Many teams would consider a 15-8 season–including a playoff win–a success. However, this is not the case for Ward Melville.
As one of the most successful programs on Long Island over the past decade, any season that ends short of a championship is short of their ultimate goal.
After their worst season in seven years, the Patriots are ready to compete for a title once again.
The main obstacle Ward Melville faces this season is their strength of schedule. Not only is League I arguably the most talented league on the island, but all teams return a significant amount of impact players from last season. Their opponents include Longwood, Sachem East, Brentwood, Pat-Med, William Floyd and Central Islip.
Evidently, Ward Melville will have their hands full. Fortunately for them, they return a strong core of seniors who will be captains and have plenty of varsity experience.
“Our senior leadership will decide whether we make the playoffs or not and how well we compete in our league,” said Head Coach Lou Petrucci.
The pitching staff will be the strength of this team. UConn-commit Max Nielsen will be starting his fifth year on varsity, the only player to do so in Ward Melville history. As a junior, he went 5-1 on the mound and led the team in home runs offensively. In the past decade, Ward Melville has graduated Steven Matz, Anthony Kay and Ben Brown and sent them to professional baseball . Nielsen has a chance to join that list.
Following Nielsen in the rotation will be Marist-commit and captain Ethan Farino. The two-way player will start his third year on varsity. Coach Petrucci is hopeful Matt DiGennaro will have an impact in their rotation. Expect juniors Chris Vivenzio, Frankie Collora and Ryan Hynes to eat some innings on the mound as well.
Offensively, the Patriots return key captains that will lead their team all season long. These senior captains include Post University-commit (2B) Matty Maurer, St. Anselm’s-commit Brady Doran (SS) and (OF) Ethan Farino. This will be Maurer and Farino’s third year starting on varsity. Doran will be the leadoff hitter once again, as he’s the catalyst of this lineup. Senior (1B/OF) Pat Schriffen also hopes to contribute with his bat.
“Hopefully we can get clutch hits this year. Last year we were really lamenting in missed opportunities,” said Coach Petrucci.
Defensively, having Maurer and Doran in the middle infield will be vital towards their success. Farino will be patrolling center field. Juniors Justice Spencer and Matt Franco both hope to contribute in the outfield.
Behind the plate, juniors Mike Lamello and Anthony Pascale will compete to see who will handle the pitching staff. Both catchers possess great defensive ability, and will be an impact one way or another.
Heading into the season, Ward Melville knows what kind of competition they’re up against. If they are able to come through with clutch hits in the right spots and lean on their strong arms, they can make a ton of noise in League I and look to win their first County Championship since 2013.
The Patriots open up their 2019 campaign against defending league champions Longwood on April 1st. Right out of the gate, Ward Melville will see how they stack up against other league powerhouses.
