Very few teams have been able to figure out Montville's Daniella Biggio the last four years, and her latest efforts are proving to be her best yet.
The Mustangs senior owns an earned run average of 1.08 across 84 innings pitched this spring. As Montville prepares for the Morris County Tournament semifinals and the upcoming state tournament, Biggio has found a new gear.
"I've just had a lot of confidence this year," she said. "I get to go out there and play with my teammates one more time, it's very freeing and allowing me to enjoy this."
Biggio has pitched 43 straight innings without allowing an earned run dating back to an April 19 loss to West Morris. Since then, she has appeared in six games and allowed 10 total hits and surrendered 10 walks, striking out 82 batters along the way. Over the weekend, she threw a seven-inning no-hitter against Morristown in the first round of the Morris County Tournament.
It was the first time Biggio had earned a no-hitter while having to pitch a full seven innings since her freshman season, when Biggio did not allow a hit to the same Morristown team in just her third varsity appearance.
When Biggio is not in the circle, her intensity remains. Biggio's 19 RBIs this season are a career-best, including the first five home runs of her varsity career. Her .383 batting average and .787 slugging percentage this season are both career bests.
When not preparing for an at-bat, Biggio can often be seen sitting on a bucket and staring intently at the game. Mustangs coach John Immediato says she's almost an extension of himself as another coach.
"It's great to see someone who has played so much stay locked in the way she is," Immediato said. "The younger girls are able to see how her hard work has paid off. She's always trying to help them be better players and it's what is going to help this program remain strong for years to come."
It's difficult to pick out her most impressive outing during her scoreless-innings streak.
It could be a one-hitter against Pequannock with 20 strikeouts in a 7-0 win on April 24, the first game of the streak. It could also be her no-hitter in the first round of the county tournament, shutting down Morristown in a 2-0 win. That was the first time Biggio had earned a no-hitter while having to pitch a full seven innings since her freshman season, when she also no-hit Morristown.
"It makes my job a lot easier to have a pitcher like her be able to get 12 or 13 strikeouts on average and have to depend on only eight or nine outs from the field," Immediato said. "We stress in practice that the team to get those 21 outs the easiest is who is going to win, so having someone like Dani in that mode is so important."
Biggio pitched on occasion as a freshman while Montville mostly used Caitlin Olensky in the circle. Olensky was one of New Jersey's best pitchers and now plays at Nebraska.
"You know the reputation that this county has with pitchers and this school, so learning under Caitlin helped me understand that level of pitching," Biggio said. "I got to see how much she trusted her spin and her preparation. Every pitch she threw mattered, regardless of the situation or the opponent, and she always was there to pick up teammates, which inspired me to be the same."
Two seasons ago, Olensky suffered an injury that ended her high school pitching career but allowed her to continue playing in the field. That's when Biggio took on the majority of pitching duties for the Mustangs.
"I've been here over 25 years and more often than not, I have a pitcher that's going into the circle and is really going to help us win games," Immediato said. "Dani has really taken it to the next level in the last two years. She has a tremendous work ethic and works year-round."
After this season, Biggio will move on to play softball at The College of New Jersey. Before she does, she has a chance to claim nearly every school pitching record at Montville.
Biggio was a freshman when Montville won its only county tournament title in 2022 and could bookend her career with the school's second championship this spring. She could also end her career in spectacular fashion with the program's first-ever sectional championship.
"I want to be remembered as someone who gave everything for her teammates," Biggio said. "There's a lot of pride at this school and in this town. I just want people to see that I've given everything I have."