2013 HERALD High School BASEBALL / SOFTBALL Preview
SEWANHAKA
Schedule BASEBALL March
Seniors hold key for Indians BY ANDREW MCCLURE
S
ix seniors return for Sewanhaka on the baseball diamond in 2013. The Indians, who finished with a record of 10-8 in the Nassau Countywide Conference, will battle Hempstead, Great Neck South, Westbury, and Roosevelt in league play. Sewanhaka and defending conference champion Great Neck South should both be in the hunt for league supremacy. Despite having only 13 players on the roster, coach Mike Ryan is hopeful his strong group of seniors will carry the team. “I’m counting on the seniors to propel us to a little better result than we came up with last season,” Ryan said. “We return a group of players who have experience, and who have performed well at the varsity level.” Captain Mike Zunno, who hit over .320 as a junior, returns at shortstop for the Indians. Zunno will bat leadoff and serve as one of Sewanhaka’s table setters. Senior second baseman Brian Murphy forms a solid middle infield with Zunno. Murphy, who is the number two starter, will be counted on to knock in runs from the three hole. Nicholas Dempsey is the ace of the pitching staff. Dempsey, who went 5-2 as a junior with an ERA slightly over 2.00, has an excellent fastball and good command of his curve. Dempsey is versatile enough to play infield or outfield when he’s not pitching. He will likely bat second. Sophomore southpaw Michael Parasconda will be the third starter and the everyday center fielder. Junior catcher Kevin Ocampo hit .350 in 2012. He’ll occupy a spot in the middle of the order. Ocampo is a solid backstop with improved arm strength. The Indians expect to get power from Manny Nunez. The senior left fielder should be one of Sewanhaka’s top RBI guys. Ryan Byrne, a senior right fielder who hit over .400, and senior third baseman Nick Bevilaqua, a player who came on strong in the second half of the season, both should have plenty of opportunities to knock in runs.
27 @ Hempstead 30 Hempstead
April
Strong battery charges Lady Indians
S
ewanhaka softball returns its starting battery and a few young starters with varsity experience under their belts. The Lady Indians, who compiled a 9-3 record and won the Conference ABC-IV title in 2012, move to a new league. They will battle with East Rockaway, Valley Stream South, Cold Spring Harbor, WheatWheat ley, Manhasset, and West Hempstead.. Despite having to fill numerous holes, and not having a lot of depth, coach ch Deirdre Kelly is optimistic about herr team. “The girls know that expectations are always high on the softball field for Sewanhaka,” Kelly said. “If we’re going to be successful, we’re going to have to play very well on defense, play some small ball, be smart on the bases, and be one of those scrappy y teams that hang around every game.”” Senior catcher Rachel Wisniewski, ski, an o-back All-Conference honoree in back-to-back seasons, is an outstanding defensive player with a big bat. Wisniewski hit .375 and led ts and the Lady Indians in extra-base hits RBI last spring. Senior pitcher Cassidy Johnson, a sevw baten-game winner in 2012, doesn’t blow ters away, but is always around the plate, and keeps hitters off-balance with crafty pitching. Freshman Jancarla Herrera, an Allader, is Conference honoree as an eighth-grader, a tremendous center fielder, and will be the catalyst for Sewanhaka’s offensive attack. Herrera is a switch hitter who likes to slap and run, and she has a little more pop in her bat compared to last year. Kelly will use a platoon system em at first base. Junior Jenna Sanfilippo and re senior Kari Mavrovouniotis, who are both solid with the glove and can handle the bat well, are both very capable at first base. Kelly was hoping for big things from Sabrina Spiridigliozzi, but the junior outfielder is out with a knee injury suffered during soccer season. Spiridigliozzi hopes to h return to the lineup midway through the season.
10:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m.
Senior Taylor Filippi steps in at shortstop, and sophomore Jill Filippi is an excellent defensive third baseman and a good contact hitter.
1 2 4 9 15 16 18 22 23 25 29 30
@ Roosevelt Roosevelt @ Roosevelt Elmont Westbury @ Westbury Westbury @ G.N. South G.N. South @ G.N. South @ Hempstead Roosevelt
4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.
May 6 @ Westbury 7 G.N. South
4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.
SOFTBALL April 2 4 6 9 15 17 19 24 26 27
@ East Rockaway 4:30 p.m. Manhasset 4:30 p.m. @ C.S. Harbor 10:00 a.m. @ Wheatley 4:30 p.m. V.S. South 4:30 p.m. @ West Hempstead 4:30 p.m. East Rockaway 4:30 p.m. C.S. Harbor 4:30 p.m. Wheatley 4:30 p.m. @ Manhasset 10:00 a.m.
May 2 @ V.S. South 6 West Hempstead
4:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m.
MIKE ZUNNO SHORTSTOP
RACHEL WISNIEWSKI CATCHER
Photos by Janette Pellegrini
ASON
PRE-SE
L SPECIA
Morania Energy
& AC Too
20% OFF Any Air Conditioning Job including Ductless Systems! Must book job before 4/15/13
Premium Heating Oil • Service Plans • Est. 1937
GO SEWANHAKA INDIANS
Call Today!!
516.679.2000
March 28, 2013 — Spring Sports Preview - Herald Community Newspapers
S18