High Tech softball coach Vince Nardiello said that he had a tough time going to Caven Point Cochrane Stadium last Saturday afternoon for the HCIAA Seglio Division championship game against County Prep.
You see, Nardiello knew that it was going to be the last time he was going to take his team to the county championship game, the final go-round for him coaching the Lasercats on the grand stage.
“It really was a bittersweet type of a moment,” said Nardiello, the only coach the High Tech softball program has ever known. “It was a very special day, but a very emotional one for me as well. It made me think back to the first season when we didn’t win a game. I had girls come out who were putting the glove on their wrong hand or not knowing where to stand when they took the field or got up to bat. We’ve come a long way.”
That’s an understatement, because the Lasercats took the field Saturday, the proud owners of a 66-game winning streak within the humble confines of the HCIAA Seglio – the league in which they had captured four prior championships without a single loss.
They went from winless laughingstocks to dominant dynasty producers.
Now, this was a chance to send the architect of the dynasty off with a championship to remember, facing an upstart County Prep team that had been making its mark in recent weeks, having knocked off Hoboken in the Seglio semifinals, then upsetting Secaucus in the Hudson County Coaches Tournament semifinals.
Especially with talented freshman Danielle Gaffney firing strikes for the Hurricanes. They definitely became a team to be reckoned with this season, thanks to the hard work and dedication of head coach Frank Ashe and the emergence of Gaffney as a legitimate hurler.
But knocking off the four-time defending champion when they had a chance to send their coach off on a winning note was not going to be easy, especially since the Lasercats have talented pitcher April Jacob and sluggers Megan Gale and Lauren DeGrushe around.
“I take my hat off to County Prep,” Nardiello said. “They’re going to be one of those teams to be dealt with in the future.”
But not on this day, as Jacob surrendered just four hits, Gale hit a homer and drove in three runs and the Lasercats had their “five-peat,” winning 6-1, for their fifth straight HCIAA Seglio Division title.
“These kids have never lost a game in the Seglio and they wanted to go out that way,” Nardiello said. “I think to be this successful, you need a little luck and you need a lot of talent. We have both.”
Nardiello credited the efforts of his seniors, namely Gale, Kamilla Rodriguez, Daria DeMarco and Liz Schneider. “They’ve been solid members of this program for four years,” Nardiello said. “They’ve been with me through a lot. I know winning every game was very special to them and it was definitely special to me. I think they all wanted that. They set it as a goal before the season, to not lose a game in the league and they achieved it. It’s especially pleasing, because I believe that this league is now an equal to the other (the HCIAA Coviello). They are now very equal divisions. I don’t think there’s that much of a disparity anymore.”
Nardiello will recommend that his assistant coach, Wally Lindsley, Jr., take over the Lasercat program. He’s ready to turn over the keys to the program.
“I think it’s time,” Nardiello said. “I’ve been coaching spring sports, baseball, golf and softball, for 34 years now. It’s a young man’s game. This is enough. I think it’s for the best that I step down. It was a bittersweet moment. I’m happy that we won, but it’s sad because I would never get another chance to enjoy this again.
Added Nardiello, “I wanted to make sure that when I left, I was leaving with a good nucleus in place. They all want to play in the summer and fall ball, so it’s time for some young blood. I had a good time coaching and I’m leaving with the program in very good shape.”
Sure enough, teams that win 67 league games are usually in pretty good condition. – Jim Hague