Daily Sports Digest: Port Chester Softball Preview

The Top Spot:

Head Coach Jeanine Maiolini, Assistant Coach Annrose Santoro and Junior Varsity Coach Sara Morabitio are revitalizing the Port Chester Ram Softball program, and after an 11-10 season the staff is looking to build toward the future.

Recently, Patch caught up with Coach Maiolini to discuss this year’s team.

What was your record last year?

“Last year I had a great core of seniors who were very dedicated into having a successful season.  Our preseason workouts got us ready to start our season and we did a good job pulling through ahead early on we ended our season 11 & 10 making it to the first round of sectionals.”

As far as age and, more importantly experience goes, what type of team
do you expect to have this season?

“This year is a whole different story I do not have the experience as I did last year and the turn out in numbers during our preseason workouts was very disappointing to me, but season started Monday and all the girls in the program JV - Varsity; are working very hard.  I have no doubt that this years team will be "fighters" I know they will work hard and give me 100% effort 100% of the time because that’s what I talk about in practice.”

What were some of the weaknesses your team had last year that you hope
to improve upon this season?

“I would like to cut down on errors as well as do a better job scoring runners that are left on base.  We also need to be more selective at the plate in regards to picking our pitch to hit.”

Who are some of your returning players coming back who you see being
big contributors?

“Ciarra Murray, Cassie Lagana and Viri Coyt are returning players that I'm going to rely on this season both offensively and defensively.”

Who are some of your new players you are expecting to thrust into a larger role on the team?

“Juliana Ippolito, Anissa Suppa, Veronica and Vanessa Fernandes and Liz Almejo, Sabrina Johnson.”

How has the team been preparing in the off-season?

“I have had clinics at the HS twice a week and once a week at Proswing in Port Chester.  There were only a handful of kids attending on a consistent basis and it shows being the start of our season.”

What are your goals for the season as a team?

“My goals for the season and the team are the same... Always looking to improve! I stress fundamental until I'm blue in the face because I believe in them and I want the girls to believe in them as well.”

Are there one or two games circled on the schedule this season?

“Horace Greeley, Harrison and Rye Neck are great teams that are very well coached and have well respected programs in the softball world, so I like to evaluate my team on how we match up to these teams.”

What are you personally looking forward to this season?

“I personally am looking forward to having a good time with the girls while teaching them softball and all the life lessons that go hand in hand with this game.  I also made a program decision this year to practice with the JV and Varsity teams mixed together, this will allow the younger players to learn "MY" coaching style and will benefit the program in the long run.”

College Sports Notebook:

Suffern’s Steinberg Sizzles at Rutgers

The Rutgers University women’s lacrosse team, coming of a 13-7 victory over Monmouth, will play three of the next four games at home, starting with Saint Joseph’s on Wednesday night.

Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the RU Turf Field inside the Stadium Complex in Piscataway, NJ. It will be the first home game under the lights for the Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers reached the .500 level at 3-3 following the victory over the Hawks (1-6), a game in which senior midfielder Ali Steinberg of Suffern had a career day with five goals and two assists.

Annie McGinley of Moorestown, NJ, aided the effort of the Scarlet Knights (3-3) with three goals and one assist. For Steinberg, it marked the 10th hat trick of her career, including fourth this season.

Seven Scarlet Knights posted at least a point, with five scoring at least one goal, in another solid team effort. The Hawks (1-6) were led by Sam Lillo of Short Hills, NJ, with three scores.

Junior goalie Lily Kalata of Nesconset earned the win with nine saves, while junior Aimee Chotikul of Baltimore, MD, also saw action in the net for the Scarlet Knights.

Mortarboard musings

• Joe Clinton, athletics director at Dominican College, has announced that assistant coach Colin Hodge has been named to replace head coach John Campbell, who resigned last month after seven years at the helm. Hodge, who was a two-year starting defender for the Chargers and was an assistant coach the last four seasons, currently coaches U-10 and U-13 Boys teams in the Clarkstown Soccer Club.

• The Manhattan College baseball team, coming off a 13-11 victory over Big East member West Virginia in Morgantown, W.VA, welcomes Hofstra on Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the Jaspers’ home opener at Van Cortlandt Park in Riverdale. Senior reliever Taylor Sewitt of Highland Mills earned his second win of the season.
• After picking up two wins and leading the Manhattanville College softball team to a victory over nationally ranked Coast Guard, junior Katie Pitcher of Cold Spring was honored as the Freedom Conference pitcher of the week.
• The Dominican College baseball team (3-11), coming off a split at Wilmington University, meets Nyack College in a doubleheader today at 3 p.m. at Provident Bank Park (PBP) in Pomona. The Chargers then challenge another local rival, St. Thomas Aquinas College, in a single game on Wednesday at PBP at 3 p.m.
• Senior Kevin Earlie of Moriches, who went the distance as the Nyack College baseball team (7-6) defeated St. Michael’s College, 12-0, was named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference pitcher of the week. Earlie picked up his fourth win at the Palm Beach Challenge in Lake Worth, FL.

Weekly Sports Poll:

This week, the Daily Sports Digest Weekly Poll looks at the New York Knicks and the . Tell us if you would like to see John Calipari, Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Mike Woodson or someone else on the bench next year and feel free to add your comments to an already lively debate.

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