defense because I know they have my back.
“I always want to do whatever I can to help the team, and we have a special group of girls here. I really like the community at the Mount. We all have a good time together and we have gotten even closer with team-bonding events which then contribute to how we play on the field because you really know the players out there with you and want more than ever to try and help them to succeed.”
One of the very positive aspects for Abby Cianfrocca in her rookie season at the Mount is the fact she is reunited on a diamond with her sister, junior first baseman Jill (18 runs, 9 RBI, 9 extra base hits, including 3 homers, 7 walks, a .565 BA and 1,304 slugging %), who was last season’s Sideline Chatter Essex County Player of the Year, and continues to set the tone as the hard-hitting leadoff batter for this season’s Lions with Abby batting No. 2 in a potent lineup.
“We haven’t played together since 8-and-under ball so it’s been great to be with Jill again in the same lineup,” said Abby. “When we were young, we always thought that one day we’d play together again in high school and now to have her hitting in front of me I know that she’ll get on base and then I’ll do my best to try and move her along, and that’s a great motivator for me.”
The sisters have been hitting like gangbusters even with teams not desiring to offer up many appetizing pitches in the zone for the Mount’s leadoff batter deluxe who entered this year having already establishing herself as one of the best hitters in Essex County.
“People want to avoid pitching to Jill and frequently try to walk her, but then Abby is there to knock her in, and the two of them have been doing such a great job at the top of our lineup,” said Stern. “Even if I flipped the two of them in the order, they’d still produce similar results as they are now, and Abby has quickly emerged as one of the top hitters in our conference.”
Abby hammered a pair of home runs and had 4 RBI in Wednesday’s 13-4 SEC-American Division win at neighboring Caldwell and went 2-for-4 with a double and 2 RBI while also pitching five innings of 6-hit ball with 3 walks and 5 strikeouts in this past Tuesday’s (April 15) 13-1 win over West Essex.
In this past Monday’s (April 14) 19-0 win vs. Montclair she went 4-for-4 with 3 runs, 2 homers and 5 RBI.
