Newsday's All-Long Island softball team 2024

Newsday Player of the Year: Mila Fiordalisi, St. Anthony’s, P, Sr.

Fiordalisi has accomplished just about everything at the high school level.

She’s been in the circle for three straight state CHSAA championships with St. Anthony’s. And in each of those years, she was named the NSCHSAA pitcher of the year.

The Cornell commit added a new piece of hardware this year by winning the Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year award.

“I always saw people win this award and I would say, ‘That’s so cool, I can only dream about that,’ ” Fiordalisi said. “To actually win it has been really surreal.”

Fiordalisi had a 21-0 record with 206 strikeouts in 124 innings. She had a 0.56 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP and held opponents to a .113 batting average.

“I worked a lot more on my spin and my changeup this year,” Fiordalisi said. “But so much of it is mental. A lot of it just came from really believing in myself more than ever before.”

Newsday Nassau Player of the Year: Lia Fong, Bellmore JFK, P, Sr.

When Lia Fong transferred to Bellmore, it gave the Cougars the opportunity to reach uncharted territory.

Fong struck out 201 batters and posted a 2.21 ERA as she led Bellmore to its first county final appearance, county title and Long Island championship. The Swarthmore commit, who was named Nassau pitcher of the year by the coaches, also hit .405 with 20 RBIs and a .463 OBP.

Fong pitched in eight playoff games, allowing no more two earned runs in each of those games. In game 3 of the county title clinching matchup against MacArthur, Fong allowed one run and drove in two runs.

Newsday Suffolk Player of the Year: Olivia DeRose, Sachem East, P, Sr.

To see Olivia DeRose’s impact for Sachem East, look no further than five games leading up to the state semifinals, where the senior posted four shutouts and a 0.18 ERA across 38 innings.

With a county final appearance on the line in a matchup against previously undefeated Riverhead, DeRose struck out 12 in a no-hitter. In the previous round against North Baylon, DeRose allowed one run and struck out eight in 10 innings. The SUNY Oswego commit also drove in the go-ahead run with a triple in the final inning.

Shutouts in Sachem East’s first county final title win against North Babylon and the Long Island championship against Oceanside, brought DeRose’s season totals to 138 2/3 innings pitched with a 1.17 ERA and 184 strikeouts.

Kiara Bellido, Floyd, SS, Sr.

The Syracuse commit hit .583, slugged .967 and had a 1.599 OPS. Bellido had 16 extra-base hits, scored 21 runs, drove in 15 and struck out just twice.

Bella Cruz, St. Anthony’s, CF, Sr.

The UConn commit hit .479 with 41 runs scored and 17 RBIs. Cruz had a .558 OBP, 1.188 OPS and went 31-for-31 in stolen-base attempts.

Mya Marelli, Riverhead, P, Jr.

Marelli (20 wins) had 221 strikeouts, a 0.91 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. The junior also hit .475 with 20 RBIs and three home runs. She had a .754 slugging percentage and a 1.316 OPS.

Erin McDaid, Smithtown West, P, Jr.

McDaid (17 wins) had 220 strikeouts and a 1.02 ERA. The junior hit .456 with 30 RBIs and three home runs, and had a .614 OBP.

Lauren McSweeney, Islip, Sr.

McSweeney (20 wins) struck out 255 batters and had a 0.81 ERA. The Suffolk Class A pitcher of the year and Mercy commit hit three home runs and had 29 RBIs.

Jackie Morra, St. Anthony’s, SS, Sr.

The Villanova commit, who hit .418 with three home runs, 33 RBIs and 26 runs scored, was named the NSCHSAA Player of the Year. Morra also had a 1.255 OPS.

Juli Murillo, St. Anthony’s, 3B, Jr.

Murillo hit .569 with three home runs, seven triples, 33 RBIs and 30 runs scored. The junior also had a .618 OBP and a 1.634 OPS.

Sophie Nesturrick, Oceanside, C, Sr.

The Fordham commit hit .415 and drove in 31 RBIs for the Nassau Class AAA champions. The senior played strong defense behind the plate and allowed just on passed ball all season.

Lauren O’Brien, Massapequa, CF, Sr.

O’Brien, who was named Nassau player of the year by the coaches, hit .403 with 17 RBIs and had a a 1.043 OPS. The senior scored 25 runs, stole 12 bases and had a perfect fielding percentage (1.000).

Julia Parise, East Meadow, P, Sr.

Parise hit .466 with five home runs and 17 RBIs. The Southern New Hampshire commit drove in 17 runs, drew 18 walks and had a 1.442 OPS.

Taylor Renny, Syosset, CF, Fr.

Renny hit .476 with two home runs and 19 RBIs. The freshman also scored 31 runs and stole 26 bases.

Megan Wegel, North Babylon, CF, Sr.

The Suffolk Class AAA player of the year hit .531 and had 25 RBIs, earning a second straight All-Long Island first-team appearance. The Molloy commit had three homers, 12 doubles and 15 walks.

Ava Zicchinelli, Miller Place, P, Jr.

Zicchinelli struck out 200 batters and pitched to a 1.12 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 156 ⅓ innings to help lead Miller Place to its first Long Island Class A title. She batted .469 with 29 runs and 18 RBIs, and had a 1.172 OPS.

Nassau Coach of the Year: Krista Thorn, Bellmore JFK

No coach was able to orchestrate an in-season turnaround as well as Thorn. With a record of 5-8 through 13 games, Bellmore won nine of its next 11 games, securing the program’s first county and Long Island titles.

Suffolk Coach of the Year: Amanda Stallone, Sachem East

Putting a young team on the field rarely results in success, but Stallone got the most out of a group starting four freshmen and an eighth-grader. With a hand from assistant coach Rick Carvaggio, Stallone guided Sachem East to its first county title and Long Island championship.