Delilah Tabaka became a softball pitcher after seeing her older sister try it, since it looked like fun.

Few North Jersey batters have had fun facing the Wallington senior in her four varsity seasons.

Tabaka set the Bergen County career record for strikeouts on May 15, surpassing the old mark of 1,062 held by 2016 Immaculate Conception (Lodi) grad Sarah Piening.

The 5-foot-10 righthander fanned 13 against Rutherford, ended that game with 1,067, and added 21 more in two subsequent games. For the week: 4-0, 0.88 ERA, 44 K’s.

Tabaka joins football player Criss Sullivan (Class of 2011) as the only Wallington students to be named The Record Athlete of the Week twice.

“I know it’s not common to get Athlete of the Week twice,” she said. “I didn’t even know my coach nominated me for it. So when she told me, I thought, ‘Oh, wow, that’s pretty cool’.”

One of the “cooler” moments in her Wallington career was playing on the same team as her sister in 2022. They shared pitching duties – freshman Delilah played right field when senior Abbey was in the circle – and helped the Panthers set a program record for wins in a 25-6 season.

“I started playing because of my older sister,” Tabaka said. “I would go to her games with my parents, and her pitching lessons. … I just watched her and wanted to do it.”

Abbey Tabaka began her career at Immaculate Conception but transferred home following her junior year.

“At the time, they had the rule where, if you transferred, you have to sit out the first 10 games or something,” Delilah said. “So that was kind of annoying, because I got half a season with her, instead of a full one, but it was fun because she always pushed me to [achieve] what I was capable of doing.”

The 18-year-old also gets valuable guidance from Panthers coach Andrea “Anj” Piela, a former pitcher at Montclair Kimberley Academy.

“I always knew her growing up, my sister and I used to go to pitching lessons with her,” Tabaka said. “Then, once we found out that she was our coach [starting in 2023], I was like, ‘This is going to be great,’ because have a special bond with her.

“She would give me all the advice she knew, and she also pushes me to what I’m capable of. … She played in high school, she played in college, and she’s been doing lessons forever, so I just trust her with everything.”

The Panthers know they can trust Tabaka as well. She has started two sectional finals – 2022 against Kinnelon and last year at Cedar Grove – and is just as efficient at bat. In those four wins last week, she hit .462 (6 for 13), scored eight runs and drove in two others.

The North Jersey 100-hit club has grown significantly over the years and now includes Tabaka among its ranks. The 1,000-strikeout club is even more exclusive, with just five members: Butler’s Larissa Spellman (1,158), Tabaka, Piening, Ramsey’s Cathy Kaminski (1,020) and Saddle Brook’s Kim Prevedel (1,000).

The 100/1,000 Club? Rutherford’s Giana Yaniero could join Tabaka any day, but for now, there’s only one.

“It’s amazing,” Piela said. “Going into this season, we knew Delilah had a ton of hits, and she produces for us in the 3-spot, but I don’t know if getting 100 hits was even on her radar. But I think she’s having her best hitting season, and she loves to play both sides of the game.”