Pats, Braves: teams to watch on softball diamond
Hennessy, Maltais
are two of Shore’s
best hurlers
JERRY WOLKOWITZ Freehold Township senior Meagan Hennessy is one of the top pitchers in the state and the driving force behind the Patriots’ bid for Shore Conference supremacy this season.
Softball took off in the Freehold District in 2001 as Freehold Township and Manalapan scored major tournament victories and ranked in the top 20 in the state.
John DeVincenzo’s Lady Patriots picked up the big win that had been eluding them when they topped Middletown South, 3-0, to win the Lady Buc Monmouth County Tournament. Township went on to its first 20-win season (24-5) and repeated as the Manalapan Invitational champions. It was the 17th-ranked team in the state.
John Natoli’s Braves won the prestigious Shore Conference Tournament title, routing Ocean Township in the final. The Braves also took in 20 wins (21-7) and ended the season as the best team in the Shore and No. 13 in the state.
Even Freehold Borough got into the championship act as Jim Gill’s Colonials won the Lady Buc Gray Division Tournament.
The young Colts Neck program made the state playoffs in just its second season, and pitcher Marion Protano provided the highlight of the season, the school’s first no-hitter.
Jeannette Cameron-Bruno, a former Shore Coach of the Year with Pinelands, is now coaching the Braves, and she has a roster with enough returning veterans to keep Manalapan competitive.
Pitcher Cherise Maltais, who was 20-7 with a 1.38 earned run average, is the key to the Braves. Maltais, a junior, blossomed into a big-game pitcher last spring, dominating games. She gives Manalapan the kind of pitcher who can win the 1-0 and 2-1 games. She also helped her own cause with a .438 batting average that included 42 base hits and 27 RBI. She is the team’s top all-around player.
The Braves lost some key players, including last year’s News Transcript Female Athlete of the Year Kristy Kwiatkowski (.539, five home runs, 36 RBI, 34 runs and 41 hits) and Allison Bartley (.394, 37 hits, 30 runs). But the Braves do have a bevy of players who came into their own in 2001, including outfielder Erin Silk (.461, 35 hits) and third baseman Tarin Peterson (.347), who are juniors. Silk is among the candidates who may replace Kwiatkowski behind the plate.
Also returning are shortstop Lauren Lamboy and outfielder Lauren Lanza.
Newcomers include Kelly Kwiatkowski (outfield), Meaghan LaCugna (catcher/infield), Jodi Salberg (catcher/infield), Janine Cardenas (first base), Christian Cirello (second base) and Christina Dellasala (outfield).
Manalapan will be a unique team because it has no seniors. The returners are juniors with a lot of experience. This is a team that is building a winning tradition.
Kwiatkowski will surely be missed, not just for her bat but for her defensive skills. She and Maltais were an outstanding battery, and Kwiatkowski’s strong arm shut down a team’s running game. When she arrived as a sophomore at Manalapan, the Braves’ softball fortunes changed. She showed the team the kind of commitment it takes to succeed, and that should be carried over.
DeVincenzo, who has seen his Lady Patriots steadily improve over the years, has a potential powerhouse this spring with all but two players back. The Lady Pats learned how to win in 2001, and that will make them extra dangerous this year. They are also a highly experienced team with eight seniors, most of whom have been three- and four-year starters. This is their year.
Pitcher Meagan Hennessy makes the Pats dangerous by herself. The senior has established herself as the District’s finest pitcher ever. Last year, she was 15-4 with an ERA of 0.37. She struck out 173 in 131.2 innings and tossed three no-hitters, including a perfect game. Hennessy was touched for just 59 hits in her 131.2 innings and surrendered just seven earned runs all season. She batted .405 with 30 hits as a catalyst at the top of the lineup. Hennessy was the MVP of the Manalapan Invitational for a second straight year, leading the Pats to back-to-back tourney titles, and was the Defensive MVP of the Lady Buc tournament.
The Pats are blessed with pitching depth, which enables DeVincenzo to keep Hennessy fresh. Julie Saporito was 7-1 and had a 0.29 ERA in 48 innings of work.
Township’s strong senior class includes shortstop Missy Elsbree (.318, 21 hits); first baseman Kristen Tozzi (.398, 37 hits, two home runs, 22 RBI), whose home run was the difference in the victory over Middletown South in the county tournament; outfielder Danielle Verderosa (.353, 30 hits); and outfielder Lisa D’Amore (.347). Also back are Carolyn Teufel, a solid catcher (.286, 16 RBI), outfielder/infielder Pam Zaranka (.340, 32 hits), Saporito (.315, 28 hits) and pitcher/infielder Stephanie Amarescu (.400).
Newcomers who will provide depth include Diana Anastasio (infield), Nicole Bessemer (infield/outfield) and Kim Tozzi (outfield).
All the ingredients are there for Township to have a big season. With Hennessy on the mound, Township can compete with anyone, and its defense should be solid once again. The biggest question is just how much scoring the team can generate. If it can become a team that can score with any kind of consistency, watch out.
Jerrilyn Acevedo takes over the reigns of a Freehold Borough Colonial team that is on the rise. The Lady Buc Gray Division title was the first championship won by a softball team in school history and has the Colonials anxious to build on the success.
The 2002 Colonials team has a sound nucleus led by pitcher Jen Kelly and catcher Mia Fabiano. Kelly became a dominant pitcher as the season progressed, going 11-4 and pitching to a fine 1.41 ERA. She gave the team confidence. Kelly was the MVP of the Gray Division Tournament and was very good with the bat, batting .373 and scoring 18 runs.
Fabiano had as good a freshman year as anyone could ask for. The catcher batted .446 in her debut season, with 29 hits, 21 RBI and 19 runs scored. She is becoming a defensive force now as well.
The Colonials also have shortstop Jen Towers, who, with her 6-1 frame, is a very imposing figure on the defense. First baseman Dana Braff and second baseman Nicole Gagliardi are also returning, creating a solid defensive infield.
Lauren Cavicchia and Ashley Miller are vying for the third-base spot.
Freshman Kristin Murphy has made a big splash in the preseason and will start in center field. Her speed figures to be a weapon on offense. She will be flanked by Deanna Shea in left and Shanna Haffner in right. Amanda Sofield rounds out the outfield.
Shea can provide rest for Kelly with her pitching talents.
Freehold Borough was 12-11 in 2001, and Coach Acevedo noted that the team has something to shoot for this year: the state playoffs. The Colonials are solid defensively, and on offense will be very aggressive, using their speed to the fullest.
Colts Neck (11-12) is looking to build on last year’s success and make a return to the state playoffs. Kim Yale has five returners back, including starters Meg Curdele (center field), Lisa Wong (third base), Gina Killeen (second base), Brooke Sutter (shortstop) and Kristen Johns (catcher). They figure to be that much better with a year’s experience under their belts. Wong led the team last year offensively with a .333 average. Together they make Colts Neck strong up the middle defensively.
Newcomers include Nikki Esposito (first base), Lindsey Deemeyher (left field), Connianne Rapuano (right field), Erica Selby (right field) and Jen Kozar (infield utility).
Protano’s graduation leaves a void on the pitcher’s mound, but Yale will be filling the position with two young arms with potential. Rachel Dacey and Tricia Furie will start the season in a rotation. Both have talent but lack game experience. How quickly they develop will hold the key to Colts Neck’s season.
The Cougars are sound on defense and look as if they will be better offensively, especially with their more aggressive approach. If the pitching can come around, it could be postseason time again for the Cougars.
Howell is looking to make a push back toward the postseason. Coach Laura Savage has a team with several returners to build around. Seniors Lisa Friscioni (catcher) and Shannon Beith (shortstop) are the core of the returners. Also back are Jillian Callahan (left field), Krista Hiller (outfield), Casey Pickett (second base), Keri Schultz (center field), Courtney Krol (first base/outfield), Kristin Loriot (pitcher/third base) and Jillian Safatle (pitcher/third base).
The Rebels remain young despite the number of returners, with Friscioni and Beith the only seniors. Howell will need sophomore pitchers Loriot and Safatle to deliver on the promise they showed last year to make the team ready to make the next step.
Newcomers include Megan Coleman (outfield/first base), Sarah Johnson (utility), Tracy Mormino (infield) and Kristina Iacovino (designated hitter/outfield).
The Rebels will be a work in progress this spring and could surprise.
Marlboro is shooting for a .500 season, and head coach Randy Scinto, starting his 19th year as the head coach of the program, has 11 returning letter-winners to build the 2002 Mustangs around.
Christine Kastner of basketball fame is a pretty fair softball player as well and leads the returners. The sophomore outfielder batted .333 as a freshman, scoring 12 times and stealing 12 bases. Pitcher Lorina Zelickovics is also returning.
The other returners are catcher Lindsay Chiavaro, first baseman Jill Herman, infielder/outfielder Jessi Ortiz, third baseman Liz Dobson, outfielder Lauren Epstein, outfielder Jenna Masiello, outfielder Melissa Borodonducit, infielder/outfielder Carly Hantman and infielder/outfielder Ilyse Rosenblatt.
Newcomers in 2002 are Sarah Clarfield (pitcher/shortstop), Christina Porcard (second base/catcher), Chrissy Sulca (infield), Melissa Perea (outfield), Elina Yankovich (outfielder) and Jaclyn Decard (outfield).