GMC SOFTBALL: Gold Division team-by-team preview
GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE
GOLD DIVISION
DUNELLEN
Coach: Pat Appello, eighth season (94-72)
Last season: 8-11
Returning players: Mena Feliciano (Jr., SS), Nicole Baudendistel (Jr., C), Emily Cody (Jr., OF), Kirstin Wilson Sr, OF), Alex Steele (So., 3B), Alex Reidy (So., 1B).
Newcomers: Kate Ruskuski (Fr., P), Chloe Dale (Fr., OF).
Outlook: The Destroyers will look to its three juniors to provide leadership both on and off the field. With an otherwise young team Cody, Baudendistel, and Feliciano will also be leaned on heavily to help the Destroyers produce runs, especially early in the season. All three girls are three-year varsity starters who have been part of some very good Destroyer teams and bring a ton of experience into their junior years. The younger girls are also talented, Appello says, as after a two-year run in the Blue Division where they had some struggles, Dunellen drops back down to the Gold where they should be able to compete for the division title.
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GMC SOFTBALL:Red Division team-by-team preview
EAST BRUNSWICK TECH
Coach: Mike Buonaguro, third season (16-32)
Last season: 9-13
Returning players: Bre Curcio (Sr., RF), Gabriella Curcio (Sr., 2B), Gabriella Carnevale (So., SS), Jeannie Mangione (Sr., OF/1B), Kayla Febinger (So., P/1B/OF), Allison DeSimone (So, LF), Sierra Musselman (So., C), Kaitlyn Gassler (Sr., OF/Inf.).
Newcomers: Kayla Morales (Fr., P/3B), Makayla Brown (Fr., C/3B/OF), Amanda Lopez (So.).
Outlook: The Tigers enter the season with a promising outlook seeking to improve over last season’s nine wins as they enter the year with a number of players back, including Bre and Gabriella Curcio along with several freshmen and sophomores on the roster, which sports plenty of youth and inexperience.
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GMC SOFTBALL:White Division team-by-team preview
HIGHLAND PARK
Coach: Lori Szentgyorgyi, 11th season
Last season: 8-9
Returning players: Carly Aversa (Sr., SS), Nyajah Boykins (Sr., 3B), Zoe Shombert (Sr., P), Nautica Dennis (Sr., OF), Sydney McManus-Smith (Jr., 1B), Ester Adiv (So., 1B/2B), Hallie Lerner (So., 2B/OF), Simona Moyal (So., C), Samantha Marder (Jr., OF), Mikaela Zirin (Jr., OF).
Newcomers: Sasha Khordorkovsky (Fr., P), Shantal Azcona (So., 2B/OF), Vimerlis Mendez (So., OF), Ruby Rojas (Fr., OF).
Outlook: Nearly everyone is back for the Owls, who look to build upon last year’s eight-win season. McManus-Smith is one of the better hitters in the Gold Division as the Owls lineup figures to center around her. Khordorkovsky appears to have the nod in the circle.\
GMC SOFTBALL:Blue Division team-by-team preview
PERTH AMBOY TECH
Coach: James Rand, eighth season (73-79)
Last season: 9-13
Returning players: Michelle Infante (Sr., 2B/3B), Nysha Vega (Sr., 2B/OF), Delcris Moya (Sr., OF), Ynoa Lopez (Jr., 3B/CF), Gabby Gonzalez (So., OF), Rebecca Haggerty (So., P/C/SS), Courtney Androvich (Jr., P).
Newcomers: Rebecca Piper (Sr., P), Arianna Albino (Sr., 1B/DH), Zoliam Orengo (Sr., 2B/OF), Katherine Rosario (Sr., OF), Christine Zapata (Fr., C/3B/1B), Devyn Kennedy (So., 1B), Lauren Velez (Jr., 3B), Shalina Valentine (Sr., OF).
Outlook: The Patriots have some good power and speed which makes a great combination at the plate as they’ll look towards Infante (.476) and Haggerty (.433) to carry the lineup. The infield is very young, as Rand hopes they’ll be able to gel quickly. The Patriots also are very young overall as they’ll rely on great leadership from their captains.
PISCATAWAY TECH
Coach: John Moschberger, fourth season
Last season: 2-17
Returning players: Margarita Lopez (Sr., SS/C), Cristina Lisboa (Sr., CF), Kaitlyn Utrecht (Sr., 1B), Tiarra Brady-Tutt (Jr., 2B), Denise Sosa (Jr., LF), Claudia Edralin (So., P/OF).
Newcomers: Annabel Espinal (Fr., Inf.), Lexis Pikula (Fr., 3B), Ashley Vasquez (Fr., Util.), Cristy Alicea (So., C/Util.), Nicole Cardona (So., Inf.), Autumn Williams (Jr., 1B/OF), Amber Mayte (Sr., Inf.), Tori Luthman (Sr., Util.), Ashley Guzman (Sr., Util.), Julissa Guillen (Sr., P/OF), Mykiela Acevedo (Sr., Util.).
Outlook: The trio of captains in Lopez, Lisboa and Edralin are expected to lead the Raiders to what Moschberger hopes to be the best season ever at Piscataway Tech. With their returning co-starters of Utrecht, Brady-Tutt and Sosa along with talented newcomers in Espinal, Pikula, Alicea, and Cardona joining them, they are optimistic about a leap of improvement this season. Our goals are simply to score in every inning and work to become the best team defense.
With 17 players on the roster, it’s the largest team the Raiders have fielded in program history.
SOUTH AMBOY
Coach: Len Maltese, third season (20-20; overall 86-20)
Last season: 10-10
Returning players: Emily Trzeciak (Sr., SS), Chyenne Moskal (Sr., 3B), Janine Gonzales (Sr., OF), Vicky Reilly (Jr., 1B/OF), Alissa Bikowski (So., C), Erica Policastro (So., P), Shannon Tran (So., 1B).
Newcomers: Jenna Maker (Fr., Inf./OF), Samantha Rios (Fr., CF/SS), Ashley Mandala (Fr., 2B/OF), Meghan McCarthy (Fr., P/Inf.), Kaitlyn Luisi (Fr., C/Inf.), Kaleigh Keegan (Fr., P/Inf.), Alexus McGee (Fr., OF).
Outlook: The Guvs will look to build a solid fundamentally sound team around a nucleus of young players as they have only three seniors, led by Trzeciak. South amboy has a total of 10 freshmen and sophomores on the team, seven of whom are possible starters as they’ll certainly have some growing pains early on.
SOUTH RIVER
Coach: Debra De Vivo
Last season: 17-5
Returning players: Alyssa Andrejic (Sr., OF), Caitlyn Gardner (Jr., OF), Mackenzie Garrick (So., P), Ashly Kowalski (Sr., OF), Samantha Pastirik (Sr., 2B), Robin Nolan (Sr., 1B), Amanda Tur (Sr., C).
Newcomers: Mich Dias (Jr.), Shyanne Gonzalez, Alanna Lean (So.).
Outlook: The Rams improved a great deal from last season, as Garrick returns for a second season in the circle though they did lose shortstop Katie DeZarlo. De Vivo will count on those back along with the newcomers to continue to step up so they can meet, or try to best, last year’s win total.
TIMOTHY CHIRSTIAN
Coach: Chuck Poole Sr., 11th season (83-94)
Last season: 8-7
Returning players: Amanda Labib (Sr., CF), Jenna Collier (Sr., C), Gabrielle Saydee (Sr., OF), Meribeth Brookman (Sr., P/Inf.), Ashley Thiero (Sr., 1B/P), Sara Saquian (Jr., SS), Megan Collier (So., 3B), Kelcey Samuel (So., OF).
Newcomers: Hannah Saquian (Sr., 2B), Michaela Csorny (Sr.), Janique Jules (Fr.), Joshlyn Brown (Fr.), Nicole Caruso (Fr.), Hannah Rey (Fr.).
Outlook: Several key players are back for the Tigers, who hope to improve upon last year’s finish. Collier and brookman are among those expected to lead the offense.
WARDLAW-HARTRIDGE
Coach: Mike Pozyc, second season (22-3)
Last season: 22-3
Returning players: Lacey Gress (Jr., P/C), Rachel Voeltzel (Jr., Inf.), Laura Arriaza (Jr., OF), Julia Linger (Sr., OF), Kerry McGrath (So., Inf.), Andy Tobar (So., OF), Gabby Hoffman (So., Inf./OF),Samantha Anastasiou (So., Inf.).
Newcomers: Pryia Golding (Fr., Inf/OF), Brittany Wilson (Fr., C/Inf.), Lauren Kisare (Fr., OF), Divyaa Sarin (So., OF).
Outlook: The Rams lost a ton of talent from last year’s Gold Division championship team, including graduated star shortstop Taylor Gerhart and right-hander Ali Yamakaitis. Pozyc said he is looking for his club to come every day and try to get better. The second-year head coach expects his captains -- Gress, Voeltzel, Linger and Arriaza – to be the leaders, with Gress serving as the ace, as well as the biggest threat in the lineup. Expect Wilson, Voeltzel, Golding, and Anastasiou to also be a big part of Wardlaw-Hartridge’s attack.
WOODBRIDGE ACADEMY
Coach: Geri Cuesta-Aviles, 23rd season
Last season: 3-20
Returning players: Tiffany Ho (Sr. C), Mansi Amin (Sr., 1B), Jillian Ventrone (Jr., 2B/C/P), Akshaya Ramaswammy (So., SS), Rachel Zakhary (Sr.. LF), Monique Klitbo (Sr., CF), Jacqueline Wisnik (Sr., RF), Jacinda Pujols (Jr., SS/3B), Houda Magzoub (Sr., SS/3B), Ashley Guiro (So., OF), Malgorzata Guziak (So., OF), Alisha Malhorta (So., OF).
Newcomers: Joyce Vilson (Fr., P), Kiara Rodriguez (So., OF), Shriya Airen (Jr., OF/2B).
Outlook: With 10 players returning the Hornets appear to be stronger and experienced. They’ll be led by Ho, a four-year starter at catcher as she’ll be leaned on to lead the team. Pitching will be a struggle as the Hornets are still looking to develop their pitchers as they strive to be competitive in the division.
Staff writer Mike Becker: mbecker@mycentraljersey.com