Biography
By Jim Hague
When Patty Clarke took over as the head softball coach at Rutgers-Newark three years ago, she had the daunted task of trying to rebuild the program.
Clarke didn’t waste any time pursuing her first recruit, namely Monica Liotto.
“She was the first real recruit I went after,” Clarke said. “I got the job late and a lot of players already had made their college decisions. I got a phone call from her high school coach (Chrissy Russell at Parsippany Hills in Morris County) and I got another call from someone else. They both said that Monica was an undiscovered talent.”
At the time, Liotto was deciding upon going to Muhlenberg College or Rutgers-Newark.
“She came for a visit and got along with the team right away,” Clarke said.
“I liked the diversity aspect,” Liotto said. “Coach Clarke showed me around and I really liked the way it felt like a small community. I also wanted to study either business or psychology and Rutgers-Newark has good programs in both, so it was a win-win for me.”
But there was a gamble Liotto was taking, signing on to a downtrodden program with a new coach.
“I knew that it was Coach Clarke’s first year, but there was always a chance for us to get better,” Liotto said.
Clarke was ecstatic to land the talents of Liotto, who was primarily a catcher at Parsippany Hills.
“She’s been everything and more for us,” Clarke said. “She’s been our No. 3 hitter since her freshman year and she’s been among our best hitters every year. She came in as a catcher and a third baseman, but now, we’re keeping her at third. I think when she was going back and forth, it was taking something out of her, but now, she can focus at third and do what she does.”
After being a catcher for most of her softball life, Liotto is comfortable with the fact that she’s strictly a third baseman these days.
“I really love playing both,” Liotto said. “Instead of catching one game and playing third the next, I can put all my attention into third base. We already have two good catchers. I just like playing softball in general.”
Liotto is one of three juniors on a Scarlet Raider roster that features no seniors. So she has to serve as a leader along with the other two juniors, Nicole Odell and Monica Bagan.
“I really like being a leader,” Liotto said. “I like being in charge and being the one that other people come to. We’re really good together. We have three different personalities.”
Liotto is off to another solid season. After batting .324 with 26 RBI and 36 hits last season, Liotto is hitting .304 with five RBI after nine games. More importantly, the Scarlet Raiders are off to a solid 4-5 start, the best start of the season in Clarke’s regime.
“We are doing really well,” Liotto said. “It’s nice to be playing for a team that is much better.”
According to Clarke, Liotto gets a lot of the credit for the turnaround.
“She’s been tremendous for us,” Clarke said. “She’s a true scholar/athlete, because she was on the Dean’s list for the spring 2011 semester. She’s a great example to the others, both on the field and in the classroom.”
“She’s able to take any task we give her and go at it full tilt,” Clarke said.
Clarke said that the demands on Liotto’s time will increase further, since she has recently been appointed as a resident advisor in the R-N residence life family.
“They usually don’t take student/athletes often,” Clarke said. “But she wanted to have that opportunity. She takes advantage of every opportunity she gets. Sure, she’s a tremendous athlete, but she’s more than that.”
Clarke cannot stop singing Liotto’s praises.
“I really can’t ask for anything more,” Clarke said. “She’s a special kind of kid. She’s great on the field, a strong arm, a great bat. And no one can question her attitude. I hold her to the highest level. A couple of coaches in Florida said that they would trade for our third baseman and I said, ‘You better give me nine players.’ That’s how good she is.”
Liotto was flattered by that news.
“It’s nice to hear and makes me blush,” Liotto said. “But I don’t want to go anywhere else. I’m going to be here for as long as I can, even longer.”
Liotto is majoring in psychology and hopes to eventually work in child psychology or in a mental health institution after college.
“I want to help those with family problems,” Liotto said. “We’ll see.”
But Clarke knows that she owes a debt of gratitude to Liotto.
“She’s a pioneer,” Clarke said. “No one played summer ball before she came. Now they understand what it takes to be successful. Morning practices, two-a-days. Because Monica plays summer ball, she understands more than anyone. She definitely understands me and my system. Seriously, she was the answer to my prayers. She was the first to commit and she started the ball rolling. We’ve only become better and stronger and she’s the one who got them all to believe.”
“Things are really going well,” Liotto said. “I just hope we can keep it up. Right now, I think I’m in a little bit of a slump, but I’ll come around.”
And as for being a permanent third baseman?
“I really like it,” Liotto said. “It’s one of the best positions and we have such a good defense. I like the fact that it’s based on reaction time. It’s a good position for me.”
Liotto then paused.
“As long as I don’t get hit in the face,” she laughed.
Chances are, with her skill, her reaction skills and her leadership, Liotto is going to be a fixture at third for the rest of this season and beyond.
