FLORENCE—Baseball after another great year

By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
    The Florence High School baseball team will return the majority of its starters from a team that went 13-7 and reached the Central Jersey Group I title game last year.
    Of course, it would be nice if Steve Giambrone, the ace of the pitching staff and shortstop the other days, was among the returnees.
    “He’s almost irreplaceable,” noted Florence Coach Joe Frappolli Jr., who is entering his second year on the job.
    Jake Dewitt, a sophomore, will replace Giambrone at short. Fittingly, Dewitt will also pitch and he can hit.
    “He might be our number three hitter,” Frappolli said.
    When Dewitt pitches, Jimmy Martinson, a senior, will play short. Martinson also pitches.
    The second baseman is T.J. Lovenduski, a junior. The third baseman is Jim Narkun, a senior. Clint Rockhill, a senior, moves from right field to first base to complete the infield.
    The catcher is Kevin Jiras, a senior. Jake Foehr is the backup catcher.
    After not playing last season, Chucky Taylor, a senior, is set to move into center field. Also in the mix for time in the outfield are juniors Ian Groover, Tom Napolitan, Korey Linico, A.J. Storella and Dylan Martin.
    Adam Schmidt is a sophomore that will pitch and serve as a utility player. Mike Boyd (senior) and Shane Mazur (senior) are also utility players.
    Florence will open its season on April 2 when it hosts Maple Shade. Expectations are high.
    “We’re a senior-dominated team,” Frappolli said. “With our experience, we expect to compete for the league title.”
    Frappolli will be assisted by Jimmy Ivins and Scott Schuler.
    Florence got its season off to informal start this past Saturday with an alumni game, which included both Joe Frappolli senior and junior in action.
    “My day hit the ball pretty good,” Frappolli Jr. noted. “It was just getting to first that was the problem. “He even played second base and tried to turn a double play.
    “The ages ranged from 18 into the 60’s. There were some throwbacks out there.”
    As for now, Frappolli Jr. would be happy to just to recapture some of the magic of last season.