by Nakeem Grant
The Molloy Lions have a lot to be excited for in the 2016 season. They have a revamped roster, a steadfast head coach and a familiar face returning for a new role.
Lions head coach, Joe Fucarino cannot wait for the season to begin. He sees a lot of potential in this year’s team and he set their main goal: to clinch a spot in the ECC tournament.
“Our first goal from day one is getting into the conference tournament,” says coach Fucarino. Molloy finished fifth in the conference with a 10-14 record. He explained that missing out on the tournament last season was a “humbling experience” for his team.
Fucarino’s team has qualified for seven ECC tournaments in his ten years with the Lions. He did not hesitate to revere the other teams in the conference. He feels that the competition will be tough throughout the entire conference.
“Our conference is so strong. Every weekend is a conference weekend. We can’t take anything for granted, you have to be up for every single game.”
Molloy had a potent offense last season. Their team’s batting average hovered around .300 in 2015, powered by the bats of Deilyn Guzman and Kevin Podell. Guzman was a dynamic player for their offense, batting .309 with 30 stolen bases and 36 runs scored. He certainly has potential to be selected in the upcoming draft.
Podell led the team in hits with 53 to go along with a .325 batting average. His impressive offensive numbers earned him a spot on Baseball on the Island’s All-Long Island team, along with infielder Michael Rahn.
As great as their offense was last year, coach Fucarino added a bit more reinforcement to their coaching staff. This year’s offense will be aided former Molloy standout, Joe Holden.
“He’s the best player to come through our program.”
Holden will be working with Molloy’s hitters as an assistant coach. He has plenty of professional experience to share based on his baseball résumé. Holden played the outfield for the Lions from 2003-2005. He had a career batting average of .390 with a .459 on-base percentage during his time with the Lions. In 2005, he was drafted in the 21st round of the MLB draft by the New York Mets, becoming the first player in the program’s history to do so. He played eight years in pro baseball for minor league teams such as the St. Lucie Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones, to name a few.
Molloy will look to change their fortunes away from their home field this season. At home, they were 16-6, but on the road they were 2-11. Coach Fucarino attributed this to the youthfulness of his team.
“We had a young team and our routine on the road was different. It’s a matter of getting accustomed to playing away from our turf home-field.”
However, Fucarino stated that some of their opponents shared their home field and Molloy acted as the away team for those games. Therefore, their away record might have been a bit skewed.
The Lions will also have to figure out who will step up this season to fill the rotation spots left by Shea Spitzbarth and Alex Brosnan.
Spitzbarth signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Dodgers following his junior season. He was a member of the All-ECC First Team, he had a record of 4-1 with an exceptional ERA at 1.77.
Brosnan, who graduated last year, had a 5-1 record with a 2.48 ERA. He won the NJCAA Region XV Pitcher of the Year award in 2013 during his time at Nassau Community College. Spitzbarth and Brosnan leave big shoes to fill for Molloy’s starting rotation.
These two young men leave big shoes to fill for Molloy’s starting rotation but coach Fucarino’s pitchers have been training hard since the end of last season.
Ronald Bauer, Bobby Kelly, and Anthony Catinella are next in line for the Molly Lions’ pitching rotation. Bauer and Kelly are entering their junior season while Catinella will begin his sophomore year.
Fucarino’s young arms spent their summer working on their craft. Bauer and Catinella pitched in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League over the course of last summer and Kelly pitched with the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
Pitching coach, Mike Callahan has worked extensively with this young pitching staff during the offseason. They have done training at their indoor facility and Fucarino states that they have a few new things that his staff wants to implement with the six young arms they recruited.
“Our practices are intense and I’m big on character. Chemistry comes from the players, not from the coaches.”
This will be coach Fucarino’s 21st season as a college coach and he is pumped for the Lions to get back into the ECC tournament. He wants them to be a part of elite competition and to build continuity along the way.
“I just want the guys to compete. Competing is the best thing that you want your guys to do. We have 18 non-conference games to start the season and to see what we’re made of.”
The Lions will start their season in North Carolina on February 20th against Pfeiffer University in a double header. They show lots of promise in 2016 with a retooled pitching staff and a powerful offense.
