New York State HS Softball Hall of Fame class of 2025 includes three from Section 4

Elmira Star-Gazette

A player, a coach and a contributor from Section 4 will be among 14 people inducted into the New York State High School Softball Hall of Fame in 2025.

Inductees include Union-Endicott pitching ace Nikki Matisi, recently retired Windsor coach Bill Waldron, and longtime Elmira Star-Gazette sports writer Andrew Legare in the contributor category.

The Hall is part of the New York State Sports Writers and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports. A committee of more than two dozen people were part of the selection process.

A ceremony will be held at the Mudville sports complex in Herkimer at 12:15 p.m. June 21. The event is free and open to the public.

Union-Endicott's Nikki Matisi pitches in a 1999 game.
Union-Endicott's Nikki Matisi pitches in a 1999 game.

Nikki Matisi

Matisi, a 2001 graduate, was a three-time all-state selection at Union-Endicott. She twice earned first-team honors and was a second-team pick as a junior.

She pitched the Tigers to berths in the Section 4 Class A final her last two seasons after tossing a shutout in the 1999 sectional final while helping the Tigers make a run to the Class A state championship game. Matisi pitched nine scoreless innings in the state final before U-E lost 4-3 in 12 innings after international tiebreaker rules came into play.

Matisi's career ERA was 0.66 and at the time of her graduation she held the program record for wins with 42.

She went on to play collegiately at American International.

Bill Waldron

Bill Waldron guided the Windsor softball team to three state championships as head coach of the program from 2006 to 2024.
Bill Waldron guided the Windsor softball team to three state championships as head coach of the program from 2006 to 2024.

Waldron coached Windsor from 2006 until this past season and finished with a 302-99-1 record.

Under his leadership, the Black Knights captured three New York state championships (2008, 2011, 2013). They were twice state runners-up and advanced to the state final four six times.

Waldron won three state Coach of the Year awards and guided Windsor to seven Section 4 championships.

Andrew Legare

Legare has been a sports writer at the Star-Gazette since 1992. He has won double-digit individual writing awards and has been part of several awards for combined coverage.

He is a 1988 graduate of Odessa-Montour High School and was inducted into the Chemung County Sports Hall of Fame last year.

Andrew Legare of the Elmira Star-Gazette.
Andrew Legare of the Elmira Star-Gazette.

Other inductees

Other inductees at a glance, with information provided by the New York State Sports Writers and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports.

  • Delores D'Ambrosi, a 1984 Columbia High graduate, played shortstop and catcher. She played collegiately at UMass and Hudson Valley Community College.

  • Susan Reid, a 1991 graduate, pitched at Massena. She was a two-time all-state pick and helped Massena to two state runner-up finishes before attending Ithaca College.

  • Kenneth Conrade has compiled a record of 437-237-1 while coaching Kellenberg since 1995. He has coached the program to two Catholic state titles and is a two-time state Coach of the Year.

  • Carmine Verde is the winningest coach in Section 8, compiling a record of 469-302-2 since 1988 at Long Beach High School. He has coached his teams to three state final fours.

  • Taylor McGowan, a 2011 Bay Shore graduate, was a three-time all-state pick, earning first-team recognition as a senior. She played collegiately at Rollins College.

  • Sarah Maida's three all-state selections while at Newburgh Free Academy included first-team honors twice. The 1996 Newburgh grad played collegiately at the University of Albany.

  • Jennifer Sansano, a 2010 Clarence graduate, was twice named all-state second team and earned first-team honors once. She played collegiately at St. Bonaventure.

  • Jill Regan is a 1997 Wellsville graduate who helped her teams to an 87-4 record. She was New York state Class C Co-Player of the Year as a senior. She played one season at George Mason after finishing her college basketball career there.

  • Isabelle DeChiaro, a 2017 Cohoes grad, was a three-time first-team all-state pick and earned second-team honors once. She played collegiately at Siena.

  • Lisa Ciavardini graduated in 1997 from Brewster, where she pitched and was a four-time all-state pick, twice earning first-team honors. She played collegiately at Hofstra.

  • Victoria McFarland was a two-time all-state pick at Tottenville, including first-team honors in 2011, and played at the University of Albany after graduating high school in 2011.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: 2025 inductees into New York State High School Softball Hall announced

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