Games People Play: Gia Tammaro Leaves Her Own Crusader Softball Legacy

Gia Tammaro followed a recent legacy of successful pitchers for the Wildwood Catholic softball team. Toeing the rubber for the Crusaders after the likes of Janelle and Allie Weiser and her former Little League teammate, Jackie DeLong, Tammaro faced a bit pressure to succeed.
After more than 100 strikeouts in 2015 and exceeding 100 career hits, the Wildwood Crest resident held up her end of the bargain quite nicely. The Immaculata College-bound Tammaro put every inch of her 5’ 2” frame into each fully exerted pitch and each mighty swing of the bat. She owns the school’s career hit record at 115 and the single season hit mark with 37. She batted .481 in her final scholastic campaign with 22 runs scored and 14 batted in. She doubled eight times.
“Getting 100 hits is something I strived for and a goal I set as a freshman,” said the 18-year-old. “To achieve that goal felt great. The 100 strikeouts was not something I ever set my mind to because I never considered myself as a pitcher. With six games left in the regular season, I received a text from my coach saying, ‘You are 18 strikeouts away from 100,’ so that’s when I set that goal.”
A member of the National Honor Society, Tammaro graduated with a 3.97 grade point average. “It’s not easy to balance sports and academics because there is just not enough time in a day,” she said. “I always set time aside for sports and school work because they were always most important to me.”
The daughter of Theresa and Gerald Tammaro, Gia competed in softball, soccer and basketball growing up. The Philadelphia native played hoops as a Catholic freshman and planned a return to the hardwood as a senior but suffered an injury. She excelled on the diamond and on the soccer pitch during her four years in North Wildwood while earning eight varsity letters in the process.
In soccer she was a three-time team MVP while also earning All-CAL second team honors despite her squad’s lack of overall success. Her maturity was reflected in the sportsmanship award she received as a senior.
“I love how physical soccer is,” said the former Student Council Executive Board president. “The first couple of years were a struggle because we weren’t very good but we all had a good time. Senior year our soccer team got better. We were beating Lower Cape May, 2-0, when I went down with an injury. We had really improved as a team and even standing on the sideline I enjoyed it, especially because of the coaches and my teammates. I looked forward to soccer season every year even though we knew we weren’t a great team skill wise. We may have had four girls who played soccer before.”
In softball her final year included throwing a perfect game. She said the key to the 100 milestones is to “stay focused and realize every at-bat and every pitch counts.” The team captain said she always had the goal of 100 hits.
“To be in the 100-hit club was definitely a goal I set the first day I walked onto the field freshman year,” she said. “It was something I thought about every at-bat. I also set goals when I knew the goal was possible to reach such as 100 strikeouts. When I found out what the school record was for hits I set out to break it and did so with two hits in the last game we played.”
Crusader softball coach Matt Megines credits Tammaro’s mental toughness for her success.
“Whether we’re getting beat or winning, she always gives 110 percent,” he said. “She’s not a kid to worry about the score. During the game she’s a fighter. She’s very smart at the plate and she’s not scared of anything or anybody when she’s pitching. She attacks.”
When not competing in sports Tammaro enjoys being with friends and family and hitting the beach. She identifies softball as her number one game. “Softball is by far my favorite sport,” she said. “I love every sport I play but there is something about softball. I always looked up to older teammates who were successful players.”
Tammaro said she enjoys “being in charge of the game” when she’s on the pitcher’s plate. She said the best part of hitting is, “you get three chances.” She looks at holding the ball in the circle or the bat in the box as “giving you a chance to win the game by getting a hit or a strike out.”
She identified pitching and hitting as part of “a mental game” which requires a person “to play the game pitch by pitch.” When in the circle she tries to “keep a clean mind, look past bad calls and get out of a never-ending inning.” She said her greatest improvement since her rookie season was “shaking off mistakes” and “being more selective at the plate.”
Tammaro will study nursing and play softball at Immaculata. She offers simple advice to those who seek to follow her legacy at Wildwood Catholic.
“Dedication is the key to success,” she summarized. “You need to set goals and always keep them in the back of your head while you’re playing, from the very first game of freshman year to the very last game in senior year. Every game counts.”