sports preview - spring 2012

March 29, 2012

PROSPECTS FORTHE SEASON

COVERAGE OF BOTH BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ TEAMS

OF BOTH BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ TE

21 SC H O O L S

A PREVIEW OF THE 2012 HIGH SCHOOL SEASON

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Baseball/Softball Preview is an advertising supplement to the HERALD Community Newspapers. Copyright © 2012 Richner Communications, Inc.

Published by Richner Communications, Inc. 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530 (516) 569-4000 • www.ilherald.com

Baseball/SoftballPreview

A special advertising supplement to the HERALD Community Newspapers

MARCH 31, 2011

PublishersCLIFFORD RICHNERSTUART RICHNERExecutive Editor

JOHN C. O’CONNELLSection Editor

TONY BELLISSIMOEditorial Designer

JEFFREY A. NEGRINProduction Manager

KAREN MENGELProduction Assistant

SHEAUWEI PIDDArt Director

CRAIG CARDONEPhoto Editor

CHRISTINA DALYPhoto Editing

ALYSON GOODMANVice President of SalesRHONDA GLICKMANSales Administrator

JANIE FAHEY-McGEEPage Editors JEFF BESSEN

SCOTT BRINTONCHRIS CONNOLLY

ANDREW HACKMACKAccount Executives MIMMA BARONE

JOAN BATTINOROBERT CUMMINGSNANCY FRIEDMAN

ELLEN FRISCHJILL KAPLAN

VICKI KAPLANKAREN RESNICK

ON THE COVER

Cover Design - Jeffrey A. NegrinPhotos by - Jeff WilsonCover Photos - Claudia Law (Mepham),Robbie Rosen (Calhoun)

Cover Design - frey A NegrinJeff

PLAY BALL!A RELIEF FOR ALL PITCHERS

P rior to the 2011 high school softball season, the New York State

Public High School Athletic Association made a wise deci-sion when it approved a mea-sure to adopt 43 feet as the pitching distance for varsity and junior varsity softball. The distance was previously 40 feet. The result was an increase in run production, less lofty strikeout totals, far fewer no-hit games, and, in general, a more competitive balance in the confrontation between pitcher and batter. This year, baseball is in the forefront for making a sensible switch to BBCOR bats. This decision should not only result in reduced earned run averages for pitchers, and fewer home runs and lower batting averages for hitters, but it should also cut down on the frequency of pitchers and infielders being struck and injured by bat-ted balls. BBCOR bats are designed to perform more like wood bats, and limit the speed at which the ball travels. It is estimated BBCOR bats outperform wood bats by merely five percent. While many associa-tions have mandated that only wood bats be used, the cost of replacing wood bats that have splintered is exorbitant. BBCOR bats appear to be a perfect compromise for those pushing for all-wood usage. While the numbers that show up in boxscores will differ most, the main rea-

son for the switch is aimed at keeping high school pitchers on the mound as opposed to the emergency room. The constant improvements that were made to heighten the performance of aluminum bats left hitters at a huge advantage, and pitchers vulnerable to line drives being hit right back to the box. A couple of seasons back, a 16-year old pitcher from a San Francisco suburb was struck just above the right ear by a batted ball that was estimated to be moving at 120 miles per hour. The pitcher needed sur-

gery to remove a portion of his skull, and then was put in a medically induced coma. He spent nearly two months in the hospi-tal, and his life changed forever. A change needed to be made. The drawback for high school mashers is that now, rather than watching home runs leave the yard, they may have to settle for doubles or watch an outfielder corral a long fly ball. Pitchers unable to get out of the third or fourth innings may find them-selves going the distance. Coaches will need to go outside of the grip and rip style to put runs on the board, and utilize small ball techniques. For baseball purists, manufacturing runs is a breath of fresh air. Skills that had become passé, like bunting, using the hit-and-run, advancing runners with ground balls, sac-rificing, and stealing bases, will be very much back in style. Welcome back old-school baseball. The pitchers have missed you.

High School Sports

ANDREW MCCLURE

Baldwin Bruins ............................................3Calhoun Colts (Bellmore-Merrick) ............... 4Carey Seahawks (Franklin Square) ............. 5Clarke Rams (Westbury) ............................ 6East Meadow Jets ...................................... 7East Rockaway Rocks ..................................8Elmont Spartans ........................................ 9Hewlett Bulldogs ...................................... 10Kennedy Cougars(Bellmore-Merrick) ................................... 11Lawrence Golden Tornadoes ..................... 12Long Beach Marines ................................. 13

Lynbrook Owls .......................................... 14Malverne Mules ........................................ 15Mepham Pirates(Bellmore-Merrick) ................................... 16Oceanside Sailors .................................... 17Sewanhaka Indians (Floral Park)............... 18South Side Cyclones..................................19Valley Stream Central Eagles .................... 20Valley Stream North Spartans .................. 21Valley Stream South Falcons .................... 22West Hempstead Rams ............................ 23

INDEX

BASEBALL1. Chris Appell (Clarke) ..................... P2. Brian Bilello (Lynbrook) ................ C3. Christian Colletti (South Side)....... P4. Brian Lau (Oceanside) .................. C5. Robbie Rosen (Calhoun)............. 3B6. Mike Russ (Oceanside) ................. P7. Noah Shulman (Kennedy) ........... SS8. Harry Smith (Carey) .................... OF9. Frank Trimarco (Calhoun) .............. P10. Alex Weingarten (Lynbrook) ......... P

SOFTBALL1. Danielle Cutuli (East Meadow) .... SS2. Ashley Davis (Oceanside) ............. P3. Danielle Ferrara (Clarke) ............. 1B4. Claudia Law (Mepham) ................ C5. Ashley Martin (Long Beach) .......... P6. Kelsey McLaughlin (Long Beach).. SS7. Carly Mertens (Baldwin) ............... P8. Nicole Milano (Oceanside) ........... C9. Dana Morgante (V.S. North) .......... C10. Ashley Tkacsik (V.S. South) ......... P

TOP 10

WEINGARTENAlex ....................... LYNBROOK

Photo by - Ron Manfredi

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arch 29, 2012 — Baseball/Softball Preview - Herald Comm

unity Newspapers

BY TOM JORDAN

T he Bruins are so young they should be called the Cubs . On most da ys, coach Frank Esposito is lik ely to

pencil as many freshmen into his star ting lineup as seniors, and the vast majority of the team is comprised of underclassmen. “We’re going to be a y oung club this year,” he said. “We’re going to be scrapping for whatever we can.” That, of course, does not mean they won’t be competitive in Conference AA-I, where they finished 12-10 a y ear ago. It’s not like they’ll be the Chica go Cubs. Esposito is comfortable with his team’s tal-ent level and confident tha t it will benefit from its foremost strength — speed. “We’ll be a ble to r un on people ,” he said. Then there is something else: the Br u-ins may be young, but they’re not wholly without experience. Co-captain Danny Capone, a junior infielder , has been with the program since the ninth g rade, and junior outfielders R yan Mahoney and Travis Hylton were starters on last y ear’s team. Infielder Danny DeGregorio, an all-league selection last spring, is the onl y senior assured a spot in the star ting line-up. He and Capone form the club’s nucleus, and Esposito is counting on them to “set the tone.” So far, so good. “T hey’ve been in the right mind to pla y,” Esposito said. “Ev ery day at 3 o’c lock, they’ve been in the g ym ready to go.” That enthusiasm and a r un of weather so unexpectedly mild that the team has spent a t least thr ee days every week outside has helped Esposito to assess what he has. “We had a r eal good idea b y March,” he said. In addition to Ca pone, DeGregrio, Mahoney and Hylton, sophomor e second baseman Matt Lyle will lik ely become a fixture in the starting lineup. Nolan Miller and Nico Arellano are battling for the nod at first base , Anthony Capone and Eric Malone are stating their cases in left field, while Joe LoBello and Ma tt Partridge will share playing time behind the pla te. Keifer

Teurfs, Christian Sullivan and Ma tthew Heins are the pitchers.

Lady Bruins loaded with talent

A year ago, coach Tom Llewellyn and his Lady Bruins were in a similar position to the baseball team this

year – trying to figur e out how to compete with a very young team. T hey figured it out. All they did was go 16-3 and win the conference. There were several reasons for their success, but none more obvious than the contributions of starting pitcher Carly Mertens, who went 12-2 and also hit .639 with 10 homers out of the leadoff spot. Mertens drove in 64 runs, sported a .687 on-base percentage and str uck out 71 ba t-ters in 85 innings pitc hed. To top it off, her fielding per centage was 1.000, also known as perfect. Mertens’ battery mate, catcher Liza Ueno, was no slouc h either. On her wa y to earning All-Conference honors, Ueno bat-ted .581, drove in 26 r uns in 19 g ames and reached base at a .659 c lip. Third baseman Olivia Phillips (.580 ba tting average, 32 RBIs), first baseman Jill Bello vin, second baseman Jackie Fisher and shor tstop Jade Aponte complete the infield. In the outfield are Kamari Somers and J essica Pulis, who doubles as a pitc her. There is one outfield spot open for competition, and Lle wellyn said there are four or five candidates there. Even with all the fir epower in his line-up and on the pitc hing rubber, Llewellyn says the team’s biggest strength is its glove work. “We have a c hance to play really good defense,” he said, “and tha t is going to be our strongpoint.” The Lady Bruins will be tested r egu-larly in Conference AA-II, which includes defending Nassau Class AA c hampion Farmingdale, Hicksville, Plainview, Ken-nedy, Calhoun, Port Washington, and Free-port. Though the young team didn’t exactly struggle along in 2011, Lle wellyn thinks

last year’s growing pains could be a posi-tive. “We have the benefit of a whole year of experience to gether. We put in a lot of work together, and it’ ll make us a better team.” If they are better, look out.

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Photos by Ron Manfredi

2012 HERALD High School BASEBALL / SOFTBALL Preview

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 @ Syosset 10:30 a.m. 10 Syosset 10:30 a.m. 12 @ Syosset 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m. 17 Farmingdale 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m. 23 Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 26 Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 30 Freeport 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Freeport 4:30 p.m. 3 Freeport 4:30 p.m. 7 Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 9 Oceanside 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m. 30 Farmingdale 4:30 p.m.

April 2 @ Port Washington 4:30 p.m. 11 @ Calhnoun 4:30 p.m. 16 Freeport 4:30 p.m. 18 Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 20 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 21 Port Washington 10:30 a.m. 24 Plainview 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Freeport 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 8 Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

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F U N E R A L H O M E

CALHOUN

Photos by Jeff Wilson


BY STEVE SINISKI

C alhoun backed up defense of its Nassau Class AA baseball title in 2010 with an undefea ted league

campaign (20-3 overall, 15-0 in Confer ence AA-II) and a r un to the semifinals last spring. Arguably just as experienced, if not more, in ’12, the Colts r eturn three pitchers to their r otation who all finished undefeated in confer ence play and team them up with another powerful lineup. Seniors Frank Trimarco, Alex Vargas and Thomas Viverito are the workhorses on the mound and will g et support from classmates Jon Goldberg and Sal Ar maio. Senior Mike Grossane, who missed time in the spring camp because of an injury, could provide an additional shot in the arm to the alr eady deep pitching staff. Like the New York Yankees, Calhoun has its own A-Rod, senior Alex R odriguez, although he does pla y a dif ferent posi-tion—catcher. The lineup is anc hored by two return-ing All-County pla yers, Trimarco, who will play first base on the da ys he isn ’t pitching, and senior third baseman Robbie Rosen. “He’s a solid thir d baseman and he can flat out hit,” coac h Joe Corea said of Rosen, a key to the r un production. “And he hits with power.” Viverito is also an outfielder and expected to be a k ey ingredient in the mid-dle of the order, along with senior shor t-stop Zach Goldstein, one of the team’s two co-captains with T rimarco. Goldstein and Vargas are excellent contact hitters a t the top of the order, while Rodriguez has devel-oped into a r un-producing threat as well. “We should hit the ball w ell,” Corea said. “We have a little bit of everything, power and speed.” The roster includes nine seniors, seven of whom have already signed on to pla y baseball in college, and the hope is that the returning experience has alr eady put the Colts ahead of the curve in terms of prepa-ration. “We can talk a bout the finer points of the g ame,” Corea said of spring camp. “They all know what to do, and they are all self-motivated.”

Lady Colts creating a new buzz

C alhoun’s gradual turnaround on the softball field continues in 2012 w here a new goal has enter ed team discus-

sions this spring: a ber th in the Nassau County playoffs. A strong core of return-ing All-Division players plus young, but experienced players at a number of posi-tions has the Lad y Colts aiming to set the bar even little higher on the softball field. Senior Danielle Losee, a return-ing All-Division first baseman, is the perfect example to f ollow at the plate. One of the team’s table setters, she couples a g reat batter’s eye with the pa tience to wait f or her pitch. On top of that, Losee has developed into a team leader. And if there’s one area where Calhoun is stocked, it’s w i t h u n d e r-class talent . Freshman Lau-ren Trimarco has moved up to the top of the team’s pitching charts and doubles as the shor tstop when she’s not in the cir cle. “She has a handful of pitches that she throws and has good command of them,” Boland said, also marveling at her feel for the game as a freshman. “Not many ninth-graders know when you should throw [certain pitches]. She has the ma tu-rity and intensity of a kid five years older.” Junior All-Division returnee Marisa Marcigliano is bac k behind the pla te, where her ar m is becoming a major asset. On consecutive pitches in a g ame against Oceanside last season, Mar cigliano threw out two runners on the basepaths. Eight-grader Nicole Imhof f is slated as the pitcher behind Trimarco, but she may also see time a t first base and left field as Boland looks to g et her bat in the lineup . Ali Abbene, another returning freshman, takes the field at second base, while junior Gianna Saladino, an All-Division honoree, handles third base. Senior Rebecca Suss, like Imhoff, is a v ersatile defender with a

potent bat. Junior Cassie Beccaris will trac k down fly balls in centerfield, and sophomor e Lauren Savarese, who had eight putouts from right field in an ear ly scrimmage, will play right field.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 @ Long Beach 10:30 a.m. 10 Long Beach 10:30 a.m. 12 @ Long Beach 10:30 a.m. 16 Herricks 4:45 p.m. 17 @ Herricks 4:30 p.m. 19 Herricks 4:45 p.m. 23 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 24 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Carey 4:30 p.m. 2 @ Carey 4:30 p.m.

3 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 7 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m.

9 Mepham 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Freeport 4:30 p.m.

April 2 Hicksville 4:15 p.m. 4 Farmingdale 4:15 p.m. 11 Baldwin 4:30 p.m. 16 Plainview 4:15 p.m. 18 @ Port Washington 4:45 p.m. 24 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 26 Freeport 4:15 p.m. 28 @ Hicksville 10:00 a.m.

May 1 @ Baldwin 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m. 4 Port Washington 4:45 p.m. 8 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m.

Colts remain title contenders

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BY ANDREW McCLURE

C arey baseball ac hieved more in the spring of 2011 than an y team in program history, taking home

its first Long Island title . With just three players returning with extensive varsity experience, the Seahawks will not ha ve it easy in a Confer ence AA-II tha t includes Long Beach, Bellmore-JFK, Mepham, Herricks, and a strong Calhoun team. Seahawks coach Marc Hedquist is looking forward to seeing ho w his team will compete in w hat figures to be one of the toughest conferences in Nassau. “I’m curious to see ho w we perform,” Hedquist said. “We don’t have a lot of guys with varsity experience, but I’m hoping the success we’ve had in the past will r ub off on these guys . The league is going to be very strong.” Senior Harry Smith, w ho hit .361 and banged out f our homers last spring, returns in center field f or Carey, which opens conference play against Mepham. Smith is an outstanding fielder and has a very strong arm. With a f astball that hits the mid 80s , and decent of f- speed stuf f, Smith will also serv e as the ace of the pitching staff. Sophomore Andrew Ris has a pitc hing repertoire that is similar to Smith’ s. Ris will be Car ey's everyday first baseman. Senior Dan Maloney ma y have the best stuff on the pitc hing staff, but needs to be more consistent. Maloney will also see time in the outfield. Seniors Eddie Eymold and Andrew Gentile, and junior T om Dente should all see time on the mound. Eymold, who hit .369 as a junior , and Gentile will handle cor ner outfield positions. Steven Marino returns at the hot corner. Expect Marino to handle c lean-up duties. Jesse Bordeman, Nick Zuvic, Joe Torregrossa, and Darren Rodriguez are all vying for time in the middle of the infield. Seniors Chris Dente and Nic k Safuto are both battling for the star ting catching job. Dente has a str ong throwing arm. Safuto is solid at the plate, so Hedquist will want his bat in the lineup.

Lady Seahawks set for all battles

Carey softball coac h Anthony Turco has a r oster filled with under class-men, but experience isn’t a concer n.

Despite returning just a handful of varsityplayers, Turco believes that his team is deep, and will be pr epared to ba ttle the likes of Long Beac h, MacArthur, East Meadow, Syosset, Oceanside, Mepham, and Massapequa in Conference AA-I. “The competition in practice f or playing time is unlik e that of any other year," Turco said. "T he girls know that production equals playing time. We have viable backups at all positions . I believe the competition will lead to str ong play. We're a young team, but the girls believe we can win." Three pitchers are vying f or time in the cir cle. Junior Ashley Tura to, freshman Jenna Turato, and sophomor e Megan Mannle all bring dif ferent styles to the diamond, and Tur co believes each is capable of getting the job done . Mannle is a solid hitter w ho will play first base, and may also DH. Junior Shannon O'Connell and freshman Keva Moore will handle the catching duties. Both have strong throwing arms, and solid bats. H a r d - h i t t i n g s e n i o r M a r c e l l a Castellano should be the top r un producerfor the Lad y Seahawks. Castellano's ability to play first base or any outfield position gives Turco flexibility. Junior second baseman Erin Gilroy and hard-working f r e s h m a n s h o r t s t o p Mikayla Morsesi ar e looking solid in the middle of the infield. Seniors Elise Lopez and Danielle Sor-rentinto both are pushing f or time in the infield as well. Senior Joanna Carillo moves from third base to center field. Carillo is quic k and has a str ong throwing arm. Freshman third baseman Alyssa Jacobs will play the

hot corner. Turco is impr essed with her softball IQ and str ong arm. Junior Ashley Kelly is also in the mix for time at third. Sophomore Rebecca Gotterbarn can play every outfield position and is a str ong hitter. Junior Alyssa Schurr returns in the outfield f or the Lad y Seahawks. Junior Danielle Kaminski and f leet-footed Dominique Morales will both see time in the outfield.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 Mepham 10:00 a.m. 10 @ Mepham 10:00 a.m. 12 Mepham 10:00 a.m. 16 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 19 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Herricks 4:45 p.m. 24 Herricks 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Herricks 4:45 p.m.

May 1 @ Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 2 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 3 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 7 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 8 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m.

April 2 Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 11 @ East Meadow 11:00 a.m. 16 MacArthur 4:30 p.m. 18 Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 20 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 24 Syosset 4:15 p.m. 26 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 28 @ Massapequa 10:00 a.m.

May 1 East Meadow 4:45 p.m. 3 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m.

Champion Seahawks face tough road

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BY STEVE SINISKI

W inning is as muc h a tradition for Clarke baseball as g reen grass is to the spring season.

The Rams have captured 15 of their last 16 regular-season conference champion-ships, and the r eturn of eight seniors and a pair of experienced juniors onl y keeps the expectations high. “We’re very deep, very strong defensively and very focused,” coach Tom Abruscato said. Seniors Chris Appell and Joe Fusco are the top two pitchers on the de pth chart, and both light up the radar guns in the mid-80s. Senior Matt Seelinger and junior Mike Buttgereit are part of a dee p group of arms that Clarke will be a ble to turn to whether it’s in the r otation or out of the bullpen. On the da ys they ar e not pitc hing, Appell, the shor tstop, and Fusco, the sec-ond baseman, will anc hor the middle infield with senior Joe Calabrese handling the hot cor ner. Seniors Joe Carmine and Connor Donnelly are battling for at bats across the diamond at first base. A backup catcher last season, senior J oe Buffalino has moved into the star ting lineup. Junior John Fogarty, a speedy center fielder, also returns. Clarke is usually noted for a few home-run hitters in the middle of the lineup, but while that may not be the case in 2012, it doesn’t mean the of fense will be an y less potent. “The lineup will be a bout contact,” Abruscato said. “We don’t have that big bomber in the middle , so we’ll have to put the ball in play.” Fusco and Fogarty are again expected to be k eys in the ba tting order, because they have the type of speed tha t can not only drive opponents n uts mentally, but cause them to mak e mistakes in the field as well. Appell is slated to take his turn in the meat of the batting order. “We scrim-maged [a fe w times] thr ew strikes and played great defense,” Abruscato said of his early evaluation. “We just have to work on putting the ball in pla y more consis-tently.”

Seniors driving force for Lady Rams

Success on the softball field often star ts in the circle, and Clarke is set to throw a number of different looks at oppo-

nents this season. T he Lady Rams have four returning pitchers, and each brings a little something different to the table. That experience, coupled with se veral other seniors on a team that fell just one-run shy of advancing into the thir d round of last season’s playoffs has Clar ke thinking big. Brooke Wood, a senior in her f ourth varsity season, returns along with classmate Emily McKay, sophomore Nicole Ran- dazzo and eighth-grader Sarah Cor nell. Wood relies on the mo vement of her pitc hes to keep batters off-balance, while Cornell is the power arm of the group. “If you have good pitc hers they can keep you in g ames,” coach Krissy DeMott said. “It’s nice to ha ve that experience on the mound and gir ls that know what to do with certain batters. “It’s very unusual [the deep staff] because w e’ve normally used one pitcher.” Sophomore Angelica Gargiulo and freshman Selena Ruiz are vying f or time behind the plate. Another plus is the entir e starting infield returns, and all ar e seniors. First baseman Danielle Ferrara and third base-man Mchaela Rotundo are back at the cor-ners, while Aly Smith and Al yssa Colletti are an outstanding doub le-play combina-tion at second base and shortstop. “Most of the infielders have been playing together for four years,” DeMott said. “The commu-nication between them is great.” Senior center fielder Demi Shanahan, who also brings a str ong combination of power and speed to the lineup , is f lanked by three-year varsity player Jen Raichal, a senior, in right field and sophomor es Cha-rissa Perfect and Danielle Ragusa in left. In Shanahan, Ferrara and Wood, Clarke has three potent bats but will be f ar from one-dimensional on of fense. “I am v ery confident that we have a strong lineup and

that we will do things that we haven’t been able to do in the past because of our speed and power,” DeMott said.

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ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 3 Island Trees 4:30 p.m. 9 V.S. South 10:30 a.m. 10 @ Manhasset 10:30 a.m. 12 @ G.N. North 10:30 a.m. 16 West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m. 19 @ North Shore 4:45 p.m. 23 @ Seaford 4:45 p.m. 24 Seaford 4:45 p.m. 26 @ Seaford 4:45 p.m. 30 @ V.S. North 4:45 p.m.

May 1 V.S. North 4:30 p.m. 3 @ V.S. North 4:45 p.m. 7 Mineola 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Mineola 4:45 p.m. 9 Mineola 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 @ New Hyde Park 4:45 p.m.

April 3 Seaford 4:45 p.m. 12 Island Trees 10:00 a.m. 17 Floral Park 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Bethpage 4:45 p.m. 21 @ Plainedge 10:30 a.m. 23 New Hyde Park 4:30 p.m. 27 @ Seaford 4:45 p.m. 30 @ Island Trees 4:45 p.m.

May 2 @ Floral Park 4:45 p.m. 4 Bethpage 4:30 p.m. 7 Plainedge 4:30 p.m.

Pitching, defense to spark Rams

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EAST MEADOW

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BY STEVE SINISKI

A pair of strong-armed pitchers, an All-County returnee at shortstop and a lineup loaded with speed

are just thr ee reasons why East Meadow hopes to take the next ste p forward after a 12-8 campaign ear ned them a ber th in the first-round of last season’s Nassau Class AA baseball playoffs. Senior Matt Castaneda, who has taken off on the mound after spending time at catcher and the outfield during his Jets career, and c lassmate Ben Wright, a transfer from St. Anthony’s, give the Jets a potent righty-lefty combo a t the top of the star ting rotation. Senior Sean Betterly is vying f or time behind the tw o, who each throw in the lo w-to-mid-80s. “Lefties are always nice because they can hold runners on and things lik e that but I’m more excited about the way he throws the ball,” coach Ken Sicoli said of Wright, who enters his first year in the program. Senior Sean Ka plan and junior Ric h Rankl will handle the catching duties. The debut of a ne w bat at the high school level that eliminates the use of aluminum bats has appeared to deaden the ball in early workouts, meaning defense could take on an e ven bigger role. To that end, East Meadow’s defense looks well prepared to handle an incr eased workload. Senior Robbie Healy is back at shortstop, where he also dazzles with the bat — he hit .468 last season — and forms a dynamic left side of the infield with sophomor e third baseman Cody Zafrin. “To have those tw o guys bac k, it’s a stabilizing influence,” Sicoli said. Junior Jack Ritter and fr eshman Brian Kavanagh were battling for time at second base during spring camp , while juniors Kyle Aberasturi and Ma tt Sumowski are both slated to log innings at first base. The outfield defense will be k eyed by senior Marvin Cajoles in center field, with junior right fielder Nic k LoCascioentering his first v arsity campaign. Juniors Sam Sie gel and Robbie Bergmann are both going to get at-bats in left.

Lady Jets eye another big run

Age is just a n umber as f ar as East Meadow is concer ned, and the youthful Lady Jets are hoping

nothing trumps experience as they g et set to battle on the softball field. Coming off a three-game loss in the Class AA c hampionshp series to Farmingdale last season, East Meadow returns eight pla yers to a r oster of 13, inc luding sophomore catcher Madison West, junior T aylor Conti at third base and junior shortstop Danielle Cutuli. “In our case I belie ve 13 will be a lucky number,” coach Stu F ritz said, as he ste ps into the v arsity dugout after thr ee seasons with the Lady Jets’ junior v arsity team and nearly 30 seasons of coaching experience in all. West, who contributed several big hits in last season ’s playoffs on top of her strong defensive play, is bac k behind the plate where she’ ll work with a strong group of pitchers. Hard-throwing sophomore pitcher Ker ri Shapiro showed the poise of a veteran during the postseason and will be pushed b y junior Emma McKillop and sophomor e Sandra Foster for time in the circle. McKillop is also vying f or time at first base along with junior Dina LaR osa, who batted cleanup on the JV squad and enters her first varsity campaign. Foster is also in the mix f or playing time at first. Senior Jenna Dragoon forms the other half of East Meadow’s double-play combination at second base next to Cutuli. J unior Ariel Cornfeld is hoping to carv e out some time at either second or in the outfield, while junior Casey Ka plan also adds depth in the infield and behind the plate. “I can call on an y of the kids on the roster and am very confident that they will give 100 percent and perform,” Fritz said. A trio of sophomores — Claire Travis, Marissa San Antonio and Tianna LaR osa — are set to patrol the outfield. “The whole team is a v ery close-knit

group,” Fritz said. “T hey embody [the term] team and have very good chemistry.”

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 MacArthur 10:30 a.m. 10 @ MacArthur 10:30 a.m. 12 MacArthur 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Hicksville 4:45 p.m. 17 Hicksville 4:15 p.m. 19 @ Hicksville 4:45 p.m. 23 Plainview 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Plainview 4:45 p.m. 26 Plainview 4:30 p.m. 30 @ V.S. Central 4:45 p.m.

May 1 V.S. Central 4:30 p.m. 3 @ V.S. Central 4:45 p.m. 7 @ Port Washington 4:45 p.m. 8 Port Washington 4:45 p.m. 9 @ Port Washington 4:45 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 30 @ Mepham 4:45 p.m.

April 2 @ Oceanside 4:45 p.m. 11 Carey 11:00 a.m. 16 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 18 @ Massapequa 4:45 p.m. 20 Syosset 4:15 p.m. 24 @ MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 26 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 28 Oceanside 10:00 a.m.

May 1 @ Carey 4:45 p.m. 3 @ Long Beach 4:45 p.m. 4 Massapequa 4:15 p.m. 8 @ Syosset 4:45 p.m.

Defense, pitching keys for Jets

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BY TONY BELLISSIMO

M any of the same a thletes that fueled East Rockaway to a Long Island basketball championship

as well as a spirited run to the Nassau foot-ball title g ames will lead the R ocks on the baseball diamond. “It’s a hung ry and talented g roup,” coach Dan Vito said. “Most of the kids are three-sport athletes and coming of f very successful seasons. The chemistry is great.” Last spring, the R ocks won 13 g ames and reached the Class B finals . This year they’re back in Class C and seeking their first title since 2008. “I hope it’ s not too early, but we’re talking a bout winning a championship,” Vito said. “The kids know what it takes.” Vito is excited about a talented outfield likely to feature junior David McClure in right, senior Mikey Lores in center, and senior Tom Dolan in left. Juniors Cameron Ralph and Dylan Delury will also push f or time. McClure, with a smooth lefty s wing, has batted above .300 in bac k-to-back sea-son. He r eturns to the thr ee-hole. “Right field is tough a t our place , but David is sure-handed and has an accura te arm,” Vito said. Lores is fundamentally sound in center and will hit a t the top of the lineup, while Dolan, who batted .365, tries to pic k up where he left off. Senior second baseman Sean Bohan (.397 average) is expected to hit c lean-up and could see action a t shortstop along with junior Anthon y Filoteo, who has impressed with the glo ve in camp. Senior All-Conference third baseman/pitcher Anthony Tesoriero (.340) ba ts fifth and spearheads the staf f. “Anthony’s a power hitter and power pitcher,” Vito said. Junior Billy Humes, a tall lefty with good mechanics, moves into the star ting rotation after w orking in r elief in 2011 and earning two saves. He may also play first base with senior Dann y McClure. The third starting pitcher is undecided, with seniors Mark Hernandez and Joey Lores,

and junior Eddie Car neglia, in the mix. Junior Ben Giliber ti has the inside trac k on catching duties.

Offense to propel Lady Rocks

I f history repeats itself, East Rockaway will be playing some high-scoring soft-ball games like 2011 when it won 15 and

reached the Class B finals . But coach Joe Lores is optimistic the Lad y Rocks can do a better job of keeping Conference ABC-III opponents Di vision, Jericho, Oyster Bay, South Side, Garden City, and Mineola from running around the bases and said the idea is simple. “It’s imperative we cut down on walks,” he said. “We’re familiar with everyone we’re playing. I think w e’ll be a ble to hit. As long as w e throw strikes, we’ll be fine.” Senior shortstop Kerrianne Vulpis, an All-County selection last spring, will lead the team in many ways. She’s literally the rock of the defense and the ignition switch on of fense. “Kerrianne’s a five-tool player,” Lores said. “Anything hit to the left side of the infield lands in her glo ve, and offensively she can hit for average and has very good speed.” The infield r eturns intact. Senior Lindsay Dinowitz, an All-Confer ence choice, has f our years of varsity experience at first base and is also a quality hitter w ho drives in runs. At third base, senior Cara Camarada comes of f a str ong campaign, and junior J essica Cerasoli (second base) rank ed among the team’s top three lead-ing hitters. The Lady Rocks also boast expe-rience behind the pla te in three-year starting catcher Jessica Deptulski, a junior who last season erased 11 baserunners. “She r eceives, blocks and throws well,” Lores said. Senior Katie Seifert and junior Gianna Cilluffo will handle the pitc hing respon-sibilities. Seifert was “going w ell” before

an injury cost her the second half of last season, Lores said, and Cilluffo earned All-Conference honors thanks in larg e part to a strong bat. On days when Seifert throws, the coach plans to find a r un-producing spot in the lineup for Cilluffo. The only spots up f or grabs after two weeks of camp were in the outfield, w here senior Marykate Vulpis will star t after splitting time betw een there and second base a year ago.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ Malverne 4:30 p.m. 3 Malverne 4:45 p.m. 9 @ C.S. Harbor 10:30 a.m. 10 C.S. Harbor 10:30 a.m. 12 @ Wheatley 10:30 a.m. 16 Wheatley 4:15 p.m. 17 @ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. 19 Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m. 24 Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m. 30 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 3 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 7 @ Carle Place 4:30 p.m. 8 Carle Place 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Carle Place 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 29 @ Garden City 4:30 p.m.\

April 3 @ Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m. 12 @ Jericho 10:30 a.m. 17 Division 4:45 p.m. 19 Mineola 4:30 p.m. 21 South Side 10:00 a.m. 25 Garden City 4:30 p.m. 26 Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m.

May 2 @ Division 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m. 7 @ South Side 4:30 p.m. 8 Jericho 4:30 p.m.

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BY ANDREW McCLURE

L ast spring, the Spar tans went into the final week of the baseball sea-son needing to win just one of three

games against Uniondale to assur e them-selves of a spot in the inaugural County-wide conference championship game. That victory never came, leaving Elmont look-ing to exact a little r evenge on conference foes in 2012. Coach Robert Gates likes the makeup of his team. "We lost two big hitters, but we have our top f our pitchers and our entir e infield back," he said. “I'll tak e pitching and defense an y day. This year is a bout finishing. We were right there a year ago. We have Uniondale the last series a gain. Chances are that we'll need to take care of business late in the season." Ricardo Tross is one of the county's hardest throwers with a f astball that tops out in the mid 80s . Tross, who went 5-2 as a junior, has impr oved his secondary pitches. When he's not on the hill, T ross will play second base. He'll occupy a spot in the middle of the order. Junior Danny Aguilo, who gained national attention by striking out 21 ba t-ters in a no-hit, no-r un victory over Hemp-stead, has ter rific control and mix es up four different pitches. The three-year start-er at shortstop handles the bat well. Seniors Alvaro Pimentel and Enrique Sanchez are battling for the third spot in the rotation. Pimentel will play right field, and Sanchez, a f our-year varsity player, will handle the hot corner. Sebastian Pimentel batted over .400 and blasted three homers as a junior . The first baseman should have the oppor tunity to knock in plenty of runs. Catcher Kevin Peguero, who hit .375 as a sophomor e, is working hard on his defense. Junior center fielder Mik e Braun, who will likely hit second, and senior left field-er Darius Guy join Alv aro Pimentel in the outfield. Senior J onathan Green-Groves will also see a lot of time in the outfield. Sophomore Malik Todd should g et plenty of opportunities at the plate.

Lady Spartans hope to compete for title

Coming off a solid third-place finish in 2011, Elmont is f aced with the c hal-lenge of replacing its entire outfield

and a solid pitc her, but graduation was tough on every team in the conference. The Lady Spartans should be in the hunt for a title in a Confer ence AA-III composed of Hempstead, Valley Stream Central, Uniondale, Westbury, Great Neck South, and Herricks. Elmont coach John Squillace is opti-mistic about is team's c hance of earning the league's sole playoff berth. "We should be very good defensi vely, which should enable us to be in e very game," Squillace said. "Our pitc hers are very capable, but they're relatively inexperienced. I lik e the way we're looking in the early going. If our pitchers throw strikes, I'm very confident that our defense will get the job done." Senior Elizabeth Redguard and sopho-more Shelby Escobar will handle the pitch-ing duties f or the Lad y Spartans. While both have some decent experience in the circle, both are works in progress. Each of the hurlers has good pop in their ba t and will hit in the middle of the Elmont batting order. Squillace is hoping f or big things fr om Jammy Ayala. The sophomore catcher had a solid season on the junior v arsity in 2011, both a t the pla te and behind the dish. Senior Alicia R edguard, an ex cel-lent defensive player, returns at shortstop for Elmont. Junior Amba Jagnarine could emerge as the strongest hitter on the team. Jagnarine's ability to play second base , third base, and e very outfield position, gives the Lady Spartans more flexibility. Seniors Rose Daniels and Bria Duhaney will play first base and thir d base, respec-tively. Both have been very pleasant surprises in the pr eseason. Senior center fielder Bria Fisher will lik ely hit at the top of the order and lead the outfield defense. The fleet-footed Fisher should be an ef fective table setter. Junior Natalie Santiago will play left field. Santia-go could bat in the second spot in the order.

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ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 3 Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 7 @ Hempstead 10:00 a.m. 10 Westbury 10:30 a.m. 11 @ Westbury 10:30 a.m. 12 @ Westbury 10:30 a.m. 18 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 19 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 20 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 23 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 26 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 30 G.N. South 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 3 G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 14 Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 15 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 16 Uniondale 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m.

April 2 G.N. South 4:15 p.m. 11 V.S. Central 10:00 a.m. 16 Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 18 @ Westbury 4:30 p.m. 20 @ Herricks 4:30 p.m. 24 Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 28 @ G.N. South 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ V.S. Central 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 4 Westbury 4:15 p.m. 8 Herricks 4:45 p.m.

Unfinished business awaits Spartans

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BY TONY BELLISSIMO

D espite losing a k ey component before the opening da y of spring training, coach Andrew DeBer-

nardo believes the He wlett diamondmen can challenge for a playoff spot in a talent-ed Conference A-II that includes Division, South Side and Roslyn. “Last year was disappointing with only two wins, but we had a lot of youth and a tough schedule,” DeBernardo said. “We’ve had some bad luc k already, but I have no doubts we’ll be competitive. We want to get out of the gate quick and put last y ear behind us.” The Bulldogs will embark on the ne w season without the services of sophomore third baseman/pitcher Zach Benaharon, who will miss all of 2012 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. “His bat is tremen-dous and he’ s also one of our star ting pitchers,” DeBernardo said. “Hopefull y he’ll be 100 percent for next year and other guys will pick up the slack.” Junior Luchiano Morello returns to a spot in the pitc hing rotation after g etting a taste of success last spring. He’ ll play first base on non-thr owing days and contribute offensively every day. “He faced all the tough lineups and did a good job ,” DeBernardo said. Senior pitcher Lyle Alper enjo yed an effective finish last season and has secured a starting role. “He kno ws how to k eep hitters off-balance,” DeBernardo said. The inside track to the No . 3 job in the rotation belongs to junior Tyler Sc hanker, who brings a f astball with zip and a nice curve. He could also see time a t third base with senior Eddie Zaloba. J unior Zach Smilowitz and sophomore Alex Messados are working well at catcher. The defense up the middle a ppears in good hands with juniors J ason Ceccatelli and Matt Isaacs at shortstop and second base, respectively, and senior speed demon Brandon Mar tinez in center field. Flanking Martinez is senior Pat Pasculli in right and junior Logan Grossman in left. “We’re deep on the mound and

versatile,” said DeBer nardo, “but we have to find ways to score runs.”

Youth served for Lady Bulldogs

The offense is lik ely to deter mine whether or not the Lad y Bulldogs make their first softball pla yoff

appearance since 2009, coac h Vinnie Los-pinuso said. “It all depends on how we hit,” he said. “Scoring was a pr oblem last year and we missed the playoffs by one g ame. We’re really young, but we’re going to try to manufacture as many runs as we can.” Left fielder Samara Yegelwel is the lone senior on He wlett’s roster and someone who brings exceptional defense and a con-sistent bat. “Samara’s an experienced play-er we can count on,” Lospinuso said. The starting pitcher-catcher combina-tion of juniors Casey W ein and Sam Can-celarich led last y ear’s JV team and the coach believes they can mak e a smooth transition to v arsity. “They both worked hard over the summer and look good in practice,” Lospinuso said. Wein, who proj-ects to g et about 70 per cent of the work-load in the cir cle, relies on an assor tment of pitches and accurac y to g et the job done, while Cancelarich has a quality ba t and arm. Cancelarich made her v ar-sity debut last year and reached base twice. Junior Gabby Casanova will also pitch and serv e as the team’s starter at third base. She swings a ba t capable of doing damage and could provide a muc h-needed spark. The versatility of sophomore Carly Riv-lin will allow Lospinuso to use her at third base when Casanova pitches, and she can also play in the outfield. Ri vlin and sopho-more center fielder Ga bi Schwartz make for a speed-oriented top and bottom of the lineup, and their baser unning ability will come in handy against Conference ABC-IV rivals Sewanhaka, Lynbrook, Locust Val-ley, Roslyn, West Hempstead, and F riends Academy. Juniors Kayla Sippin, Jara Tell-

er and Rachel Alfassy add to the outfield depth. Anchoring the infield is sophomor e shortstop Amy Vitha, a talented hitter and fielder coming of f an All-Conference cam-paign. Junior Nicole Rizzo will pla y first and bat clean-up, and junior Sydney Rosen-blum earned the starting gig at second. “I like the chemistry,” Lospinuso said.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 Bethpage 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Wantagh 10:30 a.m. 10 New Hyde Park 10:30 a.m. 12 Jericho 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Plainedge 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Garden City 4:30 p.m. 19 Lawrence 4:30 p.m. 23 @ South Side 4:30 p.m. 24 South Side 4:30 p.m. 26 @ South Side 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 7 Division 4:45 p.m. 8 @ Division 4:30 p.m. 9 Division 4:45 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 29 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m.

April 3 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 12 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Garden City 4:30 p.m. 21 Locust Valley 10:30 a.m. 23 @ West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 25 @ Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 27 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 30 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.

May 2 Lynbrook 4:15 p.m. 7 @ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m.

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KENNEDY



BY STEVE SINISKI

F ew teams are going to pack the type of experience into their lineup than Kennedy does, and the Coug ars are

hoping that helps put them o ver the top on the diamond in Nassau. T here are 14 seniors in all suiting up , including Jor-dan Boyer and Kevin Sustad, the top tw o arms in the pitc hing rotation. “We are a senior team and ther e are a lot of three-year guys,” coach Eric Passman said. “It does make a tremendous difference.” The two righties on the mound ar e per-fect compliments, with Sustad a f lat-out hard-throwing power pitcher — he hits the mid-80s on the radar gun — and Bo yer relying more on his of f-speed pitches and movement in the strik e zone. They’ll be throwing to one of the more experienced catchers in the County, senior Rob Del-gado, whose arm behind the plate virtually keeps runners standing still on the base-paths. “He’s like a coac h on the field,” P ass-man said of his backstop. “He knows the pitchers and we rarely disagree on pitches. It’s a tremendous advantage.” The Cougars, who face Carey, Calhoun, Mepham, Long Beach and Her ricks three times apiece, strength up the middle con-tinues at shortstop, where senior Noah Shulman returns. He car ried an average over .600 last season and teams up with senior second baseman Da vid Leiberman, who hit better than .500, to f orm a one-two punch at the plate and in the field. Junior Michael McCormick is back at third base and ste ps into the leadof f spot in the lineup w here his good speed and ability to get on base should gi ve Shulman and Lieberman plenty of opportunities to produce runs. Senior Devin Oken and junior Jake Schwartz battled for time a t first base in spring camp. Senior Jordan Leopold, an All-Confer -ence left fielder, is back, as is senior right fielder Brandon F erota. In center field, junior Matthew Murphy will be trac king down fly balls, while senior Keith Ezersky is versatile enough to pla y the outfield,

third base and e ven act as the designa ted hitter.

Lady Cougars eye playoff return

A solid blend of talent led b y a dee p group of pitchers stands to make the Lady Cougars a tough out on the soft-

ball field this spring. T he roster carries a pair of eighth-graders, a few freshmen and sophomores and a n umber of key upper-class players as Kennedy aims to mak e a return to the Class AA playoffs. Seniors Gabby Calia and Samantha Fin-kel both have a dee p collection of pitches to keep batters off-balance and could g et help in the cir cle from junior Becky Elli-son and eighth-g rader Sydney Yormack. “They all bring something dif ferent,” new coach Tom Piccirillo said. “Ha ving four girls that can pitch gives us a lot of options.” The group will be thr owing to a pair of junior catchers in Kristen Sie gler and Rebecca Tistocchi, and the experience of the pitchers is an added bon us. “It will help the catchers having the experienced pitchers,” Piccirillo said. “T he girls know a lot of the teams w e will be pla ying and will be able to adjust their pitching accord-ingly.” When Yormack isn’t in the circle, she’ll be battling for playing time a t shortstop with sophomore Allison J ones. Eighth-grader Samantha Jones is slotted f or sec-ond base, while Calia, a v arsity player since eighth-grade, and senior Hea ther Hulkhower are locked in at third base and first base , respectively. Having such a young middle infield isn ’t a concern for Piccirillo. “They have been very well-coached,” he said. They both play a lot of travel ball and they ar e very knowledge-able about the game.” Sophomore Lauren Sustad is a r ock in center field, w here her speed and str ong arm keep runners honest on the base paths. She’s flanked by junior Paige Nowicki in right field and fr eshman Missy Mavrogian in right.

A balanced lineup is po wered by Sus-tad, who brings considera ble pop to the plate along with her speed. Hulkho wer will also have a major par t in Kennedy’s run production, which is sure to come in handy against Conference AA-II rivals.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 @ Herricks 10:30 a.m. 10 Herricks 10:30 a.m. 12 @ Herricks 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m. 17 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m. 23 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 26 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 30 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 3 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 7 Carey 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 9 Carey 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 30 Port Washington 4:30 p.m.

April 2 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m. 11 @ Farmingdale 4:30 p.m. 16 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 18 Freeport 4:30 p.m. 20 Baldwin 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Port Washington 4:30 p.m. 28 Plainview 10:00 a.m.

May 1 Farmingdale 4:30 p.m. 3 Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Freeport 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Baldwin 4:30 p.m.

Cougars hit the field running

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Good Luck Good Luck Kennedy Cougars!Kennedy Cougars!

544247

BY TONY BELLISSIMO

A mix of veterans and ne wcomers, many capable of playing multiple positions, makes Lawrence an

intriguing team on the baseball diamond a year after it posted eight victories w hile navigating a difficult schedule. “We have a couple of starting pitchers back, so that helps, and also some pieces to figure out,” coach Dennis Leonard said. “I’m not sure who we’re going to ha ve in certain spots, but there’s no shor tage of options.” Leonard described the first fe w weeks of practice “competitive and lively,” and said the unseason ably warm weather put extra hop in the Golden Tornadoes’ steps. Senior A.J. Gallo, a two-time All-Con-ference selection, will lead the r otation and play second base w hen he’s not on the mound. He ear ned three wins in 2011 and throws a “heavy” fastball, Leonard said, and a sharp breaking ball. “He can be r eal-ly tough when he’s on,” the coach noted. At the dish, Gallo has g ap power is tough to strike out. Also returning to the hill is junior Mike Papalardo, a finesse pitc her with a good command of the strike zone and a combi-nation of size and strength. He comes off a solid campaign as the No. 3 starter and can contribute at third base or in the outfield. “If we play defense behind him, Mik e will keep us in every game,” Leonard said. Vying for the third spot in the r otation are seniors Ste ven Komisarjevsky and Anthony Montilli. Both will contrib ute to the staff on some le vel. Komisarjevsky is one of the team’s most versatile players and could land behind the pla te, at the hot corner, or the outfield on an y given day. Montilli is an option at first base. Sophomore Joey Capobianco, who helped the football team to a county c ham-pionship, starts at shortstop. Sophomore Joe Montilli could emerg e the full-time catcher, while junior Mic hael Fragner starts at a cor ner outfield spot. Seniors Ayal Ciobotaru and Justin Greenberg, and junior Jared Stone, will also contribute.

Lady Golden Tornadoes focus on defense

F irst-year coach Matt Wynn said there’s no reason why Lawrence’s soft-ball team shouldn’t finish with a win-

ning record in Conference ABC-V. “It’s not just a bout wins and losses ,” Wynn said. “I want all the gir ls to enjo y playing and have a positive experience. They’re practicing har d and I’m looking for things to carry over into games.” Defense has been Wynn’s focus through-out March. “We want opponents to ear n their way on base,” he said. “W e have to limit errors and free passes.” The Lady Golden T orna-does, who have Wheatley, Great Neck North, Cold Spring Harbor, Mal-verne, and Roosevelt as conference foes, are young in the cir -cle. Freshman Emily DiNardi, who brings a pitching background, h a s excellent mechanics and a positi ve atti-tude, Wynn said. “She has good zip on the ball and seems to be ar ound the plate with every pitch.” Junior Gabi Golan is another pitc h-ing candidate and a lik ely contributor in right field. She brings energ y, competitive-ness, and a solid lefty ba t. “She’s a gamer,” Wynn said. “She’s the type of player will-ing to do whatever it takes for a team to be successful.” After handling a por tion of pitching in recent years, junior po wer hitter Nicole Robinson will serve as a tall targ et at first base. “She’s a three-sport athlete and the leader of our infield,” W ynn said. “She’ ll be in the middle of the lineup and we need to drive in runs.” Junior Joseline Castillo r eturn with a strong glove at second base, sophomore Ariella Cruz steps in a t shortstop, and junior Alexa Ler man and senior Connie Vollmer will both see action at third. Behind the dish, junior Mic helle Cana-les has excellent blocking skills and a good arm, Wynn said. Senior Alexis Quir ros is also in the ca tching picture, and Wynn

plans to find room for her bat in the lineup. Speedy junior Marisa Bou will set the offensive table from the leadof f spot and patrol center field. Classmates Golan, Oliv-ia DelGrosso and Ca therine Olmedo will also contribute.

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ScheduleBASEBALL

March 30 Malverne 4:45 p.m.

April 2 Jericho 4:30 p.m. 3 Division 4:45 p.m. 5 @ Wantagh 10:30 a.m. 9 New Hyde Park 10:30 a.m. 16 South Side 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Bethpage 4:30 p.m. 24 Bethpage 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Bethpage 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Plainedge 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Plainedge 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Plainedge 4:30 p.m. 7 Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 9 Glen Cove 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 30 Malverne 4:45 p.m.

April 3 G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 17 Wheatley 4:30 p.m. 19 @ C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 25 @ Malverne 4:30 p.m. 27 @ G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Wheatley 4:30 p.m.

May 2 C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 7 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m.

Versatility a plus for Golden Tornadoes

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LONG BEACH



BY TONY BELLISSIMO

T here’s no substitute f or experience, and Long Beac h baseball coac h Jason Zizza is thrilled with the

idea of having 12 seniors on the r oster and believes it’ll translate into more success. “I’ve coached 10 of these kids f or four years and it’ s one of the har dest work-ing groups I’ve been around,” Zizza said. “We’re well-aware of what we’re up against. Our conference has the past tw o county champions along with some of the best coaches in Nassau. Ev ery game is tough.” Facing defending Nassau and Long Island Class AA c hampion Carey, 2010 county champion Calhoun, K ennedy, Mepham and Her ricks three times apiece doesn’t offer Long Beach any relief from the first pitch of the season to the last. T he Marines won three games last spring, b ut Zizza said he’s confident the n umber will rise. Senior Danny Mayper is a t the top of the starting rotation and will be ma tched against opponents’ No . 1’s on a r egular basis. The hard-throwing righty worked as a starter and reliever a year ago. “Danny knows what’s in store and can handle pres-sure,” Zizza noted. Senior Sal Ruscica, a southpaw, has a good fastball but relies more on of f-speed stuff to keep hitters guessing. “He a ttacks the strike zone,” Zizza said. On non-pitc h-ing days, Ruscica will patrol the outfield. He’ll also hit at or near the top of the line-up. Fresh off a solid JV campaign, junior Andrew Judge will g et every chance to be the No. 3 starter. He has a combina tion of speed and strength, and he’ll contribute at shortstop or in the outfield. J unior catcher Matt Firpo is an athletic and solid receiver. Senior Jake Kempinski, who starts at first base, is also in the mix to pitch. Senior Bill Foley is a returning infield starter and will play second or shor tstop, and senior Ben Lerich is at third. Fleet-footed senior center fielder Loren-zo Torres leads an outfield tha t includes

seniors Matt Rizzo and Ben Swan, and junior Steven Suskind.

More expected of Lady Marines

Last season was a r oller-coaster ride on the softball field f or Long Beac h, which finished 10-11 and split a pair

of Class AA pla yoff games with a y outh-filled roster. “We’re a year older and wiser, and I’m expecting more from this group since the b ulk of the team is bac k,” coach Carmine Verde said. “We’re seeded where we belong — fifth like last year — and we’ll try to sho w we’re better.” Opponents will be har d-pressed to contain senior leaders K elsey McLaugh-lin and Annie W inerip, a tandem lik ely to make up the heart of Long Beach’s lineup. McLaughlin, an All-Sta te shortstop headed to C.W. Post, batted .375 with fi ve homers and has a g reat arm and rang e to anchor the defense. “If we’re going to go deep in the pla yoffs, Kelsey needs to ha ve another big year and drive in runs,” Verde said. Winerip is a solid contact hitter (.350 average) and savvy catcher coming of f an All-Conference campaign. “Annie’s a smart and steady ballplayer and I’m hoping she builds off last season,” Verde said. On the receiving end of Winerip’s sig-nals is junior pitc her Ashley Mar tin, who beat each of last year’s top thr ee seeded teams in Conference AA-I en route to earn-ing All-County honors . “Ashley matched some of the best pitc h-for-pitch,” Verde said. “She’s a tir eless worker with thr ee strong out-pitches.” Martin isn’t the onl y pitching option, either. Sophomore Heather Weinstein and freshman Kelsey Larson also contrib ut-ed in the cir cle last year. Weinstein could start at second or thir d base, while Lar-son, who batted .320 from the leadoff spot, could play second or center field. Verde’s outfield options ar e plentiful.

Senior Caitlin O’Connell r eturns in right, and sophomore Julianna Zaharias is being strongly considered for left. Juniors Alison DiLello and Tara Shouldis are also in the mix. Senior Victoria Stewart, junior Kristy Fox and sophomore Brianna Rivera are all getting looks at first base, with the la tter also a candidate for the hot corner.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 Calhoun 10:30 a.m. 10 @ Calhoun 10:30 a.m. 12 Calhoun 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 17 Carey 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 23 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m. 25 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 7 Herricks 4:45 p.m. 8 @ Herricks 4:30 p.m. 9 Herricks 4:45 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 30 Carey 4:30 p.m.

April 2 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m. 11 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m. 16 @ East Meadow 4:30 p.m. 18 Syosset 4:15 p.m. 20 Massapequa 4:15 p.m. 24 @ Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 28 Mepham 10:00 a.m.

May 1 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 3 East Meadow 4:45 p.m. 4 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Massapequa 7:00 p.m.

Seniors to lead way for Marines

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LYNBROOK



BY TOM JORDAN

A fter turning in a cr edible but unremarkable regular season that earned them a No . 13 seed in

the Nassau Class A baseball pla yoffs last spring, the Owls embarked on a postseason run that was anything but ordinary. It all star ted with a 4-0 extra-inning victory over North Shore in the opening round. Two days later they won an entirely different kind of game, outslugging Glen Cove 9-7 to ad vance to the quar terfinals against Island Trees. Lynbrook dropped the opening g ame in that series 2-1 and then w on another thriller, this time 3-2, w hen Mike Milillo hit a walk-of f single in the bottom of the eighth. They took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the se venth of the thir d and decisive game only to have luck go a gainst them. When it was all o ver, after they’d lived on the brink of elimination for more than a week, coach Al Mar razzo talked about all of the “teac hable moments” the pla yoff run had afforded him. “They’ll be better f or this,” he said of his players in g eneral, and of senior lead-ers Alex Weingarten and Brian Bilello in particular. Weingarten, an All-Confer ence selec-tion who finished 5-2 with a 1.20 ERA to go along with a .425 ba tting average, will play shortstop when he’s not pitching. Bilello, who hit .420 with three homers and 29 RBIs and also ear ned All-Conference honors, will be bac k in his f amiliar spot behind the plate. In addition to his hitting pr ow-ess, Bilello demonstrated “defensive excel-lence,” Marrazzo said. The two big guns will be joined in the lineup by postseason hero Milillo, as well as returning seniors Mic hael McHenry and Billy Mackie. Junior Ian R eed will likely step into the star ting job a t third base and junior Austin Bilello will play the outfield and pitch. Seniors Brian Kelly and Rocco Scibelli have also shown promise. “We’re expecting big things fr om a lot of guys,” Marrazzo said. “They have some big shoes to fill, but the talent is there.”

Lady Owls eye third straight postseason

B umped to Confer ence A-III last sea-son after going 17-1 and winning the A-V championship in 2010, the Lad y

Owls’ winning percentage took a dip. Still, when they absolutely needed a win, they knew how to get it. They defeated Hewlett on the last day of the regular season, earn-ing a third-place finish and a spot in the playoffs. Like their classmates from the baseball team, the Lady Owls saw their season come to an end with a postseason loss to Island T rees. And then over the of fseason the team’s starting pitcher moved out of state. Nonetheless, coach Pete Toscano is confident his c lub can compete for a third straight trip to the playoffs. “We’re not completely set, but we still have our core,” he said. The core consists of All-Division per-former Christina Malca gni at third base, All-County selection Casey K eller at first, Bridgette Greene, Megan Montine and Christy Harvey. Malcagni is a speed y senior leadoff hitter who will likely pitch the bulk of the innings, though Toscano‘s plan is to “split the duties.” She and Keller, a senior and the No . 3 hitter, are the team captains. Greene, a junior, is a pitc her and a center fielder. Montine, a sophomor e third baseman and outfielder, is the No . 2 hitter and, like Malcagni, a speed demon. Harvey, a junior, bats fifth and will mak e the move from second base to shortstop. “We’ll be competitive if they all ha ve solid years. I think they’re all going to have big years,” Toscano said. Toscano is also expecting str ong contri-butions from Christy Tuzzio, Julia Cusak and Erica Connors , a pr omising catcher who will play on the v arsity level for the first time. In the c yclical nature of high sc hool athletics, coaches are constantly looking to replenish talent. Last season T oscano had to find r eplacements for his entir e start-ing outfield and an All-Confer ence third baseman. He found Malcagni to play third.

Now Malcagni moves to the middle of the diamond as Toscano replaces a pitcher. Lynbrook is seeded second in Confer -ence ABC-IV.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ Clarke 4:30 p.m. 3 Floral Park 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Island Trees 10:30 a.m. 10 V.S. North 10:30 a.m. 12 @ North Shore 10:30 a.m. 16 Seaford 4:45 p.m. 17 Mineola 4:30 p.m. 19 @ West Hempstead 4:15 p.m. 23 @ G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 24 G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 26 @ G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 30 Manhasset 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 3 Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 7 @ V.S. South 4:15 p.m. 8 V.S. South 4:30 p.m. 9 @ V.S. South 4:15 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 29 @ Roslyn 4:15 p.m.

April 3 @ West Hempstead 4:15 p.m. 12 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 17 Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m. 25 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 27 West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Friends Aca. 4:15 p.m.

May 2 @ Hewlett 4:15 p.m. 4 Locust Valley 4:30 p.m.

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MALVERNE



BY TONY BELLISSIMO

D efensive woes were much to blame for Malverne’s struggles on the baseball diamond in 2011, b ut

coach Tim Young believes the senior-led Mules will be impr oved with experience and a less-livelier bat in place. “We lost a b unch of games by one or two runs, mostly because of fielding,” Young said. “The ball shouldn’t be jumping off the bats as hard and I think tha t will benefit a team lik e ours. We have to keep the errors down to make a run at the play-offs.” The Mules will f ace a f amiliar set of foes. They’ll tangle with Cold Spring Har -bor, Locust Valley and Whea tley three times apiece and pla y home-and-home crossovers with Carle Place, East Rocka-way, Friends Academy, and Oyster Bay. Senior Scott Sabino serves as the of fen-sive and defensive catalyst for Malverne, which comes of f a four-win campaign. A four-year starter, he covers a ton of ground in center field and has a cannon ar m that erased seven baserunners last spring. He’s also an ideal leadof f hitter — mak es con-tact and has str uck out onl y nine times over three seasons. “He’s by far our best defensive player and also someone w e count on to g et on base and scor e,” Young said. Senior Jordan Richard returns in left and swings a ba t with pop, while senior Nathaniel Williamson and junior Domi-nick Gandolfo will see action in right. Gan-dolfo, another power hitter, is being count-ed on to lead the pitc hing staff after post-ing a 2.10 ERA in r elief last season. “He’ s got a good f astball, curve and change-up,” Young said. Williamson is also a str ong candidate for a spot in the starting rotation along with sophomore Tyler Zimmer man and freshman Steven Berry. In Zimmerman (second base) and Berry (shortstop), the Mules’ middle infield could be set f or years. Senior J ose Rodriguez moves to third base, where he’ll fire assists to senior Christian Alg arra at first. Lead-ing the infield fr om behind the pla te is

senior Jeremy Sarnataro, a r eturning starter who calls most of the pitches.

Speed to fuel Lady Mules

Malverne returns only four starters to the softball field, b ut coach Jen-nifer Gibbons is counting on pitc h-

ing and team speed to k eep it competitive against Conference ABC-V foes Wheatley, Great Neck North, Cold Spring Harbor , Lawrence, and Roosevelt. “I thought we did pretty well last year with a tougher sc hedule, so we’re looking to get more wins,” Gibbons said. “We’re familiar with some opponents. Cold Spring Harbor and Wheatley always give us a r un for our money.” Running is something the Lad y Mules plan to do consistently. The lineup from top of bottom is full of athletes that won’t be afraid to take an extra base when an oppor-tunity presents itself. While the of fense may take some time to jell due to a host of newcomers, Gibbons is excited about the a bility of freshman pitcher Sydney Witowski to k eep every game close. Witowski handled the major -ity of work in the cir cle last spring and is more confident and str onger. “She plays travel ball and contin ues to lear n every day,” Gibbons said. “She has a nice wind-mill delivery and is also someone w e’re counting on of fensively. She’s quick and batted third last year.” Handling Witowski’s deliveries is senior catcher Karen Ulysse, a three-sport athlete with a g reat arm, speed and power. “Karen has developed into a pa tient hit-ter over the y ears,” Gibbons explained. “She doesn’t need to get a big hit to help us score. She’s just as valuable on base.” All-Conference senior shor tstop Sarah Robinson is a solid all-ar ound player who covers a lot of infield g round and bats in the meat of the order. She also has expe-rience as a pitc her and ma y log a fe w innings. “Sarah’s a natural athlete,” Gib-bons said. “We’ll count on her a lot.” The same can be said of sophomore Shantell Oliver in center field. She’ s quick with tremendous range and may bat lead-

off. Others expected to contrib ute include juniors Kim-Lin Ramsawak and J essica Mele, and senior first-y ear player Amanda Masson.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 East Rockaway 4:30 p.m. 3 @ East Rockaway 4:30 p.m. 9 Friends Aca. 4:45 p.m. 10 @ Friends Aca. 4:45 p.m. 12 Oyster Bay 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Oyster Bay 4:45 p.m. 17 Carle Place 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Carle Place 4:30 p.m. 23 C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 24 @ C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 26 C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Wheatley 4:45 p.m.

May 1 Wheatley 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Wheatley 4:45 p.m. 7 @ Locust Valley 4:45 p.m. 8 Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Locust Valley 4:45 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 30 @ Lawrence 4:45 p.m.

April 3 C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. 17 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 19 Wheatley 4:30 p.m. 23 @ G.N. North 4:45 p.m. 25 Lawrence 4:30 p.m. 27 @ C.S. Harbor 4:45 p.m. 30 @ Roosevelt 4:45 p.m.

May 2 @ Wheatley 4:45 p.m. 7 G.N. North 4:30 p.m.

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BY STEVE SINISKI

S uccess in anything leads to expecta-tions, so after fi ve consecutive sea-sons with a playoff berth—two end-

ing with semifinal a ppearances and two in quarterfinal round—the bar has been set on the baseball diamond f or Mepham. “The guys feel tha t last year’s loss in the first round didn’t live up to their expecta-tions,” coach Bill Murphy said. Moving forward, a star ting rotation that includes three senior right-handers and a dee p bullpen promise to k eep the Pirates among the contenders in 2012. They’ve got Car ey, Kennedy, Long Beac h, Herricks, and Calhoun as Confer ence AA-II rivals. Seniors Chris Brucato, Kyle Berlin and Kris Waldron are all tall and powerful with each standing at least 6-foot-1 and able to consistently bring the hea t. Juniors Jason Foley, Brian Helft and Anthon y Aiello are also expected to lo g innings. Seniors John Frisolone and Steven Teitel are back after sharing time behind the pla te last season and will again battle for at bats. Berlin and Waldron are both expected to see time at first base with junior Tommy Brodsky also in the mix. J oe Pedone, a junior, returns to shor tstop for his second season as a star ter and teams with senior second baseman Nick Wenthen in keeping the Pirates strong up the middle . Senior J.T. Elsasser is at the hot corner. On days when he’s not pitc hing, Bru-cato will play in the outfield where seniors Dylan Gordon and Adam P etersen and junior Shane Agostino ar e also part of the equation. A change in hardware across the coun-ty, specifically with the ba ts, could make for a dif ferent type of game centering less on power and more on small ball. And tha t could also be an ad vantage for a Me pham team that has its str ength on the mound and in the field. “It doesn ’t look like we’ll have the same type [of team] w here we have to try and outscor e the opposition,” Murphy said. “It seems lik e we might be more [about] pitching, defense and speed.

Veterans to leadLady Pirates

Coming off a first-r ound victory in last season’s playoffs and boasting the return of five key veterans, Mepham

is ready to keep moving forward on the softball field in Confer ence AA-I. “I think w e’re going to be competitive and we’ll have some young kids filling in,” coac h Mike Muscara said. “W e have a very good sophomore class and had a very good junior v arsity team last year, the best we’ve had in years.” Sophomore pitcher Toni Marie Vale-riano made quite a splash a t the v ar-sity level last spring, winning f our of her five decisions down the stretch and is a returning All-Conference honoree. A hard-thrower with command of four pitches, Valeriano’s a g roundball pitcher who will keep her defense in volved and also fields her position well. The Lady Pirates’ battery is completed by senior ca tcher Claudia Law, a thr ee-time All County honor ee who was also named to one All-Sta te team and ear ned second team All-Long Island honors on another. “It’s a tremendous plus to have them [both],” Muscara noted of Mepham’s combo in the cir cle and behind the plate. Senior Casey T homas, a returning All-Division honoree, could log some innings behind the plate but is primaril y slat-ed for third base as a v eteran on an infield tha t will be usher -ing in se veral new starters. In the outfield, junior Mary Galg ano will track down flies along-side senior Nicole P azienza, a returning All-Conference cen-terfielder. Mepham has to mak e up f or the loss of two of its big gest bats, but the return of Law, a punishing hitter with power to the gaps, and improved over-all speed cer tainly gives the of fense some punch. “I think w e’re going to be mor e of

a line-drive hitting team,” Muscara said. “We have more speed than in the past.” Leadership from the r eturning play-ers will be a k ey to success f or the Lady Pirates, who play in Nassau’s top confer-ence. “Those four [upperclass players] are looking to lead us and sho w the younger kids the way to go,” Muscara said.

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ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 @ Carey 10:00 a.m. 10 Carey 10:00 a.m. 12 @ Carey 10:00 a.m. 16 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 19 Kennedy 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 24 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 25 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 30 Herricks 4:45 p.m.

May 1 @ Herricks 4:30 p.m. 3 Herricks 4:30 p.m. 7 @ Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 8 Calhoun 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Calhoun 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 30 East Meadow 4:45 p.m.

April 2 Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 12 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m. 16 @ Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 18 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m. 20 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 26 @ East Meadow 4:30 p.m. 28 @ Long Beach 10:00 a.m.

May 1 Syosset 4:30 p.m. 3 Oceanside 4:30 p.m. 4 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 8 Carey 4:30 p.m.

Pirates backed by deep staff

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OCEANSIDE



BY TONY BELLISSIMO

I f the pitc hing holds up , Oceanside baseball coach Andy Morris said, the Sailors could c hallenge for the Nas-

sau Class AA title a y ear after winning a conference championship and reaching the county semifinals. “I’ve got high expecta tions, both this year and next y ear,” he said. “Pitc hing is going to be the k ey. If everything comes together, we should be very good.” Heading the staf f is senior Mik e Russ, an All-Division selection capable of post-ing double digits in strik eouts any outing. His fastball clocks regularly in the upper 80s, and he’s got a nasty br eaking ball to go with it, Morris said. “Mike doesn’t back down from anyone,” Morris explained. “He could be one of the top ar ms in the county if he k eeps his contr ol and pitc h count down.” The rest of the likely starting rotation is unproven but talented. J unior James Long, who logged varsity innings last spring, is a 6-f oot-6 southpaw with a f ast-ball in the lo w 80s and a nice c hange-up, and junior Joe LaBella was tough on ba t-ters at the JV level. Last year’s JV double-play combination and 1-2 hitters, juniors Anthony Pintabona and Conor Pasetti, will fill the same defen-sive and of fensive roles for the v arsity. Both bring str ong gloves and speed. T he corner infield spots w on’t be deter mined right away, Morris said, but the options are plentiful. Junior Brian Lau, w ho started every game at first base in 2011 and hit .320, could r eturn there or work behind the plate, while junior F ran Rapp, last year’s everyday third baseman w ho bat-ted .285, could stic k or move to left. Senior Eric Mandell, an All-Confer ence selection, could play third or serve as the designated hitter. If Lau doesn ’t catch, it’ll be senior Andrew Massimillo. No ma tter how it shakes out, Mor ris said he wants to g et Massimillo’s bat into the lineup . Senior Matt DeMartino is another w ho’ll provide offense.

Gaps in the outfield will be scar ce with seniors Phil Ragona (center) and Anthon y Marino (right) covering real estate.

Lady Sailors rise to top

T he Lady Sailors ar e back running with the big do gs in Nas-

sau Conference AA-I a year after ca pturing the AA-II title and ad vancing to the quar terfinal round of the Class AA softball playoffs. New coach Joe Supple r eferred to 2011 “something to b uild on,” and is looking for the All-County ba ttery of senior pitcher Ashley Davis and senior catcher Nicole Milano to lead Oceanside against the likes of MacArthur, East Mead-ow, Massapequa, Mepham, Long Beac h, Carey, and Syosset. “Every game in the top confer ence is like a playoff game,” Supple said. “Athleti-cally, we can play with anybody. We bring back a handful of players who contributed a lot to last y ear’s success, and the confi-dence level is high.” Davis, who is backed up by sophomore Paige Seitz, is one of the top r eturning dual threats in Nassau. She not onl y has experience mowing down hitters but also led the Lad y Sailors in RBIs and will bat third or c lean-up. “She consistently throws strikes and locates all her pitc h-es,” Supple said. “She can strik e people out and also kno ws how to keep the ball down and let the defense do the work.” Milano is another dang erous hitter who’s active and a thlet-ic behind the pla te. “She’s an excellent offensive player who can pick runners off base,” Sup-ple said of Milano, who could g et a breather from catching duties thanks to senior Arianna DeMarzo. DeMarzo, who possesses a str ong bat and arm, may also g et a look a t first base along with senior J ackie Schnitzer. The middle of the infield of fers excitement for the present and futur e, with sophomor e Ellen Derr at second base and fr eshman Claire McNamara a t shortstop. At thir d,

sophomore Jeannie Callanan flashes leath-er and swings a powerful bat. The outfield has potential to be one of the conference’s best with senior Deanna Viola leading the way with her speed and a strong arm in center, junior Kristen Gallub in right, and sophomor e Megan McNa-mara in left.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 9 Farmingdale 10:30 a.m. 10 @ Farmingdale 10:30 a.m. 12 Farmingdale 10:30 a.m. 16 Freeport 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Freeport 4:30 p.m. 19 Freeport 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m. 24 Syosset 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m. 30 Massapequa 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 3 Massapequa 4:30 p.m. 7 @ Baldwin 4:30 p.m. 8 Baldwin 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Baldwin 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Long Beach 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Syosset 4:30 p.m.

April 2 East Meadow 4:45 p.m. 11 Massapequa 10:00 a.m. 16 Mepham 4:30 p.m. 18 @ Carey 4:30 p.m. 20 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 24 Long Beach 4:30 p.m.

26 Syosset 4:30 p.m. 28 @ East Meadow 10:00 a.m.

May 1 @ Massapequa 4:30 p.m.

3 @ Mepham 4:30 p.m. 4 Carey 4:30 p.m. 8 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m

Sailors expected to contend

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towersfuneralhomeny.com

BY ANDREW McCLURE

T he Countywide baseball confer ence was one of the most competiti ve in Nassau a y ear ago, and ther e’s

reason to believe that the lea gue will be top notch again in 2012. Sewanhaka, which is coming of f a solid 12-6 season, should battle for conference supremacy with the likes of Great Neck South, Uniondale, and Elmont. Indians veteran coach Mike Ryan must fill a lot of holes, but he’s hopeful that his team will be in the mix f or the conference title. “Guys ar e going to ha ve to ste p up this year,” Ryan said. “T he guys who are returning remember what it was lik e last season to be right there at the end. We won two of three from Uniondale w hen they were undefeated. We lost some key players, but I think the pitching will come together, and this team will be able to play with any-one in the league.” Junior Brian Murphy, who hit .383 as a sophomore, returns at second base. Mur-phy will either hit leadof f or out of the three-hole and serve as a k ey piece of the offensive puzzle. Despite being a first-y ear pitcher, Murphy will be No . 2 in the r ota-tion. Nick Dempsey, who was 4-0 in lea gue games, is the ace of the staf f. The junior right-hander is always around the pla te, and features a f astball, slider, and change. Seniors Matt Laguerre and Tommy Geno-va, who were both ef fective out of the pen last spring, are battling for the third spot in the rotation. Laguerre will play center field when he’s not pitching. Genova will play first base. Sophomore Kevin Ocampo takes over the catching duties. Ocampo, who is com-ing off a solid JV season, has look ed very comfortable handling the pitching staff. Junior Michael Zunno r eturns at shortstop. Zunno hit .360 as a sophomor e. He’ll bat leadoff or second. Senior Nic k Bevilaqua has a good glo ve at third base. Juniors Manny Nunez, Ryan Byrne, and Denzel George will play the outfield.

Young Lady Indians looking to grow

Sewanhaka moves into Nassau Confer -ence ABC-IV after ad vancing to the second round of the playoffs in 2011.

The Lady Indians should f are well in a league that comprises Hewlett, Lynbrook, Friends Academy, West Hempstead, Locust Valley, and Roslyn. Only the confer ence champion advances to the Class A playoffs. Coach Deirdre Kelly is looking f orward to watching her young team compete. “We lost a lot of players from last year’s team, but I’m pleasantl y surprised in the ear ly going,” Kelly said. “We should be a v ery good defensive team, and with the a ggres-sive approach the girls take, we should be a lot of fun to wa tch when we’re hitting. The girls are young, but they’re not intimi-dated. They want to win now.” Junior catcher Rachel Wisniewski, an All-Conference selection as a sophomor e, returns behind the pla te for the Lad y Indians. Wisniewski calls a g reat game, blocks the ball well, and is a take-charge type leader on the field. She’ s also a solid hitter, having batted .382 as a sophomore. Senior shortstop Jackie Wis-niewski is a terrific contact hitter who makes things ha ppen at the plate. In the field, she has great range and an accu-rate throwing arm. Junior pitcher Cas-sidy Johnson takes over in the circle. Johnson is a smart pitcher who has the resiliency to gut it out in tough spots. She features a fastball and change up, and is developing a dr op and curveball. Senior Nicole F reitag is a har d-working second baseman who has chem-istry with J ackie Wis-niewski in the middle of the infield. F reitag is also one of the toughest outs in the lineup . Fresh-man Jill Filippi tak es over that the hot

corner. Sophomore Kari Mavrovouniotis and Jenna Sanfilippo are battling for time at first base. Senior Maleeka Chin, sophomore Sabri-na Spiridigliozzi, and eighth-g rader Jan-carla Herrera make up a solid outfield. Herrera hits from both sides and possesses terrific speed. Expect Her rera to occup y one of the top spots in the order.

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ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 3 G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 7 @ G.N. South 11:00 a.m. 16 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 17 Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m. 24 Elmont 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Elmont 4:30 p.m. 30 Westbury 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ Westbury 4:30 p.m. 3 Westbury 4:30 p.m. 7 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 8 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 9 Roosevelt 4:30 p.m. 14 Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 15 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 16 Hempstead 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 @ Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m.

April 12 Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 19 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 21 West Hempstead 10:00 a.m. 23 Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 25 Locust Valley 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Hewlett 4:30 p.m.

May 2 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 7 @ West Hempstead 4:30 p.m.

Indians in mix for conference title

MURPHYBrian .................................

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SOUTH SIDE



BY TONY BELLISSIMO

C oming off a 13-win season tha t saw it reach the Nassau Class A base-ball playoffs where it suf fered the

narrowest of defeats, South Side will r ely on its lefty-righty mound combina tion of Christian Colletti and Lou Ma tarazzo to lead the way this spring. “We had to r ebuild in some k ey spots, but we still have high expectations,” coach Keith Lessuk said. “W e’re looking to return to the playoffs and see if we can go deeper.” Colletti, a senior w ho transferred from Holy Trinity prior to last season, is a tal-ented southpaw bound for the University of Connecticut. With a popping f astball and good of f-speed pitches, he dominated at times in 2011 w hile posting a 2.55 ERA with 55 strikeouts. “Christian has all the tools,” Lessuk said of his No . 1 star ter. “He’s been working on his swing and we’ll have his ba t in the lineup this y ear as well.” Matarazzo, who pitched in relief a year ago, steps into the star ting rotation and will provide himself with plenty of run support. One of the k eys to the of fense, as a sophomore he hit .410 with f our hom-ers and 26 RBIs . “He has an amazing ba t and proved he could g et guys out on the mound,” Lessuk said of Matarazzo, who will play third base on non-pitching days. Senior Mike Schuermann and junior Eddie Tammaro will also contrib ute on the mound. Behind the pla te, seniors Ben Felderstein and Mike Gutman will both get a chance to start Junior speedster Da vid Hawley will lead the defense in center field and spar k the offense from the leadof f spot. Senior Vinny Tyers steps into a full-time r ole in left, while Tammaro or senior Lou Lauphe-imer head the list of candidates in right. In the infield along with Ma tarazzo, senior Matt Leach returns with a solid glove at first base, junior Ben Hoefer tak es over at second, and another junior , either Chris Figueroa or Ed Farrington, will earn the nod at shortstop.

Lady Cyclones jump two conferences

Ayear after a successful 8-2 softball season in Conference A-V, South Side takes a two-step rise to ABC-III and

will be led by senior Jane Dragovich and a young battery of sophomore pitcher Sam Maselli and freshman catcher Lia Stamile. “We have to go in full f orce and play fundamentally sound softball,” coac h Shannon McEntee said. “Jumping two con-ferences is never easy, but we’re excited to see what we can do.” McEntee is also ex cited about the pros-pects of the r eturn of the JV pr ogram after a two-and-a-half year absence. “It’s important and would be really nice to have back,” she said. “Our n umbers are right there, but we need to keep them there.” Ranked in the middle of the se ven-team Conference A-III, the Lad y Cyclones could go as f ar as Maselli tak es them. She comes off a memorable 2011 that included a perfect g ame and a pair of no-hitters. “Sam pitches for outside teams and she’ ll be ready for the tougher lineups ,” McEn-tee said. “She thr ows hard and has other strong pitches to go with the fastball.” The coach expects big contrib utions from Stamile behind the pla te despite a rise to the v arsity level from middle school. “She has good command of the position and caught Sam in summer league,” McEntee said. “She’ s already showing ability to take charge and depend-ing on how fast she adjusts she could be one of the keys to our offense.” Dragovich handled ca tching duties a year ago but will r eturn to her na tural position of third base. She’s brings a strong glove to the hot cor ner and will ba t in middle of the order. Senior Alex Gar ealbi is expected to start at first base, while non-league games will help McEntee figure out the middle of the infield. T he lead candidates for short-stop and second base , respectively, are freshman Allison DeNicola and sophomore Brittany Baez. Contributing in the outfield will be seniors Laur en Joyce, the backup pitcher, and Marina K otzavekiaris, as well as freshman Caroline Joyce.

ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ Garden City 4:30 p.m. 3 New Hyde Park 4:30 p.m. 10 @ Bethpage 10:30 a.m. 11 @ Plainedge 10:30 a.m. 12 Glen Cove 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Lawrence 4:30 p.m. 17 Wantagh 4:30 p.m. 19 Jericho 4:30 p.m. 23 Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 26 Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Division 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Division 4:45 p.m. 3 @ Division 4:30 p.m. 7 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 9 Roslyn 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 Oyster Bay 4:30 p.m. 29 Jericho 4:30 p.m.

April 5 @ V.S. South 4:15 p.m. 16 Garden City 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Mineola 4:15 p.m. 19 @ Division 4:30 p.m. 21 @ East Rockaway 10:00 a.m. 23 @ Oyster Bay 4:15 p.m. 25 @ Jericho 4:30 p.m. 27 @ Garden City 4:15 p.m.

May 2 Mineola 4:30 p.m. 4 Division 4:45 p.m. 7 East Rockaway 4:30 p.m.

Expectations remain high for Cyclones

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SPORTS GOGGLES

BY ANDREW HACKMACK

P layers and coaches on the Central baseball team kno w their confer -ence rivals aren’t taking them seri-

ously. The Eagles are ready to prove every-one wrong. “I feel like we’re going to sneak up on a lot of teams,” said senior second baseman Danny Napolionello, adding the team feels good about its playoff chances. Coach Frank Alesia, leading the Ea gles for the fourth year, described leadoff hitter Napolionello as the ca talyst. “If he goes , we go,” Alesia said. This year’s top tw o starting pitchers are seniors Mike Marmol and Mike Russo. When they’re not star ting Marmol will be at shortstop and Russo at third base. Senior Ricky Grosso, who also pitches, can fill either position w hen Marmol or Russo takes the mound. “He’ s an asset to ha ve because he can pla y a lot of infield posi-tions,” Alesia said of Grosso. Marmol was the lone a ward winner on last year’s squad as an All-Confer ence selection. Alesia said he is a str ong defen-sive player with a knac k for big hits . Rounding out the staf f is junior Brandon Wilder. The power will come fr om catchers Matt Russo and Doug Medrano . When one starts behind the plate, the other will serve as designated hitter. “Those are two guys I definitely need in the lineup,” he said. Senior outfielders J ohn Faust and Chris Johnson also bring power bats. Split-ting time at first base will be senior J ason Cooper and ninth-grader Vito Friscia. The Eagles will spend a w eek in April in Florida playing scrimmage games against teams fr om around the country. Alesia said the trip gi ves players a chance to bond and hone their skills . “I feel lik e we’re going to be a completel y different team when we come back,” he said. Immediately after it r eturns, Valley Stream faces MacArthur, one of the top three teams in the county, for three games. Other conference matchups include series against Plainview, Port Washington, Hicks-

ville and East Meado w. “This season can go a couple of ways,” Alesia said. “W e’re definitely playing the tougher teams in the beginning.”

Pitching depth key for Lady Eagles

Lady Eagles softball coach Artie Riccio will have a choice of pitchers to send to the mound. J unior Veronica Bum-

balo and Memorial J unior High eighth-grader Tiffany Lagarzo are the tw o top hurlers. “This year’s going to be a luxury ,” said Riccio, who usually just has one pitc her. “With three high sc hools in town, the pitc hing talent is spread out.” Bumbalo will be pitching for the first time after pla y-ing outfield last y ear. Leading the team on of fense will be a trio of senior co-captains, center fielder Hea ther LaBar-bera, first baseman Melissa Maci and sec-ond baseman Kayla Casucci. Riccio described Casucci as a har d sin-gles hitter and expects her to lead Central in batting average. He added that she plays strong defense as w ell. LaBarbera is also an excellent defender as the ca ptain of the outfield and brings a po wer bat to the lineup. Maci is a rar e left-handed power hitter, Riccio explained. “There’s very few lefties in the league,” he said. He also expects str ong contributions from third baseman Alexa Callao and shortstop Randi Ruderman. A ninth-g rad-er in her second year on the varsity, Ruder-man is a line-drive hitter, while Callao has “great hands and a great arm,” Riccio said. “We should be pr etty strong defensively,” he said. The Lady Eagles dropped from Confer-ence AA-II to AA-III f or the 2012 season, which Riccio said should help the team pick up a fe w more wins. They’ll play two games apiece against Westbury, Hemp-stead, Uniondale, Herricks, Great Neck South and Elmont. Herricks is the onl y opponent Cen-tral matched up a gainst last year, and a

pair of games Riccio is looking f orward to. “They’re a lot of fun to pla y,” he said. “We’ve always had great games.” Casucci said the team, with a combina-tion of veteran players and ne wcomers, has really come to gether and she is confi-dent the team can ac hieve Riccio’s goal of making the playoffs. “I think w e have the

capability to do a lot,” she said. “We just ha ve to

work hard.”onica Bum-gh eighth-

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VS CENTRAL



Schedule

BASEBALLApril 2 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m. 3 Plainview 4:30 p.m. 5 @ Plainview 4:30 p.m. 16 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 17 @ MacArthur 4:30 p.m. 19 MacArthur 4:45 p.m. 23 @ Port Washington 4:30 p.m. 24 Port Washington 4:45 p.m. 26 @ Port Washington 4:30 p.m. 30 East Meadow 4:30 p.m.

May 1 @ East Meadow 4:30 p.m. 3 East Meadow 4:45 p.m. 7 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 8 Hicksville 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Hicksville 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 28 @ Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 30 Herricks 4:45 p.m.

April 2 Westbury 4:30 p.m. 11 @ Elmont 10:00 a.m. 18 G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 20 @ Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 24 Uniondale 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Herricks 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Westbury 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Elmont 4:30 p.m. 4 @ G.N. South 4:30 p.m. 8 Hempstead 4:30 p.m.

Eagles look to surprise competition

CASUCCIKayla .................................

VS CE

NTRA

L • EA

GLES

SECOND BASE

NAPOLIONELLODanny ................................. SECOND BASE

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D epth on the mound, balance and speed in the lineup , and a thleti-cism are three reasons why Val-

ley Stream North figures to make a strong push for the playoffs after falling short last season. “I don’t see an y glaring weaknesses,” coach Phil Sanfilippo said. “W e have a lot of talented a thletes. We’re eager to star t quick after r unning into some tough com-petition down the stretch last season. Mak-ing the playoffs is very important to us.” The Spartans are a young team with only two seniors — first baseman J oe Vasquez and utilityman Nic k Leone — b ut should benefit from last year’s experience. Sanfilippo said he sc heduled tough scrim-mages and non-lea gue games by design to help prepare for three-game series against Conference A-VI ri vals Clarke, Mine-ola and Seaford, as well as eight cr ossover opponents. Juniors Anthony Martelli and K evin White give North a solid duo atop the start-ing pitching rotation. Martelli, an All-League selection w ho does some of the heavy lifting on of fense, throws a quality fastball and a kn uckle-curve, and has good command. He’s also the star ting shortstop and hits with power to all fields. White led the staf f in wins (thr ee), strikeouts and innings pitc hed in 2011 and added velocity during the of fseason. “Kevin has f lawless mechanics and wants the ball,” Sanfilippo said. “We’re confident he and Anthon y are going to k eep us in every game they pitch.” Juniors R.J. Davila, Greg Garcia and Jeff Lantigua will be counted on to r ecord outs as well. Davila and Garcia are vying for the No. 3 star ter job, while the har d-throwing Lantigua, a thir d baseman, fits nicely as the c loser. The Spartans have no question marks behind the pla te with the return of junior Brandon Salem, w ho has a gun for an arm. Junior James Capoziello comes of f a big year at second base. The leadoff bat-ter paced the team in a verage, steals and

runs. Junior infielder Ste phen Guiliante has speed and pop, and juniors Billy Patsos and James Celeberti head the group of out-fielders.

Lady Spartans up for bigger challenge

T he Lady Spartans bring back 10 play-ers from last y ear’s 14-win, confer -ence-championship team and will

look to make noise a gainst a ne w set of rivals after a bump up to Conference ABC-II. “We still have playoff expectations,” coach Corey McNamara said. “W e know we need to limit mistak es to do well against the better compe-tition we’re going to face.” D e f e n s e a n d p i t c h i n g punched North’s ticket to the top of its confer ence and the Class A playoffs in 2011, and the r eturn of senior Kelly McConville to the circle should allow it to hang with the likes of Carle Place, Valley Stream South, Glen Cove, Wantagh, and Manhas-set. McConville, who relies on a v ariety of pitches and loca tion, earned All-Confer-ence honors a year ago. “It’s her third year starting and she’s not going to hurt us with walks,” McNamara said. “She’ s a g round-ball pitcher who has complete tr ust in the defense.” Having a two-time All-County perform-er behind the plate is a nice luxury f or any pitcher. Junior Dana Morg ante controls the field fr om the ca tcher position and sparks the of fense from the leadof f spot. “Dana’s as tenacious on the bases as she is behind the plate,” McNamara said. “She gets on base and scores.” In the infield, junior Amanda F erraro (first base) emerg ed as a solid hitter and fielder last season and the coac h is look-ing for her to pic k up where she left of f. Junior Gianna Naso, considered the team’s best defensive infielder, moves from sec-ond base to shor tstop, where her str ong arm and range are sure to come in hand y. Senior Brianna Satriano takes over at sec-ond and brings plenty of varsity experi-ence, while junior Drew Beaubian ear ned

the starting nod at third. Spearheading the outfield is junior Lau-ren Collura in center. An All-Confer ence selection last spring, she ex cels offensive-ly and defensively and also serv es as the backup pitcher. Seniors Maris Bon ura and Stephanie Sicurella bring experience to left and right, r espectively, and senior J es-sica Cali can play anywhere in the outfield.

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VS NORTH



ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 9 West Hempstead 10:30 a.m. 10 @ Lynbrook 10:30 a.m. 12 Floral Park 10:30 a.m. 16 North Shore 4:30 p.m. 17 @ Island Trees 4:30 p.m. 19 @ V.S. South 4:30 p.m. 23 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m. 24 Mineola 4:30 p.m. 26 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m. 30 Clarke 4:45 p.m.

May 1 @ Clarke 4:30 p.m. 3 Clarke 4:45 p.m. 7 @ Seaford 4:30 p.m. 8 Seaford 4:45 p.m. 9 @ Seaford 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 @ Wantagh 4:30 p.m.

April 3 North Shore 4:30 p.m. 12 V.S. South 10:00 a.m. 17 Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 19 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 21 @ Carle Place 10:00 a.m. 23 Wantagh 4:30 p.m. 27 @ North Shore 4:30 p.m. 30 @ V.S. South 4:30 p.m.

May 2 @ Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 4 Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 7 Carle Place 4:30 p.m.

Balanced Spartans seek playoff spot

MARTELLIAnthony .................................

VS N

ORTH

• SP

ARTIA

NS

PITCHER

MORGANTEDana ................................. CATCHER

21M


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V alley Stream South baseball coac h Ken Ward believes the F alcons have enough pieces to c hallenge

for the Confer ence A-IV title and r eturn to the playoffs, but how far they go will ultimately depend on the consistenc y on the mound. “Pitching is a concer n, but we have some experience and a lot of options,” Ward said. “It’s more a question of who’s going to rise up. I feel we’re a playoff team with potential to go far.” The Falcons, who won 11 g ames last spring and lost to Seaf ord in the Class A playoff opener, boast a star ting rotation of seniors Dann y Goldman and T homas Meaney, and junior Andr ew Castano. Goldman earned three wins in 2011, w hile Meaney and Castano picked up one apiece. Goldman, who tossed a tw o-hitter against Bethpage, throws hard and has a solid slider and good command. He’ ll also play an impor tant role in the outfield and the lineup, Ward said. Meaney comes of f an All-Confer ence campaign that saw him whack six homers and drive in 23 r uns. Most of his work on the mound came in r elief, but this year he’ll be counted on to pr oduce while log-ging more innings. Like Goldman, he’ ll be in the outfield on non-pitc hing days and may contribute at catcher along with fresh-man Manny Pizzarro. Castano, who will shar e third base duties with junior Die go Maldonado, is someone Ward wants to see de velop into next year’s ace. Defensively, the Falcons are strong up the middle with junior Andr ew Hess a t second base and sophomor e Andrew LeB-eck at shortstop. In addition to making all the plays with his glo ve, Hess ba tted .418 a year ago and led the team with 28 hits and 21 r uns scored on the wa y to All-Conference honors. LeBeck, considered an excellent fielder, is the pr ojected leadoff hitter. Senior J ack Palleschi returns at first base and provides a big bat on the left side, while junior Frank Reichert will con-

tribute at the dish and in the outfield.

Lady Falcons want playoff success

Tasting a playoff victory is the No . 1 goal for the Lady Falcons, who figure to be in the r unning for the Confer-

ence ABC-II title with tw o-time All-Coun-ty performers in the pitc hing circle and behind the plate. “We’re looking to r estore the playoff success we used to have after losing in the first round three years in a r ow,” coach Demetri Adrahtas said. “T he girls want to win the conference, but more importantly they want to advance in the playoffs.” Leading the c harge for South (9-6 in 2011) are senior ba ttery mates Ashley Tkacsik and Christie DeMar co. They each have a pair of All-County seasons under their belt and nine y ears of varsity experience b e t w e e n them.

“So much of this sport is pitching,” Adrahtas said. “We have a veteran pitcher in Ashley w ho can match up with the best of them. Her accuracy is impeccable and she’s throwing five different pitches.” It’s the fifth year on varsity for Tkacsik, who also serv es as a k ey to the of fense as the No. 3 ba tter. DeMarco, considered a prototypical catcher by Adrahtas, is a fierce competitor with a str ong arm, power and speed. The coach moved DeMar-co from the c lean-up spot to leadof f last spring and the of fense improved, so she could stick at the top. If senior J essica Liberato comes out swinging, she could fill the c lean-up role. A steady fielder at third base who makes highlight-reel plays, Adrahtas is expect-ing big things of fensively and defensively. Across the diamond, senior Danielle Bowk-er is a clutch hitter with a r eliable glove at first. Up the middle, talented eighth-grader Brianna Schippell takes over as the star t-ing shortstop, and juniors J en Pace and Kaitlyn McCarty are solid at second. McCarty may also contrib ute to an outfield led b y senior Ang ela Aragona,

who enjoyed a strong finish in center last season. Junior Cassie Howley and sopho-more Amanda Tkacsik ar e in the outfield mix, and the coac h plans to find a spot f or senior Daryl Miller’s bat.

le with two-time All-Coun-in the pitc hing circle and

e.ing to r estore the playoff

d to have after losing in theree years in a r ow,” coachtas said. “The girls want toence, but more importantlyvance in the playoffs.”e charge for South (9-6 inor battery mates Ashley

hristie DeMarco. They eachAll-County seasons un der nine years ofience

“So muchpitching,” Adrahtas said.eran pitcher in Ashley whowith the best of them. Herpeccable and she’s throwingtches.”year on varsity for Tkacsik,es as a k ey to the of fenseatter. DeMarco, considered

catcher by Adrahtas, is aitor with a str ong arm,d. The coach moved DeMar-ean-up spot to leadoff last offense improved, so s he

he top.essica Liberato comes outcould fill the clean-up role.r at third base who makesplays, Adrahtas is expect-offensively and defensively.

mond, senior Danielle Bowk-tter with a reliable glove atddle, talented eighth-graderpell takes over as the start-and juniors Jen Pace andy are solid at second.

VS SOUTH



ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 Floral Park 4:30 p.m. 3 @ West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. 9 @ Clarke 10:30 a.m. 10 @ North Shore 10:30 a.m. 12 Island Trees 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Mineola 4:30 p.m. 18 Seaford 4:45 p.m. 19 V.S. North 4:30 p.m. 23 Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 24 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 26 Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 30 @ G.N. North 4:30 p.m.

May 2 G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 3 @ G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 7 Lynbrook 4:15 p.m. 8 @ Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 9 Lynbrook 4:15 p.m.

SOFTBALLMarch 27 @ Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 29 Carle Place 4:30 p.m.

April 3 Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 5 South Side 4:15 p.m. 12 @ V.S. North 10:00 a.m. 19 North Shore 4:30 p.m. 21 @ Wantagh 10:00 a.m. 23 Glen Cove 4:30 p.m. 25 @ Carle Place 4:30 p.m. 27 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 30 V.S. North 4:30 p.m.

May 4 @ North Shore 4:30 p.m. 7 Wantagh 4:30 p.m.

Pitching holds key for Falcons

TKACSIKAshley .................................

VS SO

UTH •

FALC

ONS

PITCHER

MEANEYThomas ................................. PITCHER

Mar

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BY ANDREW McCLURE

W ins were not a plenty on the baseball field a t West Hemp-stead last season. W ith a r ela-

tively young team in 2012, and a dif ficult schedule awaiting, there will lik ely be some more growing pains. The Rams will compete in Confer ence A-V with Nor th Shore, Island T rees, and Floral Park, and pla y crossover games with tough opponents suc h as Lynbrook, Clarke, Seaford, and Mineola. Bill Cloughessy, in his second y ear as Rams coach, is hopeful tha t things are on the rise. "Obviously, we want to put mor e wins on the boar d," Cloughessy said. "Our pitchers walked a lot of batters a year ago. I feel if we can cut down on the walks, and improve on defense, we should be a mor e competitive team. "I feel confident tha t the of fense will come," he added. "We need to be mor e con-sistent in all areas." Brandon Sherman will be the team's top pitcher. The junior left-hander was the its most ef fective arm a season a go. He features a f astball, knuckler, and a good curveball. Sherman plays first base w hen he's not pitching. Following Sherman in the r otation will be junior Joe Palladino, an All-Conference selection in 2011. P alladino, the team's right fielder, made noise with his ba t as a sophomore, hitting right around .300. Senior Brandon Ruiz and sophomor e Hardvis Batista are vying for the third spot in the rotation. When they're not pitching, each will occupy a middle infield position. Ruiz and Ba tista will hit in the first tw o slots in the or der. Junior Erickson Flores returns at third base for the Rams. Senior Austin Flamowitz will be the starting catcher. Flamowitz, who has made improvement behind the pla te, hit o ver .300 as a junior. He'll bat in the middle of the order along with P alladino and Sher-man. Junior Joe Bitetto had a nice y ear with the bat as a sophomor e and will look to pick up where he left of f. Bitetto saw time

in the infield a y ear ago, but will lik ely play in the outfield this spring.

Defense is the key for Lady Rams

West Hempstead looks to r ebound from a disappointing season on the softball diamond in 2011. T he Lady

Rams have little experience in the pitching circle, but the team's defense should be a strong suit. They’ll be competing in Nassau Conference ABC-IV, a league com-posed of Hewlett, Lynbrook, Friends Academy, Sewanhaka, Locust Valley, and R oslyn. Only the conference cham-pion advances to the pla y-offs. West Hempstead coac h Chris Van Kovics believes his team can be in e very game it plays. "As usual, it all comes down to pitc hing and defense," Van Kovics said. "We don't have pitchers that blow hitters away, so the b lueprint is to thr ow strikes and let the defense mak e the plays. We lost a lot of very close games, last season. W e can't afford to give teams big innings. The way we play on defense is going to be very important." Junior Emily Esposito got her feet wet with the varsity last season, b ut pitched most of her innings with the JV team. Senior Lisa Gor ton and Esposito will handle the b ulk of the pitc hing for the Rams. Neither pitcher is a f lame-thrower, but both are typically around the plate. Junior Jackie Tartaglia will handle the catching duties. Center fielder Angela Graci is pr ob-ably the team's best athlete . Graci is a solid fielder with a v ery strong throw-ing arm. Van Kovics expects the har d-hitting sophomore to pick up plenty of RBIs, hitting out of the thr ee-hole or clean-up spot. Toni-Ann Rodriguez is a v ery tough out for opponents. The senior second baseman slaps, bunts, moves runners up, and scores runs. She's joined in the mid-

dle infield by senior Danielle Bolo gnini, a four-year starter at shortstop, and heart of the team. Senior first baseman Laura Boehm and senior third baseman Noreen White, a strong hitter, are both good with the glo ve. Junior Chloe Cohen and senior R ebecca Ruggiano play the cor ner outfield posi-tions. Ruggiano should be on of the team's top run-producers.

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WEST HEMPSTEAD



ScheduleBASEBALL

April 2 @ Manhasset 4:30 p.m. 3 V.S. South 4:30 p.m. 9 @ V.S. North 10:30 a.m. 10 @ Seaford 10:30 a.m. 12 Mineola 10:30 a.m. 16 @ Clarke 4:30 p.m. 17 G.N. North 4:30 p.m. 19 Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 23 North Shore 4:30 p.m. 24 @ North Shore 4:30 p.m. 26 North Shore 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Island Trees 4:30 p.m.

May 1 Island Trees 4:30 p.m. 3 @ Island Trees 4:30 p.m. 7 Floral Park 4:30 p.m. 8 @ Floral Park 4:30 p.m. 9 Floral Park 4:30 p.m.

SOFTBALL

April 3 Lynbrook 4:15 p.m. 12 Locust Valley 10:30 a.m. 17 Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 19 Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 21 @ Sewanhaka 10:00 a.m. 23 Hewlett 4:30 p.m. 27 @ Lynbrook 4:30 p.m. 30 @ Locust Valley 4:30 p.m.

May 2 @ Roslyn 4:30 p.m. 4 @ Friends Aca. 4:30 p.m. 7 Sewanhaka 4:30 p.m.

Rams looking for respectability

PALLADINOJoe .......................................

WEST

HEMP

STEA

D • RA

MS

OUTFIELD

BOLOGNINIDanielle .............................. SHORTSTOP

23M


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