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Port Jeff, Comsewogue will compete
BASEBALL
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Two North Shore baseball teams are looking to be competitive this year.
The Port Jefferson Royals enjoyed their most successful season ever in 2008. The Royals finished 16-5 in league play, 20-7 overall, winning the Class C Suffolk County championship and encoring with a first-ever Long Island title before losing in the New York State quarterfinals to Kieo Academy.
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| | | Port Jefferson’s Justin Battelli on the mound in the sixth inning against Stony Brook on March 31. Courtesy of Deb Ferry. (click for larger version) | |
"It was the season of a lifetime," said Port Jefferson head coach Ken Manfre. "It was a matter of four years having those kids come together. It was magical."
Repeating may be difficult. Port Jefferson graduated five starters from last year's team and return just four. Manfre is counting on his four senior captains — Brendon Duffy, Mike D'Auria, Justin Battelli and Joe Guerra — to set the tone for the team. "This is a different team than we had last year," said Manfre. "We have four kids with tons of experience and others with none. The plus is that those seniors are all tremendous leaders and they are helping to mold the team. I think that we have got a ways to go, but we also have got quite a bit of potential. With a break here and there we could make some noise at the end of the year."
The Royals are led by Duffy, All-League Pitcher of the Year. The southpaw ace went 8-1 last year with a dazzling 1.45 earned run average. Duffy has also shown enough potential with the bat to hit cleanup too. When he is not on the mound, expect Duffy to play first base.
Another returning 2008 All-Leaguer is D'Auria who moves from second base to shortstop this year. D'Auria batted .371 with 13 RBIs last year and had a scintillating on base average of .600. "We will go as far as Duffy's pitching and D'Auria's bat take us," said Manfre.
The Royals' other two starting seniors, Battelli and Guerra, are also primed for solid seasons. Battelli will split time behind the plate and at first base while Guerra is a solid force patrolling center field. Batelli hit .370 with 15 RBIs in 2008, earning All-League honors while Guerra, who played hurt for most of the season, had an off year with a .225 average. He batted over .300 as a sophomore.
Rounding out the Royals' pitching rotation will be junior righties Sean McGivney and Ryan Ward. Both played on the junior varsity squad last year. Spearheading the Royals' bullpen is junior Chris Esposito who can also catch, play the outfield and two infield positions.
"We are going to need to get a balanced effort out of everyone," said Manfre. "Last year I don't think we overachieved as much as we snuck up on a lot of people. This year Greenport and Center Moriches each return a lot of people but I think that we'll be right in the mix of things."
Unfortunately, neighboring Comsewogue didn't nearly enjoy the success that Port Jefferson achieved. The Warriors completed struggling to find wins. But head coach Mike Bonura is as optimistic as he's been with this year's prospects. And why not, Bonura returns all but one player from last year's team.
"Last year was a disappointment," Bonura said. "The team chemistry was poor and that hurt us a lot. This year I sense more camaraderie, more of a team first attitude and I'm excited about the season. The players are more receptive and they understand the team concept. I'm much more optimistic this year."
Leading the Warriors in 2008 is junior pitcher/first baseman Rich Kissane. Kissane earned All-League honors last year. Also expected to take leadership roles are senior center fielder Anthony Marchese, senior catcher Greg Garabedian and senior pitcher/third baseman Sean Graham. Also expected to make significant contributions are junior pitcher/outfielder Anthony Santi and sophomore pitcher Nick Calamia.
"I think we have a more experienced lineup this year," Bonura said. "They have a good work ethic and our defense is a bit better than we were last year. We have more depth at each position and our hitting will come around. We are a more balanced team than in the past."
Can the Warriors compete in a highly competitive League V? Bonura believes they can. "If our pitching holds up and our attitude stays the same, I think that we are a playoff team — we should be there. I feel confident that we'll win some games against some of the tougher teams."
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