In 1998, Johnston High School girls’ softball head coach David Iannuccilli was instrumental in helping the Ferri Middle School softball team make the transition from slow-pitch to fast-pitch. Now, 11 years later, Iannuccilli received a plaque from the Rhode Island Softball Coaches Association naming him the 2009 Division II-North Coach of the Year for girls fast-pitch softball.

The awards ceremony took place on June 16 at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. Apart from being the first middle school fast-pitch softball coach in Johnston, he led Ferri to two central division titles. He has also been a Johnston firefighter for the past 16 years.

In 2002, Iannuccilli moved to JHS, serving as an assistant coach under Janet Zucchi. That year proved to be very successful for the two coaches as their team won the Division II-West title and advanced to the Division II finals that season.

In 2003, Iannuccilli took the reins from Zucchi and got right to work, pushing his team to the Division II-West title in 2004 and once again making it to the Division II finals that year. Since then Johnston has qualified for the playoffs five out of the seven years.

The division is made up of nine teams, including Johnston, Iannuccilli explained. This year, JHS came in third in the division and sixth in the state.

The difference between slow-pitch and fast-pitch is as much about strategy as anything else, he said. Fast-pitch is comparable to baseball, with a lot of bunting and base-stealing. Iannuccilli’s team is up to the challenge, though. Shortstop Angelica Beaumier, a junior, was a Rhode Island Coaches Association Second Team All-State selection and also an All-Division II North First Team selection.

"To give you an idea of Angelica's speed, 30 of her 37 hits were bunt singles and she was 28-for-28 in stolen base attempts," Iannuccilli said.

He said the amazing part about Beaumier’s skills is even though teams now expect her to bunt, they still can't throw her out – she just had a knack for putting the ball in the right spot, Iannuccilli said.

Other All-Division II North selections were sophomore pitcher Alaina DeNoncour (second team) and junior second baseman Jessica Carroll (third team).

"[DeNoncour] had an excellent season," Iannuccilli said. “She was successful because of her control, only walking two batters all year."

He said Carroll had a good all-around season for the team this year and pointed out she does “all the little things” a coach asks of a player and knows how to get the job done.

The honorable mention selection was sophomore first baseman Bianca Rossi. She led the team with her 18 RBI and she also had a very good season at first base and she fielded the bunts extremely well, Iannuccilli said.