The McNair Academic softball team is enjoying one of the finest seasons in the school’s history, posting an impressive 15-4 record thus far.
What makes the Cougars’ mark even more eye-popping is the fact that the team is comprised mostly of sophomores.
“We have only two seniors and two freshmen,” said veteran coach Vahon McCullers, who earned the 300th win of his coaching career recently when the Cougars defeated St. Anthony. “The rest are all sophomores. They earned a lot of experience last year and it’s helped this year.”
Leading the way for the Cougars is senior pitcher/shortstop Natalia “J.J.” Estremera, a three-time Hudson Reporter All-Area Softball honoree during her career.
McCullers turned a lot of the pitching responsibilities over to the talented Estremera, headed for Richard Stockton College in the fall, but now McCullers has three pitchers he can count on.
“She actually can handle the load,” McCullers said. “The team has hitched itself to her back and she’s carrying them. There was a time in the past when J.J. didn’t want to be the leader, but she’s handling that role nicely right now. She’s a good leader and the other kids follow suit.”
McCullers can call upon two other sophomores, namely Batia Krinski-Rogoff and Sarah Kreutz, to do some pitching as well. There aren’t many high school softball teams that can go three-deep in pitching.
“If they’re not pitching, all three are in the field,” McCullers said.
The first baseman is sophomore Haley Bissell, although she’s been battling a bit of a knee injury of late.
“We’re hoping to get her back,” McCullers said.
The catcher is sophomore Sarah Beckner, who is already a team leader and a captain.
“She’s a tough kid and gets us through everything, tooth and nail,” McCullers said. “She’s improved a lot and is definitely one of our leaders.”
With Bissell out of the lineup, Krinski-Rogoff has been playing first. Freshman Grace Hill, the team’s resident jack-of-all-trades, starts at second base, but she can also play shortstop and catcher if needed.
When Estremera isn’t dabbling on the mound, she’s a fixture at shortstop, where she’s played since she was a freshman. She’s clearly one of the top players in the county and the one who gets the Cougars going.
Freshman Georgina Rayo is the team’s third baseman. She hit a homer in the Cougars’ recent win over defending county champion Union City.
“That was a very good and quality signature win for us,” McCullers said.
Mayo is a three-sport athlete who also plays volleyball and basketball.
Left field duties are handled by sophomore Toni Camacho, with senior Micah Dalvyot in center and Krinski-Rogoff in right.
With 15 wins already, the Cougars have the highest win total in the county.
“We’ve been lucky with the weather,” McCullers said. “We’ve been able to get all our games in.”
The county coaches believe the Cougars are the real deal, receiving the third seed in the Hudson County Tournament that begins this weekend.
“We’re feeling very confident right now,” McCullers said. “Even with the injuries we’ve suffered, we’ve all come together and played hard. When we get the regular lineup all together, we have a very good team.”
And it’s a program that will continue to be among the county’s best, considering the vast number of sophomores and freshmen already playing regularly. It’s a good time all around for McNair Academic softball…
Speaking of the upcoming Hudson County Tournament, Hoboken received the top seed in softball and Bayonne was given the top seed in the Ed “Faa” Ford Memorial Hudson County Baseball Tournament.
In softball, Hoboken earned the top seed, followed by North Bergen, which knocked the Red Wings from the ranks of the undefeated last week. As noted, McNair Academic is third, followed by Kearny, Union City and surprising Hudson Catholic.
In baseball, Bayonne earned the No. 1 seed by defeating St. Peter’s Prep, which earned the No. 2 seed, followed by North Bergen, Marist and defending champion Hoboken.
The quarterfinals are set for May 12, the semifinals May 16, all at the higher seeds. The baseball championship is slated for May 19 at Caven Point at 1:30, with the softball title to be played at New Jersey City University’s complex at 11 a.m. that same day…
Marist athletic director Larry Arico has submitted his resignation, leaving at the end of the season, and for good reason.
Arico’s wife, Kim Barnes-Arico, was recently named as the head women’s basketball coach at the University of Michigan. She was the highly successful coach at St. John’s for the last decade.
Incredibly, when Kim Barnes was just breaking into the business, she was a teacher at the now-defunct Academy of St. Aloysius and watched a lot of the practices and games the team played in back then. The coach of that ASA team? Yours truly. Now she’s the coach at Michigan. Kim has really made the most of her coaching chances.
Both Larry and his wife will be sorely missed in local circles and we wish them both the very best as they move on to their new venture.…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Baseball Top Five: 1. Bayonne (15-4). 2. St. Peter’s Prep (13-4). 3. North Bergen (12-5). 4. Marist (12-4). 5. Hoboken (10-8)…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Softball Top Five: 1. Hoboken (14-2). 2. North Bergen (11-4). 3. McNair Academic (15-4). 4. Secaucus (10-4). 5. Union City (9-6)…–Jim Hague.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.