After reaching the Hudson County Tournament semifinals last year in shocking fashion, the Ferris High School softball team had high hopes and aspirations for the 2012 season.
However, those dreams were quickly dashed when the Bulldogs limped out to an 0-7 start.
“We started out very cold,” said Ferris head coach Mike Palughi, who was named The Hudson Reporter Softball Coach of the Year a year ago. “We would play well, then something would go wrong.”
Seven straight losses to start a season might have been enough for the Bulldogs to pack it in, but Palughi never saw his team waver.
“They came to practice every day and were having fun, even with an 0-7 record,” Palughi said. “We felt like we still had a good team. We just had to get hot at the right time. We also didn’t have a full team all year, because of injuries and other things. So once we got a full team, the girls would feel comfortable with each other, because they played a lot together over the last couple of years.”
The Bulldogs seemed to turn things in the right direction when they upended North Bergen a few weeks ago.
So when the Hudson County Tournament began last Saturday and the Bulldogs were paired with defending county champ Union City, Palughi knew that his team was ready to inflict a little revenge.
“Union City has a very good team and they knocked us out in the semifinals last year,” Palughi said. “They beat us the last three times we faced them, so we had a little bit of motivation. They went the whole way last year and we thought that could have been us. We still have that mentality that we can compete with anybody.”
It was proven last Saturday, when the Bulldogs shocked Union City, 7-2, to advance once again in the Hudson County Tournament.
Last year, the Bulldogs knocked off Hoboken. This year, it’s Union City.
“We’ve been talking about it,” Palughi said. “When you win games like that, first last year and now this year, it shows that we have a good team if we make the plays. We can be on the same level if we make the plays.”
Senior Victoria Pessolano has been the Bulldogs’ pitcher. Pessolano won 10 games last year, but had to endure those seven losses to start the season.
“It was tough,” Palughi said. “Victoria has the stuff to be successful. She just needs the command and the mental part of pitching, but she can be very good.”
Junior Nashayla Figueroa is the team’s catcher.
“She just started catching recently, but she’s developed a good relationship with Vicky,” Palughi said. “The two are working well together and it shows.”
Sophomore Victoria Vogtis the team’s first baseman.
“She’s our leadoff hitter and has been getting on base a lot,” Palughi said. “She’s scoring runs as well.”
Palughi said that Vogt will more than likely be the Bulldogs’ starting pitcher next year.
“She’s going to be looked at as our go-to girl next year,” Palughi said.
Junior Alley Fonseca is the second baseman, with the team’s best player, Eddilynn Figueroa, Nashalya’s sister, playing shortstop. Eddilynn Figueroa is also a junior.
“She’s one of the best hitters in the county now and next year, I think she’ll be the best,” Palughi said.
Figueroa had a single, double, homer and three RBI in the upset win over Union City.
Junior Jessica Oquendo, a slick fielder, is the Bulldogs’ third baseman.
“She’s coming around with the bat, but she’s more of a defensive player for us,” Palughi said.
Junior Thalia Hernandez is in left field, with sophomore Crystal Pena in center and sophomore Maria Canales in right.
The Bulldogs now face Kearny in the quarterfinals of the Hudson County Tournament this weekend. It’s definitely a dramatic turnaround from a winless beginning.
“I think it shows we have some mental toughness,” Palughi said. “They didn’t quit and they were able to come back and get a big win over the defending county champ.”
It’s up to the Bulldogs now to keep the winning ways going…
After weighing all his options for the better part of the last two months, St. Anthony standout forward Jerome Frinkhas given a verbal commitment to attend Florida International University, where he will play for Richard Pitino, the son of the legendary Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.
The younger Pitino just took over the FIU program after former Knicks head coach and general manager Isiah Thomas was fired. Frink is the first big recruit that the younger Pitino has secured since taking the job last month.
Frink had been considering a host of other schools, such as Quinnipiac, Iona and Central Connecticut. Last week, St. Bonaventure put on a late push and almost secured the 6-foot-6 Frink’s services, but FIU eventually won out. Frink was a key player on both of the last two undefeated Friar state championship teams and saw his stock skyrocket after he scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the Tournament of Champions win over Plainfield…
Congratulations to the St. Michael’s CYO basketball program of Union City, which captured the 14-and-under New Jersey AAU state championship last weekend.
The team, coached by local talented coaches Carlos Cueto and Steve Ricciardi, Jr., will now compete in the national championships at the ESPN Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida July 20-26. The members of the team are Kalief Crawford, Steven Sanchez, Abraham Feliz, Marcus McClary, Patrick Strzala, Ray Cortes, Michael Giujahr, Wayne Wong and William Phelps.
It’s a team with a lot of promise for the future and these young men could be lighting up high school scoreboards in the county for the years to come…
Talk about new sports to report. The rugby team at St. Peter’s Prep advanced to the first-ever state championship game. The Marauders defeated St. Augustine Prep, 32-12, to advance to this weekend’s state title game against Delbarton. If the Marauders win, we’ll have more next week…
Good news for local high school football fans. The NJSIAA voted Wednesday morning to allow more public schools into the state playoffs and there will be five public school groups now instead of four. It means that 24 teams will be crowned as state champions now instead of 20, but it also means that more teams will qualify for the state playoffs next November. The move does not affect the non-public brackets…
Great upset win by Weehawken and ace left-hander Sal Mendez last weekend in the opening round of the Hudson County Tournament, defeating Memorial, 3-1. You have to go back a long ways to find the last time a Weehawken team knocked off neighboring Memorial in any sport, never mind baseball…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Baseball Top Five: 1. Bayonne (17-4). 2. St. Peter’s Prep (14-5). 3. North Bergen (13-5). 4. Marist (13-5). 5. Weehawken (11-8)….
Hudson Reporter H.S. Softball Top Five: 1. Hoboken (16-2). 2. North Bergen (13-4). 3. Secaucus (11-5). 4. McNair Academic (17-4). 5. Hudson Catholic (13-3)…–Jim Hague.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.