A year ago, the St. Dominic Academy softball team took its lumps a little. The Blue Devils played basically a brand new lineup and endured some growing pains, going through an uncharacteristic 16-12 campaign.
“I thought it was going to be easier last year, but it took a while for the team to jell,” said SDA head coach Dave Majewski, who entered his 10th season as the Blue Devils’ head coach. “But these kids have worked tremendously hard from last June to get ready for this season. And now, they’re starting to come together nicely. It’s incredible, because we don’t have a single senior on the entire team. But we’re getting nice contributions from everyone and going real well.”
Despite having a roster dominated by underclassmen, the Blue Devils own a 5-1 record at press time, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Madison Plains (Wisc.) at the ESPN SportsCenter Classic at Walt Disney World in Orlando.
Leading the way so far for the Blue Devils has been sophomore pitcher Stephanie Bolger, who emerged from a group of five different hurlers to be the Blue Devils’ mainstay on the mound.
“She pitched about four JV [junior varsity] games last year and was not even being considered to be with the varsity when we started our summer program in June,” Majewski said. “But she dedicated herself to get better and dedicated herself to become the main pitcher. I think she’s now a year ahead of what I thought she would be. We were looking for someone to step forward and she was energized to be the best pitcher we had.”
Junior Christina Argudo is the Blue Devils’ catcher. Argudo has been the starting backstop for the last three years.
“It actually feels like forever that she’s been back there,” Majewski said.
Junior Erica Rolek is the returning starter at first base. Rolek gained valuable experience by playing for the Jersey City Recreation team that played in the national RBI championships last summer in California.
Junior second baseman Michelle Gentile is the team’s captain and unofficial leader. Gentile batted better than .300 last year and will improve on those numbers this season.
Sophomore Lauren Tredo is the starting shortstop. Tredo also played there last season, so the Blue Devils definitely have an experienced infield.
Junior Daniela DeBari is the third baseman. DeBari also played that position for the Blue Devils last year and Majewski believes that DeBari is “emerging as one of the best hitters in the county.”
“She put in a lot of time in the off-season and she has been looking very good,” Majewski said.
Sophomore Jamie Leale is the left fielder, with junior Tori Santiago in center and sophomore Karina Curcio in right. Junior Dana Messe is the team’s designated player and freshman Katie Zubicki is the first baseman with a ton of power and promise.
Needless to say, the Blue Devils will be right in the thick of things in the race for the HCIAA Coviello title with North Bergen and Bayonne.
“This is the most prepared team that I’ve ever coached,” Majewski said. “They know what’s going on with everyone else. They’ve spent a lot of time with the other top players in the county, so they know where they stand.”
And that should be in the HCIAA Coviello finals come the end of May…
Congratulations to long-time Memorial High School baseball coach Tony Ferrainolo, who won the 700th game of his illustrious coaching career last Tuesday with a win over Dickinson.
Ferrainolo, the state’s active leader in coaching victories, had to wait out his milestone a few days, after Union City defeated the Tigers last week and Saturday’s game with Paterson Eastside was postponed due to rain…
Here’s a little bit of irony. On the day that beloved St. Anthony athletic director Sister Mary Alan was being waked, legendary Phillies broadcaster Harry Kalas passed away. As everyone knows, Sister Alan was a huge Phillie fan and it’s safe to say that Sister and Kalas are talking Phillies baseball right now in the great beyond…
While Emerson High School itself might be a thing of ancient history, the school’s Sports Hall of Fame lives on.
The Emerson Sports Hall of Fame will hold its annual dinner at the Landmark in East Rutherford on May 14 and the induction class once again is star-studded, with people like Bob Steiger, Matt Florio, Bill Heitman, Elke Voigt, Tony Pizzo and Urbano Gonzalez earning the honors.
The Hall of Fame dinner helps the organization hand out several scholarships to worthy Union City student/athletes. Last year, nine graduating seniors received $1,000 scholarships, courtesy of the organization.
Once again, Nick “Whizzer” Mastorelli has done a fine job putting the dinner together. At last report, it was close to being a sellout crowd, which is amazing, considering today’s economy…
Sunday morning in Bayonne County Park, there will be a 3.1 mile road race for a good cause. With St. Paul’s (Greenville) Church leading the way, there will be a race to help orphanages in Kenya. The race begins Sunday at 9:15 a.m. and registration will take place the morning of the event. The race will commence in the middle of Bayonne Park, near the flags.
For a $20 entrance fee, you will receive a commemorative T-shirt. For more information, contact Jeremiah Getugi at (201) 889-2266…
On Sunday, sports people from all over the state of New Jersey will converge in Sparta to honor the state’s resident football placekicking and punting guru, Pat Sempier, on his 70th birthday. Sempier, who retired a decade ago after a long-time teaching career in North Bergen, has worked with practically every local kicker and punter, without receiving a dime of compensation, forever. This is a chance for everyone who truly knows and loves Pat to show their appreciation for all he does…
Union City’s Pound-4-Pound Promotions has secured the next date for a pro boxing card at North Bergen’s Schuetzen Park. On Thursday, May 7, beginning at 6:30 p.m., there will be a seven-bout card, featuring prominent locals Danny McDermott of Jersey City and North Bergen, Jason Escalera of Union City and Bobby Rooney of Bayonne, along with promising Jeremy Bryan of Paterson. Tickets are $100 for ringside, $50 for reserved tickets and $35 for general admission. For more information, contact Pound-4-Pound at (201) 864-9566 or (866) 924-2050… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.