Jill DiMario couldn’t wait to graduate.
Because she knew as soon as it was over, she could represent Nazareth Academy High School again.
DiMario was a senior pitcher on the Nazareth softball team, and shortly after she graduated, she was back on the field playing with her Panda teammates.
And thanks to her heroics, even though she’s a Nazareth alum, she’ll be forever a Panda, and still a Panda player for as long as they keep winning.
After enjoying a terrific regular season in the Catholic League, the Pandas were eliminated from the Catholic League playoffs in the quarterfinals.
But they did qualify for the PIAA state tournament and in the opener, defeated Villa Joseph Marie to advance to the second round.
DiMario did more than just keep the Jems off the scoreboard. She also stroked a double and drove in two runs to help Nazareth advance to the second round.
For DiMario, winning is nice, but staying a Panda is the best feeling there is.
“I think it’s so neat, it feels like I’m there and to play under their name and I love Nazareth so much,” DiMario said. “I haven’t left. There are five seniors. I think not only us, but the whole team, we’re all playing for each other. It’s such a special group of girls. We’ve had a special group every year. We are all so close this year, so sisterlike. We want to be together. Keeping that season going as long as we can is fueling us.”
The Pandas have got a lot out of DiMario’s arm. She’s been a starting pitcher since she got to Nazareth and was part of the regular rotation by her sophomore year.
This year, she was a bonafide ace and was a huge reason the Pandas are still playing into June.
According to DiMario, a lot of that is from her head, not her arm.
Since she arrived at Nazareth, the Yardley native has not only been a great softball player, but she’s been the perfect leader for the Pandas. It’s something that she loves to do when she’s with her teammates because when she picks up a teammate, it only helps them.
“I love being the pitcher, I feel like I have a good way of dealing with it,” DiMario said. “I feel like I have the calmness that I can do it. I try not to get worked up. I try to stay very calm. It doesn’t matter if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, I try my best not to let it get to me.
“I’ve never really gotten rattled easily. I think the recruiting process in college helped me because you know you have so many eyes on you. You know they’re watching you, so you have to set a good example.”
That goes for her teammates, too.
On top of being a leader on the softball team, DiMario was a leader in school, too, where she served on the school’s leadership team.
She enjoys taking on the role anywhere, but especially enjoyed it at Nazareth because the place felt like home for four years.
“I think it’s my personality to be a leader, and it’s something I learned from great leaders,” DiMario said. “My leadership skills strengthened my past four years here being around great people. I enjoy being a leader in softball and in school. I think they go hand in hand. Leadership situations helped me navigate those situations in the games.”
Those situations will help her in the future.
DiMario has a busy schedule coming up.
This summer, she’ll be busy playing softball during weekends, and weekdays she’ll spend working the Lower Makefield summer camp.
“I’ll be one of the counselors, it’s a fun job,” she said. “I’ll work with whatever age group. We do fun stuff, we’ll play anything, wiffleball, tag, any fun outdoor activities. This is my frist year working here, but I babysit for two families, so I know some of the kids. I’m looking forward to it.”
After camp, she’ll head to Maryland where she’ll attend Stevenson University. She’ll also be plenty busy when she goes south.
“I found them through nursing, which I’ll be studying, and their softball program,” DiMario said. “Between both of those, their campus is beautiful and they have a great nursing program. It’s about 30 minutes west of Baltimore. I always said I was going far, but as my junior and senior year crept up, I didn’t see myself going too far. My friends and all the connections I made and especially my family made we want to stay close to home.”
They’re not just getting a great pitcher, they’re getting someone who truly cares about the position she’ll have after she graduates.
“I went to CHOP when I was a kid and I just remember the nurses were so amazing,” DiMario said. “I always wanted to be a teacher. But nursing was my second option because I wanted to work with kids. Now my goal is to work with kids at CHOP. My goal is to work there in pediatrics.”
DiMario will continue representing the Pandas until the season ends, but it doesn’t mean goodbye forever.
She’ll be a Panda forever, and perhaps someday wear a uniform again.
“We love Nazareth, we’re all going to miss it so much,” she said. “I’ll make my way back in some way, come in to say hi or maybe help out at a practice or two.
“I could see myself coaching a little bit, especially if I had kids in the mix. It will be an option once I stop playing, I’ll start to miss it a lot. And I always want to come back to Nazareth.”
