From left are Maplewood’s Eva Sieger, Gabby Ladd and Maudie Grace Lomuscio of the Montclair Kimberley Academy softball team. (Photo Courtesy of Steve Tober)
MAPLEWOOD/MONTCLAIR — Montclair Kimberley Academy’s softball team is once again led three Maplewood residents in juniors Gabby Ladd and Eva Sieger and senior Maudie Grace Lomuscio, while the Cougars seek a Super Essex Conference-Colonial Division title and also look to defend their state prep B-Division Tournament crown this 2026 season.
MKA, which was off to a 3-3 start entering the April 22 game at the Bard School, finished 12-10 last spring (6-3 in the Colonial Division) while capturing the prep B Division tourney championship with a 5-3 win over Gill St. Bernard’s.
Ladd continues to be one of the top hitters in the SEC-Colonial entering recent action with a .353 batting average to go along with 5 runs and 3 stolen bases through the first six games for the 3-3 MKA diamond squad, which was also off to a perfect 3-0 start in the division.
Ladd, who can play any number of positions with efficiency, including second base and shortstop, is coming off a strong sophomore season when she batted .519 with 21 runs and 21 RBI to go along with 12 extra base hits and 9 stolen bases.
That followed a sensational freshman season when she batted .544 with 35 runs, 30 RBI, 11 extra base hits and 27 stolen bases.
Sieger, a standout shortstop, was hitting a solid .381 through the first six games with 6 runs and 6 RBIs, including hammering out a pair of doubles and also two triples with 5 stolen bases.
Last year, she batted .444 with 20 runs, 9 extra base hits and 13 stolen bases, following a banner freshman campaign when she hit .562 with 46 runs, 41 hits and 19 RBIs with 11 extra-base hits and 23 stolen bases.
Lomuscio, a veteran captain and strong defensive first baseman, was hitting .200 in the early going with 2 runs. She batted .320 last spring with 16 runs.
MKA also reached the prep B Tournament championship game in 2024, falling to Gill St. Bernard’s in the title tilt during a fine 16-9 campaign that included a glittering 10-2 mark in the SEC-Colonial Division.
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