Middletown High School North’s Audrie Thomas makes contact with a pitch during the Lions’ preseason game against New Egypt High School on March 23 at Middletown High School South. The Lions, preparing for their April 1 home opener against neighboring Middletown South, won the scrimmage, 1-0. LAUREN CASSELBERRY St. John Vianney High School’s softball team is counting on a combination of dominant pitching and an emerging lineup to continue its winning ways one year after graduating four seniors.
Last year, the Lancers won their Shore Conference division and the Monmouth County Tournament, in addition to making trips to the Shore Conference Tournament finals and the NJSIAA Non-Public A championship game.
The team enters the 2013 season with a key group of returning starters, including junior Katie Beriont, who finished 21-3 last season and 13-0 as a freshman. Beriont is one of the best pitchers in the state, and having her healthy from the start will help St. John Vianney hit the ground running. “The team feels more confident with her being healthy,” head coach Kim Lombardi said. “You’re as strong as your pitching is, and we’re stronger when Katie is healthy.”
Senior Amanda Durham, the center fielder, has finished each of the last three seasons with at least 40 hits. She will be the leadoff hitter, while junior shortstop Jackie Gallagher was a .500 hitter last season. The Lancers have a total of three juniors who already have two seasons of starting experience, giving the team a solid group of veterans.
Lombardi said freshman Helena Coppola has already emerged as an impact player and will hit third in the Lancers’ lineup.
Sophomore pitcher Ashley Ventura, who threw a no-hitter last year against Southern Regional High School, is another underclassman poised to play a big role on this season’s team.
The defense behind Beriont and Ventura is a bit inexperienced, with two new infielders joining the fold and another moving to a new position. But Lombardi said she has “high expectations.”
Gallagher is in her third year as a starter, and second baseman Erica Krumbine, a sophomore, started at first as a freshman.
The head coach added that she expects the team’s defense, which was a strong suit in 2012, to peak sometime in May.
“I like to look at the defense from the middle out,” Lombardi said. “We are younger in the infield, but I feel we’re very strong up the middle at second and short, and in center field. I’m confident that we will be competitive.”
Chelsea Vena, an outfielder, is another senior on the team. Junior Marlena Bevilacqua is both an infielder and outfielder, while fellow junior Kate Baron will be behind the plate and in right field.
Sophomore Claire Stefanelli and freshman Anne Manganiello will play at third base. Sophomore catchers Jess Carlucci and Michelle King, who is also an infielder, round out the Lancers’ roster this spring.
St. John Vianney will first aim for a title in its division, which was reworked for the 2013 season. Red Bank Catholic, Manasquan and Monmouth Regional join A Central this year, while Red Bank Regional and Matawan Regional are out.
The Lancers will open their season on the road on April 1 against Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, with the first pitch at 3:45 p.m. St. John Vianney’s home opener is set for April 3 against Shore Regional High School at 3:45 p.m.