By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
HAMMONTON — Jill Ward earned her 100th career win on Saturday during the South Jersey Classic Tournament at St. Joseph Academy, and it’s no surprise that when interviewed afterward, she didn’t speak a word about herself.
It’s an impressive milestone that took only six seasons to reach — well, technically less than five when you take out the COVID year that derailed her first campaign in 2020.
However, for Ward, the achievement speaks volumes about the Kingsway Regional High softball program as a whole; the players, as well as her coaching staff that has been by her side since the start of her tenure.
“It speaks to the program and the kind of girls that we get in the program and the girls that stay in our school district to play here for Kingsway,” Ward said. “They’re all little coaches. Again, my coaching staff, I can’t say enough about them because I couldn’t do it without them. To have the same coaching staff for five, six years now is pretty impressive, and I couldn’t do it without them.”
Under Ward, Kingsway has won two South Jersey Group 4 sectional titles and has appeared in the final in all but one of her seasons. Last year, the Dragons fell to Egg Harbor Township in the sectional semifinals.
Kingsway defeated central Jersey power Hightstown, 11-6, for her landmark feat before cruising to a 14-3 victory over Egg Harbor Township shortly after in the opening rounds of the tournament on Saturday.
The Dragons won the title on Sunday by overcoming a 6-1 deficit to edge host St. Joe, 7-6, and remain undefeated at a 15-0. It’s Kingsway’s best start since the 2021 season, when the Dragons also started 15-0 in Ward’s first season.
“I’m so proud of coach Ward for accomplishing 100 wins,” assistant Erin Bernat said. “It’s such a well-earned milestone. I’ve learned so much softball from coaching with her the last five years. From watching her call the pitches every game, down to her overall game play knowledge, she just loves the game of softball and it’s been such a fun time coaching together, and I’m excited to see her get 100 more wins!”
“Coach Jill is one of the best in the business,” said senior University of Virginia commit Hannah Weismer, who finished the tournament 5-for-8 at the plate with three RBIs across three games. “She listens to our ideas and tries out new things in order to help the team. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for a better high school coach. These 100 wins mean the world to the team and to her, so the fact that we could achieve that for her was yet another highlight of the year. Can’t wait for her to get 100 more!”
Bernat and Weismer aren’t the only ones who share that sentiment. Egg Harbor Township has been the only South Jersey team able to eliminate Kingsway from the sectional playoffs in Ward’s career. The Dragons fell in the semifinal round last spring, and endured a 7-3 setback in the South Jersey Group 4 Final in 2022.
Ward and EHT coach Kristi Troster are the furthest thing from bitter enemies, however. In fact, Troster had nothing but nice things to say about Ward’s coaching — perhaps a true testament to how great of a coach Ward really is.
“She knows her stuff,” Troster said. “She really does coach a good team. They always play the right way. People always wonder, ‘how do you make sure your program wins?’ You do the little things well. She does all the little things right.”
“We always joke that both of us hate losing, but it always ends up being okay if we lose to a program like that,” she added. “And a coach like that. And a team like that. She coaches the right way. Her players play the game right.”
Overall, Ward’s career record stands at 102-20 after this weekend’s action.
Kingsway, the No. 1 team in South Jersey and the No. 5 team in the state, according to the most recent nj.com Top 20 poll, will close the season against quality opponents — Cinnaminson, Gloucester and Bordentown — as well as a must-see matchup with state power Steinert on Saturday.
“I think that their mentality is that we will pick each other up no matter what,” Ward said. “We’re never out of a game. We can always fight back. I’m starting to think they like fighting back. They genuinely love each other. Every player, even coming off the bench, these girls are so positive and they will do anything for the other girls. They understand that this is something special and everyone understands their role, and that’s important because then you have great team chemistry.”
Click these links to see more photos from the milestone victory: https://www.instagram.com/p/DJNM1FOyZWm/?igsh=ZmE2Ymd2a3duaDg0
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJOirRbRZPH/?img_index=10&igsh=MWFkeDdpY256aWo1bg==
