Pats' Callahan signs with Fordham Rams BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer From the first time she held a bat in her hands, softball was Nicole Callahan's future. She began playing in the North Howell Little League at age 7. At 10, she was playing both softball (with the travel team Jersey Nightmare) and Little League baseball. The middle infielder was good enough to be an allstar in the North Howell Little League. She was in the league at the same time as Anthony DeSclafani, who, pitching for Colts Neck High School, has become one of the state's top hurlers. Callahan turned to softball at age 13 and has been to national championship tournaments with the Nightmare and has been playing for Freehold Township High School. The many softball tournaments her travel team attended exposed Callahan to college coaches, and soon they came calling. This week, Callahan fulfilled her longtime goal when she signed her national letter of intent to Fordham University. "It's [college softball] something I've wanted to do since I first started playing," said the Patriot senior. Callahan visited several colleges before deciding on Fordham. The decision, however, wasn't that difficult. "Just driving to the campus, I knew this was where I wanted to go," she said of Fordham, which is located in the Rose Hill section of the Bronx, N.Y. Callahan, who was recruited as a second baseman, will major in history and minor in education. Right now, Callahan is hitting the gym for weight training and going to batting cages to stay sharp before travel team workouts start in January. Last week was national letter of intent time and other area athletes made their commitment. Among them was DeSclafani. He had made a verbal commitment in the summer to Florida and this week he made it official. Another Cougar athlete, girls' lacrosse player Aurelie Pluijmakers, signed with Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. Pluijmakers didn't play lacrosse until her freshman year at Colts Neck. She admits she had no idea at the time that the decision to give the sport a try would lead her to receiving an athletic scholarship to play lacrosse. Pluijmakers said she tried basketball, soccer and running before discovering lacrosse. "It was the sport for me," she said. Howell wrestler Joey Langel made a verbal commitment to Rutgers University.