Season Stats: 20 wins (one by forfiet) 0 losses shut outs: 17 Innings pitched: 129 Strike outs: 257 Hits allowed: 35 Earned runs allowed: 2 Batting Average: .302 Doubles: 1 Triples: 0 Home Runs: 6 RBI:19 Runs Scored:20 Career Stats: Games Pitched: 78 62 wins 16 losses Shut Outs: 47 Strike Outs: 844 Awards: Philadelphia Inquire All South Jersey First Team Philadelphia Inquire Player of the Year Courier Post Player of the Year Burlington County Times Player of the Year First Team All Burlington County Associated Press First Team All State

photo by Matt for GoBlue Photography  "The Gun" winds up for a pitch

By Bill Iezzi Inquirer Staff Writer:  Florence's Melissa Mehrer finished the season 19-0 with 16 shutouts, only six runs allowed, and an NJSIAA Group 1 state championship. »  To imagine Florence winning the NJSIAA Group 1 state softball title without pitcher Melissa Mehrer, flash back to April 28, the first day of the two-day Hammonton Invitational. Unranked Florence was matched against Lenape, then ranked No. 1 in South Jersey by The Inquirer. It was small school vs. big school. But Florence had no David to fling anything at Goliath. Mehrer, the Flashes' top pitcher, was sidelined by illness. So sophomore Kelly Garganio tried for her second straight win with the ace on the bench. Lenape won, 7-3, to hand Florence what turned out to be its only loss of the season. Garganio and catcher Chelsea Kehr said the likelihood of Florence beating the Indians would have increased with Mehrer in the circle, and Florence coach George Chwastyk agreed. So winning a state championship without Mehrer was improbable. After all, Mehrer, whose record was 5-0 with five shutouts at the time of the Lenape loss, finished the season at 19-0 with 16 shutouts, the most in South Jersey. The righthander led the Flashes to the Burlington County League Freedom Division title, the Central Jersey Group 1 crown, a 23-1 record, and the only state title by an area softball team. Mehrer finished a four-year pitching career by shattering two school records that had stood since 1992. The senior broke Amy Imgum's career strikeout record of 725 by recording 848 strikeouts and Imgum's shutout record of 12 by finishing with 17. Because of all that, Mehrer is The Inquirer's South Jersey softball player of the year. "The records were cool," said Mehrer, who won a full ride to Monmouth University next fall and will concentrate on elementary education and biology. "Not only did we win a state title," she said, "but as an individual, to break a school record was, well, I wanted to get as far as I could and put a cap on my senior year." To break a shutout record, a pitcher needs a good supporting cast, and the honors student acknowledged the contribution of her teammates. "The defense was phenomenal," Mehrer said. "I didn't have to worry about striking people out. On ground balls and pop-ups, they'd get them out. Plus, there was Chelsea's arm [to throw out base stealers]. This was the strongest team defensively in the last four years." The team took pride in breaking the shutout record, said Chwastyk, who marveled at how chemistry and talent came together on a team that worked hard for a common goal and achieved it. "I would have liked our chances for the game with Melissa Mehrer against Lenape," said Chwastyk, a modest man who takes pride in both the team that he has coached for seven years and the Florence community in which he was raised. Mehrer, the second of two children born to Earl and Georgeann Mehrer, lives in a twin home in Florence with her parents and grandmother, Mary Mehrer. It's Mary Mehrer who clips and saves the newspaper articles about her granddaughter. It's Melissa and her teammates who have gained softball supremacy and have themselves household names. "That [Saturday] night [after winning the state title], we rode in a fire truck around the town, then to a restaurant," Mehrer said. "It still feels better than I could have imagined." Contact staff writer Bill Iezzi at 856-779-3826 or biezzi@phillynews.com