Caroline Muccifori’s talents helped her become the first player in Moorestown softball history with 100 career hits.
Speed and a willingness to change helped make Moorestown High School softball player Caroline Muccifori one of the best hitters in the program’s history.
On May 3, Muccifori became the first Moorestown softball player to reach 100 career hits when she tripled in a game against Burlington Township High School.
Muccifori may not have reached that mark if she didn’t make a huge change to her game early in her high school career.
Muccifori began playing softball on a regular basis in fifth grade and started as a natural right-handed hitter. She was always one of the fastest players on the field and was a solid defender in center field, where she still plays today.
As high school approached, coaches began encouraging Muccifori to make a change at the plate. She was asked to become a left-handed hitter, focusing more on bunts and slap hits where she could use her speed to get on base.
“It was very difficult,” Muccifori said. “My hands, everything just felt so unnatural. I could really only bunt and soft slap. My freshman and sophomore years, I think I only got five balls out of the infield.”
Moorestown head coach Bill Mulvihill said Muccifori’s tenacity and work ethic helped her during the adjustment.
“She didn’t do it great right away, which we knew when she came in as a freshman,” Mulvihill said. “For the first year or so, we were going back and forth. I told her you just have to stick with, keep getting better at it and you’re going to be fine.”
Everything came together for Muccifori in her junior year. After combining for 44 hits in her first two seasons, Muccifori recorded 38 in 2016 alone. Her mark set a new Moorestown single-season record and earned her a spot on the Burlington County Carpenter Cup team.
Muccifori entered 2017 needing just 18 hits for 100 in her career. However, getting there was not easy. After starting the season with an eight-game hit streak, Muccifori had a 3-for-15 stretch in late April and early May. She entered the May 3 matchup against Burlington Township stuck at 98 career hits after back-to-back hitless games.
“Getting to 99 was harder than getting to 100,” she said. “At two more, it seems like you’re light years away. Once you get to one more hit, you have the momentum and you have the confidence. All you need is one more simple hit.”
Caroline Muccifori becomes 1st Quaker to get 100 hits w/ a bases loaded triple vs B. Twp in Quaker 7 – 0 victory. Congrats Caroline!
Muccifori’s achievement is seen as a building block for the Quakers’ program. This year’s team features a core of underclassmen who are expected to boost the program to new heights in the next couple of years. This year, Moorestown entered the playoffs with a 10–10 record after going just 6–14 in 2016.
“We have four impact freshmen and five or six sophomores that have had a huge impact on our team this year,” Mulvihill said. “So seeing someone like Mooch and how she got to where she got definitely benefits us down the road.”
“There’s a couple girls in here now who could easily beat her record,” Mulvihill added. “There’s something for other girls to strive for, to try and emulate. That in itself will go a long way, even when she’s not here anymore.”
Through all of her individual achievements, Muccifori’s primary focus remains on the team. She shows a willingness to lay down a sacrifice bunt or hit behind the runner in certain situations. Sometimes, she tries to bunt for a hit, other times, she’ll swing away. Muccifori said she simply does what she has to do so the team can win.
“I just want to win,” Muccifori said. “Nothing compares to winning, especially with our team. Our team has something special this year.”
Muccifori hopes to keep racking up the hits in college next year when she takes the field for The College of New Jersey. Before she switches to a Lion, however, Muccifori is hoping to cherish every last moment as a Quaker.
“(Mulvihill) is like another dad for me,” she said. “And my best friends, we’re on this team together. They’re everything to me.”
