They grew up as best friends, a pact that continued through their high school careers at Baldwin.

College sophomores Taylor Dadig and Carly Santillo, teammates since the first grade, opted to travel in different directions for their college careers.

Dadig is a fleet shortstop/center fielder at George Mason while the Santillo mans the catcher position at Pitt-Johnstown.

“Carly and I have remained close friends after high school,” Dadig said. “The last two years, we’ve still updated one another about how our seasons are going.”

Both are second-year starters; both made quick impacts on their respective teams.

The 5-foot-8 Dadig was a four-year starter at shortstop at Baldwin and wrapped up her career ranked among the all-time team leaders in base hits.

She played shortstop last year at GMU and moved to the outfield this season.

Dadig was hitting .370 — fifth best in the Atlantic 10 Conference — with eight RBIs in the early part of the season before all games were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“We were 19 games into our season when we heard all future games were cancelled,” Dadig said. “It’s disappointing for myself and all student-athletes not to have the opportunity to compete, but it’s understandable due to health and safety concerns.”

Dadig played in 43 games as a freshman for the Patriots, a Division I team.

“The biggest adjustment from high school to college would be balancing my time between my busy softball and school schedules,” she said, “but my teammates are always there to help.

“College softball is physically and mentally demanding, so it was important for me to learn how to balance my time to maximize my performance on the field and in the classroom.”

Why the switch from shortstop to the outfield?

“Our team had an opening in center field,” Dadig said, “and my coach approached me about making a transition from my leadership role in the infield to the outfield. I was excited for the opportunity to do whatever it takes to help our team.

“This was my first experience playing center field, but I was excited to be a versatile player for my team. Extra reps with my coaches helped me prepare for the challenges of playing a new position.”

Dadig is majoring in civil and infrastructure engineering and has a 3.97 GPA.

At Baldwin, she was involved in the National Honor Society, Westinghouse Science Honors Institute, Math League, Gifted Program and Special Olympics.

She was an all-section, All-WPIAL and all-state selection, was a Highlander Scholarship recipient and, as a senior, named female athlete of the year.

UPJ, a member of the Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, was able to complete only four softball games this season.

The 5-3 Santillo was hitting .364 for the Mountain Cats. She played in 22 games as a freshman, starting 19 times.

At Baldwin, Santillo was a four-year starter and .400 hitter, an all-section selection and logged a perfect 1.000 career fielding percentage.

“There were definitely many adjustments I had to go through when transitioning from high school to college ball,” Santillo said. “One of the biggest changes was the intensity of practices. At Baldwin, we worked hard, but at UPJ, the two-hour block of practice means business. We work as hard as we can for those two hours.

“Also, we have offseason and preseason workouts, which I never had in high school. From August to mid-September, we practice two hours every day. From September to December, we lift and condition three mornings a week, then have individuals (by position) three days a week. After winter break, we practice five days a week, two hours each day.”

An early childhood/special education major, Santillo had high hopes for the 2020 campaign after she and her teammates had prepared so diligently in the offseason.

“Our team had a lot of potential this season, which is why I am upset it was cut short,” she said. “I knew we would make the PSAC tournament and we’d fight hard.”

Santillo has earned a regular spot on the dean’s list at UPJ and was honored as a scholar-athlete at the end of her freshman year. She owns a 3.8 GPA.

She and Dadig remain friends despite attending college in different states and competing in different conferences.

“Taylor and I stay in touch every once in a while but not as much as we’d like,” Santillo said. “We both understand we are busy during the school year and still support each other in everything we do.

“We are forever teammates, and I am thankful to have a friend like her.”

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