Printer Friendly Version - North Haven Baseball Aims for More Postseason Prosperity in 2017

Brendan Clark is one of the key members of an experienced pitching staff that expects to be a strong point for the North Haven baseball team this spring. Clark, a senior captain, will also patrol the hot corner at third base for the Indians. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

It’s no secret the North Haven baseball team is always a dangerous opponent come postseason time. Two years ago, the Indians claimed their fifth Class L state title in program history. In 2016, North Haven made states at the last second, but made the most of its bid by beating two higher seeds en route to the quarterfinals. This season, Head Coach Bob DeMayo’s club features an experienced pitching staff that logged some major playoff miles last spring, plus a few other players who got a taste of states. Together, they’re aiming to lead the Indians to regular season success in their first year in the new Quinnipiac Division, as well as another deep run toward the prize that everyone has their eyes on: the state title.

“We definitely want to win in our new division. We have an extremely tough schedule, but we want to win our division, and we want to get into the SCC Tournament and qualify for the State Tournament at the end of the season. That is always a goal,” Coach DeMayo said. “The kids we have who were on the team since they were sophomores, last year and the year before, they’re 7-1 in the State Tournament. This year, I know they’d like to be 5-0.”

The Indians’ rotation includes a trio of senior right-handers who made an impact in last year’s Class L State Tournament. Senior captain Brendan Clark is coming off a season where he notched five victories and was the winning pitcher when North Haven beat Berlin in states. A senior captain, Clark is also the starting third baseman and batted at a .316 clip last year. Preston Young picked up three wins on the mound last season, and both he and Tom Myjak were key in relief during the Indians’ state tourney triumph versus Fitch. Southpaw Mark Tantorski and fellow senior Griffin Bottomley are slated to be the other mainstays on the staff. Coach DeMayo said that his team’s primary pitchers “were competitive last year” and that he expects them “to be much improved” with experience under their belts this spring.

“It’s a situation where last year we were looking to younger pitchers, and they were coming along at the end of the year, and so it’s nice to have seniors that have experience, because they’ve been through the pressure of the season,” said DeMayo. “That’s a good sign.”

Clark will lead the Indians as a senior captain alongside Dominic Onofrio, an infielder who hit .298 last season. Onofrio will play third base when Clark is pitching and start at second when Clark isn’t on the mound. Clark and Onofrio have some big shoes to fill in terms of replacing last year’s captains, shortstop Giovanni Torres and catcher Mike DeRosa, but DeMayo said that the duo has been living up to that billing thus far.

“They’re similar in some respects in that they know how the program is run. They have different personalities, but they’ve done an excellent job so far and have certainly made the coaches’ lives easier, because they handle everything and are pretty much in control,” he said. “They’ve been in the program, they’ve been on the varsity team for three years, so they know what the scoop is and how to handle their teammates. So I’m very pleased with what they’ve done so far.”

Coach DeMayo said that North Haven has the look of a sound defensive infield this year. Junior Kevin Lucey takes over for DeRosa behind the plate, Vinny Anastasio will start at first base with the graduation of Chris Tullo, seniors Alphonse Fusco and Matt Iovanne will split innings at second base when Onofrio plays third, and sophomore Matt Solomon gets the nod at shortstop after seeing a bit of playing time as a freshman.

DeMayo added that there’s speed to spare among the athletes who patrol the outfield for the Indians. Chris Stevens returns to play left field in his senior year, while senior Craig Somma is in right field following the graduation of last year’s Most Valuable Player, Joe Ireland. Junior Peyton Farina is back in center field after posting a .333 batting average last season.

North Haven’s 2017 varsity roster also includes senior catcher Jake Tantorski, senior pitcher Alec Butler, junior pitcher Luca Lawrence, junior first baseman Andrew Laudano, junior catcher/left fielder Steven Erbe, and sophomore pitcher Hunter Garthwaite.

As he enters his 59th year as North Haven’s skipper, Coach DeMayo said there’s “a great attitude” among a group of kids who “love to play” on this year’s squad. DeMayo feels that consistency from his pitching staff will go a long way toward his team winning more close contests and, hopefully, making some more playoff noise in 2017.

Last year, North Haven won its final two games of the regular season to sneak into the Class L State Tournament with a mark of 8-12. In the tournament, the Indians beat Berlin 5-3 eight innings and later rallied for three runs in the seventh to defeat Fitch 7-6. North Haven then took a 7-4 loss at Avon and finished the season with an overall record of 10-13.

In the new-look SCC, North Haven is playing in the Quinnipiac Division this year. Branford and East Haven made the move from the Oronoque with the Indians and the trio will be joined by Xavier in the Qunnipiac. North Haven is no longer in the same division as Career and Wilbur Cross.

Bob DeMayo has recorded 859 victories during his tenure as North Haven’s head coach. DeMayo’s coaching staff features varsity assistant Muchie Dagliere, pitching coach Ray Degnan, JV Head Coach Justin Falcon, and freshman Head Coach Mike Proto.

Preston Young and the Indians’ baseball squad are aiming to go on another postseason run this spring after advancing to the Class L State Tournament quarterfinals last year. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier