By Rich Chrampanis
UNION – Even with six underclassmen in the lineup, there were no nerves for the St. John Vianney softball team. After all, this group won the state championship in 2023 at Kean University. And just like last year, the Lady Lancers now stand on top of New Jersey high school softball as the undisputed No. 1.
St. John Vianney scored a 4-1 win over Mount St. Dominic Academy in the Non-Public “A” state championship in a rematch of last year’s title game. The Lions spent most of the spring as the top-ranked team in New Jersey but, like last year, SJV took the top spot thanks to stellar pitching and timely hitting.
SJV started the scoring in the top of the first inning when a grounder to short saw a throw to third base go off the helmet of Gabby Gonzalez who scurried home for the game’s first run. In the top of the second, Gonzalez hit an RBI double smash that went off the left field wall to make it 2-0 Lancers.
The biggest hit of the game came courtesy of Elisabeth Figliolino. The Vianney catcher hit a hard grounder that hugged the third base line. Two runs scored, making it 4-0 St. John Vianney.
The rest of the story was sophomore pitcher Madison McDougall. After a complete game shutout of Mount St. Dominic last year in the state finals, the SJV ace was equally dominant against a still-potent Lions lineup. McDougall piled up strikeouts and had a no-hitter going into the seventh inning. After a hit batter, Olivia Bilbo broke up the no-hit bid with an RBI double to left field to make it a 4-1 game.
McDougall quickly reset and got the final two outs with ease. Her strikeout to end the game was the 300th of her sophomore season, giving her 519 in her two-year career.
“Yeah, I actually wasn’t nervous at all even though I gave up that hit,” McDougall said.
“I was like, OK, we’ve just got to come back stronger here and get the job done. We’ve been wanting to come back here ever since the start of the season. We were talking about how great it felt to win last year and just to come out and win it all again, it’s great.”
The candy rings the Lancers received following the win will eventually be replaced by state championship jewelry. 
St. John Vianney sophomore pitcher Madison McDougall was named New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year the day after winning the state title. 
SJV catcher Elisabeth Figliolino was all smiles after her two-run double in the second inning.
McDougall was named the Gatorade Softball Player of the Year in New Jersey the day after her second state title. She finished with a 26-1 record and a 0.85 ERA, along with her 300 strikeouts and just 29 walks. If that wasn’t enough, she hit. 500 with seven homers and 32 RBIs.
McDougall’s mom, SJV head coach Kim Lombardi-McDougall, won a state championship in 1997 as a freshman pitching for Red Bank Catholic. Her daughter now has bragging rights with two state titles and a chance to add more over the next two years.
The Lancers outscored opponents 269-24, and despite not having the top ranking in the state poll heading into the finals, they were a confident group that used their experience battling a tough schedule throughout the year to once again finish tops in the state.
“We came in with fire, we came in with determination, and we came in with the hard work and the confidence we had all season, and we knew that today we were going to pull out the win,” Filgliolino said.
The Lancers sported candy rings after posing with the trophy knowing that they’re about to get the real thing for the second straight year. “I’m so excited. This is strawberry, by the way!” Filgliolino noted.
St. John Vianney may be making another trip for candy and hardware in 2025. The Lancers will return six starters next year, including McDougall, Gonzalez and Figliolino who all did damage in title number two. But before the three-peat talk begins, the Lancers will savor a 2024 campaign that saw Monmouth County, Shore Conference and state championships in a 26-1 season that ended with 22 straight victories.
The article originally appeared in the June 13 – 19, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
