By Dylan Butler
Losito is perhaps the most complete player in the CHSAA, a senior who is as dominant in the circle as she is at the plate.”We expect her to be better,” Mary Louis coach Tom Sarosy said of Losito, who was the TimesLedger CHSAA Player of the Year last season. “She's pitching for power rather than just throwing and she can hit anything she wants to.”Also back are the Walsh twins, seniors Michelle, who will catch, and Julie, who moves from center field to play third base. Tonianne Campuzano returns at shortstop, Tina Ruggiero, who played third last year is in right field, Martha Vargas will play first and in the outfield, versatile seniors Therese Postel and Lauren Milczinski are also back.What should make Mary Louis a better team this year is its depth, led by a talented trio of sophomores. Losito has a backup in Vicki Capece, Venessa Melendez will play second base and Johanna Peiser will see time in centerfield.”The pressure is on them, but they're not looking at it that way,” Sarosy said. “They're more excited this year because they went so far last year.”Ann Marie Rich started her 10th year as the St. Francis Prep coach by taking her Terriers down to Florida for some preseason work. And if the way her team played in the Sunshine State is any indication, the rest of the league should take notice.”It was a good experience,” Rich said of her team's 4-1 record and second place finish in Naples, Fla. “It was an opportunity of a lifetime.”St. Francis Prep, which was edged by Mary Louis in the Brooklyn/Queens semifinal last year and suffered five of its six losses to Mary Louis and Archbishop Molloy, return a formidable battery of senior pitcher Nina Cesare and junior catcher Justine Clifford. Tiffany Caban started at shortstop last year but she is moving over to third and will bat leadoff.Also back for a St. Francis Prep team that can both hit for power and bunt are Molloy College-bound left fielder Christina Reilly and senior first baseman Samantha Jo Marciliano.”We definitely picked up a lot of speed,” Rich said of her team that includes three sophomores up from the JV team. “I've never done so much bunting in my life. I'm like a kid in a candy store.”With St. Agnes dropping out of the varsity league, each team will play the remaining five teams three times to create a 15-game league schedule, which should be especially interesting for the league's “big three,” of Mary Louis, St. Francis Prep and Molloy.”They're actually looking forward to playing each other,” Rich said of star hurlers Losito from Mary Louis and Cesare.Molloy also traveled south, making its annual trek to Virginia. But like the teams that stayed home, the Stanners' four games – and the entire tournament they were scheduled to play in – were washed away.So with a week to go before Monday's league-opening clash with Mary Louis, Molloy has played but one game – a 4-3 extra-innings win over Francis Lewis. And there are questions that still need to be answered, the biggest being: Who will replace Christina Del Maestro as the starting pitcher?A pair of seniors, Amanda Ruecker and Michele Viani, each offers something different. Ruecker throws with more speed while Viani has more pitches. Sophomore Kayley Ferran should also pitch. Molloy coach Maureen Rosenbaum hasn't ruled out using both Ruecker and Viani in the same game.”It can definitely work in our favor,” Rosenbaum said of her platooning pitchers. “Everyone was used to the way Christina pitched. Now we have a variety of different pitches and speeds.”Seven players are gone, but back are starting catcher Danielle Mascia, junior third baseman Kerri McLean, junior left fielder Lauren McCabe, senior right fielder Kristin Steffens and seniors Amy Fortuna and Mary Braunstein, who will each see time in center.St. John's Prep hasn't played a game yet, but coach Denise Hilling knows what to expect from a veteran core.”We definitely should be strong,” said Hilling, who is in her second tour of duty as Red Storm coach. “We're looking to at least get into the playoffs and hopefully get past the first round.”Leading the returnees is senior shortstop Alexis Pennella, who is one of the most underrated players in the city. The Molloy College-bound Pennella batted .594 last year and had a .887 fielding percentage. Also back is pitcher Nicole Lohr, a senior windmiller, and senior first baseman Kristin Clarke.Hilling calls freshman catcher Jenna Stueber a “big asset who will solidify our infield.”There's a new coach at Stella Maris, but Jimmy D'Angelo is no stranger to the Lady Flippers. That's because he was the bench coach for seven years under the last two head coaches.Star pitcher Katie Scotko is gone but sophomore Alexa Rosella and freshmen Caitlin Garofalo and Caitlin Dasaro will share the pitching duties. Back for Stella Maris, which beat Mary Louis for the first time in school history last year, is senior third baseman Christina Forcia, senior shortstop Kerry Harnisher and junior left fielder Jackie Frank.”Our strength is all around,” D'Angelo said. “We have good fielding, our pitching is solid and our bats have been alive in practice. Our team is jelling, they're all getting along.”Christ the King lost several of its top players from a year ago, including coach Frank Florio's daughter Tracy Florio and outfielders Sondra Noer, who is playing at Concordia, and Tara Woebbe. But back for the Royals are first baseman Bridgette Woebbe and shortstop/catcher Paula Manna, who hope to lead CK into the playoffs.”I feel optimistic,” said Florio, in his third year. “The combination of juniors with experience, new sophomores and seniors with experience, I think we'll be competitive.”Reach Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
