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Emily Van Cleef arrived with a bang as a varsity softball player.
In fact, there were two bangs. And they were both followed by softballs disappearing over the outfield fence at Phillipsburg High School. It was just her second game as a starter, midway through her freshman season at Hunterdon Central High School.
It was the 2022 Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament final, and after seeing limited time earlier in the season, Van Cleef was in the starting lineup for just the second time, playing third base, and she earned MVP honors with her two-homer, six-RBI performance in a win over Sparta.
Four years later, she turned in an all-time great season in the circle, going 25-3 with a 0.57 ERA. She helped the Red Devils won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division co-championship, return to the tri-county final for the sixth straight season, and snap a string of four straight losses in sectional finals. She also pitched Central to its first state title since 2011, capping it with a win over rival Watchung Hills in the Group 4 championship game.
But Van Cleef’s trek from freshman slugger to dominant senior ace did not follow a straight path. Just over a year ago, a preseason ankle injury threw her quite the curveball.
She was doing speed and agility drills at the gym and was back peddling, and must have stepped wrong, she said, and the ligament in her ankle completely snapped. It was the same ankle she had previously hurt playing volleyball.
The injury limited Van Cleef’s ability to throw a lot of innings at a time, so, after going 21-6 with a 1.76 ERA as a sophomore, she was relegated to the bullpen last season, pitching just 63 2/3 innings last year – all in relief.
Still, as she has throughout her career, she put in the work, relied on her teammates, and has emerged as the 2025 Courier News Softball Player of the Year.
“Once I was able to get out of the boot, I had to grind, because I had worked all winter and I lost all that progress,” said Van Cleef, whose recovery was about six weeks. “So, I put in the work every single day and I was able to come back stronger. And not starting any the games, kind of pushed me to where I wanted, and, for the next year, to come out stronger. I thought, ‘Ok, this year was just my recovery year. I’m going to work and get better and tweak the little things to make sure I come out strong,’ and I think that’s what I did.”
Fortunately for Hunterdon Central, senior Kaitlyn Kozak, who had only previously pitched JV, emerged as a varsity ace last year, allowing Van Cleef the time she needed to heal properly. And she certainly stepped up.
“Last year, I think, she could have (pitched more), but we used a different strategy,” Hunterdon Central coach Kelly Rieder said. “This year, she kind of took the bull by the horns and saw the challenge. She’s very competitive, very determined and she works hard, and it kind of drove her throughout the season.”
“It was a mindset that switched to ok, I deserve to be here and I know that can make an impact and I know I put in the work for this,” Van Cleef said. “It wasn’t luck that I got this far. It was starting to believe in myself and knowing that my team was behind me and supporting me every step of the way really brought me a lot of the success this year.”
Relying on her teammates, and her teammates all relying on each other, was one of the calling cards for Hunterdon Central this season, a team with eight seniors in the starting lineup, all of which loved being with each other as much as they loved playing softball.
Working with senior catcher Cassie Stallwood in her third season as a starter and second as the Red Devils’ top receiver, Van Cleef took things up a big notch this season, allowing just 15 earned runs all season and just 32 walks and 282 strikeouts in 184 innings, with her pitches noticeably faster and sharper.
She also enjoyed another stellar season at the plate, batting .337 with five doubles, a triple and three homers, driving in 22 runs. She finishes her career with 96 hits and 11 longballs.
“She had a little bit more confident in herself and her pitches, and she trusted Cassie a little bit more,” Rieder said. “(The team) kind of grew a little bit and matured a little bit. They’re seniors now and they knew what the expectations were this year and what was needed. I think she just wanted it so badly. They wanted it so badly. They would have done anything. They really just enjoy each other and pick each other up and had fun together. It was more about having fun and enjoying what you’re doing. And she just pitched so well that how could she not?”
“I’ll definitely miss the HC softball program,” said Van Cleef, who will pitch at Boston College next year. “It really, truly was special for me all four years and created some of my most favorite memories. I will definitely miss the girls, but I know they’re all going to succeed in college.”
Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997, and has been on the softball beat since 1999. He can be reached at CourierSoftball@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus