By STEVE SINISKI
The senior pitcher, who recently fulfilled a lifelong dream by committing to play Division I softball at Marist next year, continues to pile up zeroes and strikeouts for East Meadow.
³After visiting a couple of times, I loved the school,² Viola said of Marist. ³It seemed like the right fit.²
But before setting her sights on the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Viola, like the rest of the East Meadow softball team, has some unfinished business to tend to at the high school level.
After falling to Long Beach in the third game of a best-of-three series for the Nassau County Championship last May, the Lady Jets are aiming for more than just a return to the finals.
³For the seniors the ultimate goal is to graduate and win the County Championship,² she said.
The way Viola¹s pitching, it¹s not unrealistic that the team could be playing well into June. She had a hand in a combined no-hitter over Syosset last Saturday, throwing six innings with six strikeouts and no walks in the 6-0 win, just one day after blanking Oceanside by the same score. In that victory she threw a complete game, two-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks.
³[The no-hitter] was pretty awesome,² Viola said. ³All my pitches were working.²
Her 13-inning scoreless string over two games, along with the final inning of the no-hitter closed out by Lindsay McKillop, increased the team¹s run of shutouts to three straight games.
³Everything¹s clicking with Heather now,² East Meadow coach Crystal Boyd said. ³She¹s a very hard worker.²
For all of the internal focus Viola musters, it¹s the pressure of being the center of attention that brings out her competitiveness. She likes having the weight of the game on her shoulders, and with a five-pitch repertoire that includes a devastating rise ball, East Meadow¹s clearly in good hands.
Viola credits her work with pitching coach Wendy Logue ‹ who like Boyd played professional softball for the Georgia Pride ‹ for the success she¹s enjoying on the mound. Capable of throwing five different pitches, Viola is confident in throwing all of them no matter what call comes in from Logue or even the count on any batter.
³I just realize how important the coaching is,² Viola said. ³They know the right things to do and tell me what to do.²
While the staff is on call when Viola is pitching, the ace doesn¹t need any guidance in the batter¹s box. An injury kept Viola from hitting last year, but the senior is quickly making up for the lost time. She drove in a team-high 14 runs through the first six games, while batting second in the order.
³She¹s always been a good hitter,² Boyd said. ³We just had to weigh the options [of letting her hit last year].²
Fully healthy and on a tear, Viola, who wears number 16 just like her uncle Frank Viola, a former Cy Young Award winner and pitcher for the New York Mets, prefers to keep the focus on the team.
³We have really talented younger players that want to win,² she said. ³It¹s great to see they¹re so motivated.²
