Ask any team on Long Island about depth. It’s a good thing to have. The South Side Cyclones could tell you all about it, even after losing a few impact seniors last year from an 8-12 team, the Cyclones return one of the deepest teams the school has seen in years, which is leaving the school excited that it can return to being at the top of the conference.
Even with their big senior class last year, they have a ton of depth. Among the losses were catcher Patrick Leach and the Cyclones number one starter, Bobby Frankini. They also lost their starting third baseman Zach Leff and their starting center fielder Chris Collins. Replacing four starters on varsity isn’t usually an easy task, however, the Cyclones remain confident because of who’s coming back and who’s going to step up.
The returning seniors for this year’s team focus on pitching. Tyler Costaro, who a three-year varsity starter, will be looked upon to lead the team’s rotation, while Tim O’Brien will be called to close out for the Cyclones. The rest of the staff is comprised of juniors who were able to get significant time last year. One being Danny Kelleher (Who also is going to help the team in the outfield) and the other being Sean Kelly. With the top of the rotation being those three and having a shutdown closer to end the games, its easy to see why the Cyclones remain happy with their pitching depth.
Looking to lead the outfield is Anthony Pericolosi. He can play anywhere in the outfield and is going to be a big part of the lineup as he hit over .300 as a sophomore last season. Grant Goodlad (senior) and Paul Motta (sophomore) will look to fill up the rest of the outfield.
Replacing Leach at catcher isn’t an easy task, but the Cyclones have several options on the table to replace him including last years backup, John LaCava who is now a senior. He’s going to battle it out with junior Alex Brieter and sophomore Jack Temple. The rest of the infield includes first baseman Sean Kelly. When he’s not on the mound, Kelly plays a big role in the infield. Costaro joins him at second when he’s not on the mound. The Cyclones expect a couple of other players to step up in the infield including junior shortstop Liam Leonard and returning junior Jason Schwartz.
The Cylones are excited by this year’s team and their reasoning is simple. They have the depth to be able to compete and they look forward to doing so.
