Pinpoint control helps set apart Edison softball star Gabby Milazzo
Gabriela Milazzo, better known as Gabby, is following a junior season in which she was a first-team all-state pitcher with a stellar senior campaign that has seen her surge past 300 career strikeouts.
Milazzo, who turns 18 this month, has pitched Thomas A. Edison to the Interscholastic Athletic Conference South Division Large School championship. The Spartans, coached by former Edison all-state pitcher Liz Warren, go for the overall IAC Large School crown at 5 p.m. May 9 against Lansing at Wells College in Aurora.
Last year Edison made it to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class C semifinals behind the pinpoint right arm of Milazzo. The Spartans are poised to contend for the Section 4 Class B title this spring, the jump in class the result of New York's expansion from five classes to six.
The daughter of Craig and Melissa Milazzo comes from an athletic family. Brother Joe and sisters Izzy and Ana were standout athletes at Elmira Notre Dame, where Izzy was a three-time first-team all-state pitcher and part of a state championship in 2016.
Gabby's control from the circle sets her apart. Through 13 games this season, she walked three batters while striking out 82. Over 56 innings, she surrendered nine earned runs for a 1.13 ERA. Last year she had a 1.63 ERA and 113 strikeouts.
The SUNY Oswego commit can also hit quite a bit. She batted .475 last season in joining Izzy as winner of the Elmira Kiwanis Club's Junker Johnston Softball Player of the Year award. Milazzo, who plays third base when not pitching, had a .537 batting average (22-for-41) through 13 contests while driving in 17 runs.
Milazzo discussed her season and career after a 20-1 win over Notre Dame on Thursday that wrapped up the division title.
Question: What has senior year been like in softball?
Answer: It’s been a lot of fun and I think all of us seniors, since there’s a lot of us, we’re just trying to cherish it and trying to get back to where we were last year to end on a good note.
Q: What has stood out about playing at Edison?
A: There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but most are ups. It’s just been a lot of fun and all the different girls who have been through here are a lot of fun.
Q: What has drawn you to softball?
A: I think my family because all my sisters played it and my brother has played. And because my dad was a coach growing up. He was my coach from very young and I played with my sisters on their older teams. They made me like it a lot.
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Q: What stood out about watching Izzy play?
A: I think the environment. I just really wanted to do it. It looked like a lot of fun.
Q: What did you learn from Izzy?
A: She didn’t show a lot of emotion – good or bad. I think I took that a lot from her. The way I do everything I kind of just watched her do it and copied it.
Q: What have you learned from Coach Warren?
A: A lot. She’s very positive. Just staying positive all the time is a good thing to learn from her. If I do something bad or I miss a spot, she always picks me up and makes sure I’m OK.
Q: What makes you such an effective pitcher?
A: How I move the ball. I don’t think I necessarily throw that hard, but I think that I can move it in a way that’s effective.
Q: Any correlation with hitting your spots and being such a good 3-point shooter in basketball?
A: (Laughs) I don’t know, maybe.
Q: Goals for the rest of the season?
A: We’re just going to try to keep our energy high and go as far as we can and be positive all the way through.
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This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Q&A with Thomas A. Edison softball standout Gabby Milazzo
