Wednesday, April 28, 2021
The Observer | www.theobserver.com
Sports & Recreation WITH
Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com
Stoeckel stokes Maroon Raiders to sizzling 4-0 softball start The 2020 high school softball season was going to be a solid one for the Maroon Raiders of Nutley High School. All of the pieces were in place. The Maroon Raiders had unparalleled senior leadership, exceptional talent at every position and dedication throughout the roster that made veteran head coach Luann Zullo’s life extremely easy. But then, fate wasn’t kind. The COVID-19 pandemic put an end to the season before it began. End of the happy times along Franklin Avenue. “It was really unfortunate,” Zullo said. “The entire program suffered for it. The leaders we had were incredible. I really think we would have had a very good team, even more than wins and losses. The leaders brought the entire team together.” Senior captains Jamell Quiles and Briana Cruz were the leaders, but the team also had three fouryear program members Alexa Hergenhan, Isabella Fogle and Cecelia Mielnicki that helped with the leadership. “They understood the program and what it was all about to be a part of it,” Zullo said. “It was unfortunate for those kids to not have the chance to finish
out their careers the right way. We had big expectations for that team.” Well, it’s a new year and a new chapter for Nutley’s softball program. The Maroon Raiders started off the 2021 season in fine fashion, winning their first four games last week. “We have a nice mix of returnees and youth,” Zullo said. “I think the junior class was ready to go and it was hard for the younger kids to keep up.” Zullo knows that the recipe for success in high school softball is quite an easy one. “Everybody knows that pitching is such a big part to winning in softball,” Zullo said. “If you have good pitching, it can keep you in games.” Well, the Raiders don’t have just good pitching. They have spectacular pitching coming from junior Fallyn Stoeckel. Stoeckel has been so totally brilliant in the opening stages of the season. She has pitched every inning thus far, striking out an astounding 53 batters in just 30 innings pitched, allowing just 10 hits, surrendered just seven walks and two earned runs. She’s posted three shutouts already in four starts. Her See VIEW, Page 11
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Sorce like a chess master with his Belleville baseball bunch By Jim Hague ogsmar@aol.com The Belleville High School baseball team has a very deep roster in 2021. And it’s a bunch of Buccaneers that veteran head coach Joe Sorce plans on using every single game. “We’re a mixed bag,” Sorce said. “It’s a bit of a challenge. We have only two seniors who had significant playing time two years ago. Not having last season (wiped out due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and with only four scrimmages before we started, we felt we had to find the strength and weaknesses of this team.” So Sorce decided to use the Internet to his benefit, conducting Zoom meetings with his players. “We had about 11 virtual meetings,” Sorce said. “We spent that time talking to the kids, implementing concepts, going over signs. It made the learning curve easier. We put a lot in during those meetings. I think the kids all benefitted from them. I think we were able to hit the ground running a little when we got on the practice field because of the virtual meetings.” Mother Nature also helped the Buccaneers. “We had some great weather,” Sorce said. “We were able to have some good practices and good scrimmages. We felt that the weather was beneficial to us.” Sorce’s deep roster has also helped tremendously. “We might not have that one pitcher who can go seven innings,” Sorce said. “But we have a good group of guys who can go strong for four, five innings. We just have to put all the pieces in place.” Almost like a chess master wondering what piece to move next, whether it’s the pawn, rook or bishop. The Buccaneers started off
Photo by Jim Hague
The Belleville baseball team has a lot of interesting pieces for head coach Joe Sorce (back row, far left) to work with. Front row, from left, Joseph Abramson, Gabriel Mercado and Jason Miranda. Back row, from left, are Sorce, Brandon Ramirez, Adiel DeLeon, Anthony Cecere, Christian Dominguez and assistant coach John Kondel.
the season strong, collecting emotional come-from-behind wins against Cedar Grove and Newark Academy, while falling to a very strong Verona squad. “I like what I’ve seen so far,” Sorce said. “We’ve scored 19 runs in three games. We won two very close games (defeating Cedar Grove, 8-7, after trailing, 7-0 and defeating Newark Academy 9-7). We have a lot of pieces to play with. In order to be successful, I need to be able to manage the kids.” So on any given game day, Sorce will bring as many as 16 players to the varsity game and sending the rest to the junior varsity level. “The kids understand,” Sorce said. “They have to be ready for anything. We have been playing anywhere from 11 to 13 kids in a game. It’s juggling those kids, mix and match, depending on the situation. The kids know what their roles are and they understand how they are being used.” Senior Anthony Cecere is one of the top pitchers and has earned a win in each of the Buccaneers’ two victories,
despite not having started either game. “He’s our hardest thrower,” Sorce said. “He has a very good fastball. We’re still trying to figure out the best way to use him. He’s pitched in all three games and won two of them.” Cecere is also the Buccaneers’ centerfielder when he’s not on the mound. Senior Joe Abramson has been another dependable hurler. “He’s a good strike thrower,” Sorce said of Abramson. Senior Brandon Ramirez is another hard thrower. “He has a solid fastball,” Sorce said of Ramirez, who is also the Bucs’ main first baseman. The rest of the pitching staff consists of a solid junior class. Mike Napolitano has been the starter in two of the three Buccaneer games. “I like the way he’s throwing the ball,” Sorce said. Colin Cook is another junior righty. “He has a lot of upside,” Sorce said of Cook. Andre Barroso is another See BELLEVILLE, Page 10
