Redbird baseball preps to make run at playoffs

By: Kyle Moylan
   The Allentown High School baseball team took a "Nice" first step during the 2006 season. Now the Allentown coaches and players want to finish the job.
   "We took a jump forward last season, but we were still a game or two away from making the state playoffs," noted Allentown Coach Brian Nice, who is entering his second season on the job. "We want to make the state playoffs and go from there."
   Like almost any team, Allentown’s success will rely heavily on its starting pitching. And that means the one-two punch of Chris Kubik and Ethan Perro.
   "They got most of the innings last year and they’ll be the main guys again," Nice noted.
   Logan Gallagher will be counted on to help the team in late-inning situations. Mike Catsoulis (senior), Anthony Gambino (a junior transfer from New York), Ed Ras (sophomore), Tom Koontz (sophomore), Don Wood (sophomore) and Nick Calabrese (junior) will also get their chances on the mound.
   The pitchers will be throwing to Vince Pugliese, a senior. Pugliese got some playing time at that position last season.
   "Our biggest loss to graduation was Jim Nelson, a catcher and fourth-place hitter," Nice noted. "Pugliese played some at catcher last year. With him, we will not lose anything defensively. I’m not worried about him at all as a receiver."
   When he’s not pitching, Kubik will play first. Tom Kuzma, another senior, also returns to play at second base.
   Rounding out the infield, Allentown has Gallagher and Josh Howell (sophomore) at short. Ethan Perro plays third. When Perro pitches, Gallagher and Howell are among the options to shift over to third.
   Rob Guiliano will move from right field to center this season. Jeremy Valesi (senior), Ras, Craig Bacovin (senior) and Dan Westfall (junior) will compete for the other outfield positions.
   Allentown has already had a few scrimmages. Weather permitting, there are five more scrimmages scheduled before the opener on Monday, April 2 at home at 4 p.m. against Steinert.
   "I think we’ll be okay pitching wise," Nice noted. "The defense struggled in the scrimmages, but that will come in time. And on offense we have some guys that can hit the ball. We still have a long ways to go, but we have a starting point."
   The starting point, of course, was the 2006 season. Allentown went from a team that struggled for any wins to one that almost made the state playoffs.
   "We had guys that learned how to win last year," Nice said. "Now we have to take that to the next level. I think we can win the division, but the first goal is to make the state playoffs."