Sports
Softball: Whitman 2011 Preview
Last year's Suffolk County runner-up hopes to revisit some of that same success a year later despite the graduation of their ace.
At the beginning of last season, the softball team kept talking about making a run in the Suffolk County playoffs.
"Our goal was to go all the way," said manager David Rivera. "We wanted to go to States. We knew we had a very strong team, with a lot of key, strong players that could’ve gotten us there. I still think throughout last year, we had a good shot at it. We had that in mind the whole time through. We were expecting it to happen."
Expecting is one thing. Executing is another. Last year, Whitman did both.
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The strong pitching of senior Christine Lucido, coupled with the team's ability to play fundamental softball, led them to a sixth seed in the Suffolk County Class AA playoffs. They saved the best for those playoffs, riding Lucido's pitching and their strong defense all the way to the Suffolk Class AA Finals. They lost there, but they did hand eventual state champ Bay Shore their only loss of the season in the process.
"I think the girls started jelling a little bit later towards the end," Rivera said. "Throughout the whole year, we worked on basics, foundational stuff. We knew that pitching and defense was going to be our staple, and that usually helps you out in playoffs, it’s usually a big thing. It came down to more smallball stuff, execution stuff."
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Lucido is gone this season, off to play at Dominican College. But the young Wildcats are still thinking big. They return more than half of their starting lineup from a year ago, and they think they can make another run this year.
"Last year was crazy, just because we knew that we could’ve done it," said senior pitcher Jen Schaber. "In the beginning of the season, we were always talking about how good we could do, but we were actually able to do it and make it happen. We want to do it again."
Last Season: 19-7, League II: Suffolk Class AA runner-up.
Coach: David Rivera (third season). He previously led the baseball team at Briarcliffe College to the USCAA National Championship in 2006 as interim coach.
Key Players:
- Jen Schaber, senior, pitcher
- Maria Pezzino, senior, shortstop
- Kelly Eng, sophomore, center field
- Sarah Triolo, senior, first base
- Morgan Geiser, junior, catcher
Position Breakdown: For all intents and purposes, the Wildcats went as Lucido went last year; she was the team's leader on the field. This year, Whitman will need the ace of their pitching staff to take a similar lead.
Schaber certainly understands what Lucido meant to the team last year, and knows she will have to step up. "I feel like I have to take that up," she said. "Especially because we had such a good pitcher last year."
"We’re going to be riding Jen’s shoulders this year," Rivera said. "I think she’ll be just as good. She throws pretty hard, not as hard as Lucido. But she does have a very good changeup that will keep hitters off balance. We’re working with her non-stop trying to work on [hitting] her spots."
One of the things that will impact League II play this year is a rule change moving the pitching mound from 40 feet from home plate to 43 feet. The shift was designed to get the league in line with college and travel league distances, as well as to put more runs on the board. It's an adjustment that does not faze Schaber.
"I do 43 feet when I play over the summer," she said. "I think any pitcher would like 40 better, but as a hitter, it helps our team a lot with the extra three feet. It’s an adjustment, but it’s fine. We already had two scrimmages, and I was able to adjust fine."
Behind Schaber, the Wildcats return several key players from last year's team. Leading the infield will be shortstop Maria Pezinno, a third-year senior who will be attending SUNY Plattsburgh to play softball next year. A solid contact hitter who hit .424 last season, Pezinno will likely lead off for the Wildcats. Rivera also commended his captain's range and arm strength, necessary skills for any shortstop.
Strong team defense was a staple of last year's team, and it is true of Whitman's returning fielders as well. The strongest of all may be fellow senior captain Sarah Triolo, who will play first base. "She has a great range at first base," said assistant coach Jennifer Kozlowski. "She will field anything that comes in her direction." Catcher Morgan Geiser, a junior, is very vocal behind the plate and has a strong arm. She's also one of the team's strongest hitters. "Every time she makes contact with the ball it is hit hard," Kozlowski said.
Patroling the outfield will be center fielder Kelly Eng, a sophomore. One of the team's hardest workers, Eng hit .319 as a freshman last year, but her greatest strengths lie on defense as well, where she can show off her speed and tremendous range. That speed also makes her a threat to bunt and steal bases.
Expectations: League II was slightly reconfigured this season, with Commack moving up to League I. That leaves Whitman's biggest challengers in their league to be Bay Shore (who beat them in last year's Suffolk final) and Connetquot (who they beat in last year's Suffolk semi-final).
Any successful season in any sport, and at any level, is tough to replicate. Whitman's challenge is even tougher as they have to replace the ace of their pitching staff. But they return a significant portion of that team. They have another ace ready to step in. While the rest of their team is young, the Wildcats believe that they should be able to contend again.
"What I’ve noticed so far in the practices we’ve had is that the girls are easy to coach,"Rivera. "They go ahead and try the things that you teach them, and they’re getting better pretty quick. I’m excited to see what we’re gonna do towards the end of the year. Once they get adjusted, and they get to jell with each other, I think it’s going to be a good surprise. I think the wins will come."
"We’re all working hard, and want to go as far as we did last year," said Pezzino. "I think we can do it."
Key Games:
April 5: Whitman @ Sachem North, 4 p.m.
May 5: Whitman @ Connetquot, 4 p.m.
May 9: Bay Shore @ Whitman, 4 p.m.
May 17: Whitman @ Northport, 4 p.m.
