Printer Friendly Version - 2017 East Haven Yellowjackets Spring Year in Review

The scoreboard at the baseball field at East Haven High School was dedicated in honor of the late Michael “Diesel” DeAngelo before the Yellowjackets’ baseball squad’s game versus Hamden on April 27. DeAngelo, a 2013 graduate, passed away in April of 2016 at age 19. The DeAngelo family donated the scoreboard and it was unveiled in a ceremony prior to East Haven’s 3-1 victory against Hamden. Pictured with members of the East Haven baseball team are DeAngelo’s mother Michelle with his sister Lindsay (left) and his father John (right). Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

The spring of 2017 in the East Haven Yellowjackets’ sports world saw the generous donation of a new scoreboard for the baseball field at the high school by the family of the late Michael “Diesel” DeAngelo. The softball team posted double-digit wins by scoring runs in bunches, while Jordan Ingram qualified for the State Open on behalf of the boys’ outdoor track squad.

The East Haven baseball team put forth a great spring season by going 13-10 and winning a share of the SCC Quinnipiac Division title. The Yellowjackets’ biggest game of the year came in the SCC Tournament quarterfinals when the Easties beat North Haven 7-6. In the victory, Nick Kraszewski, who was an All-Division and New Haven Register All-Area selection, hit a walk-off home run to win it for the Yellowjackets.

Kraszewski also earned East Haven’s Most Valuable Player Award as he hit .370 with two home runs, 21 RBI, and 20 runs scored. On the mound, he was 5-2 with a 1.36 earned-run average. Other All-Quinnipiac selections for the Yellowjackets were Ryan Spano and Sam Loda.

A heartwarming part of the season came when East Haven played Hamden on April 27. Prior to the game, a new scoreboard that was donated by the DeAngelo family in honor Michael “Diesel” DeAngelo—a former Yellowjackets’ captain who passed away in 2016—was unveiled at the baseball field at East Haven High School. The Yellowjackets went on to defeat Hamden 3-1 behind a great showing on the mound from Kraszewski and a big two-run single by junior Frank Camera.

The Yellowjackets turned in a 13-9 season that featured trips to both the SCC and Class L State Tournaments, along with a second-place finish in the SCC Quinnipiac Division. The lone senior on the team, Fallon Speers, recorded her 100th career hit during the year and finished with 113 for her high school tenure.

Julia SanGiovanni and Jessica Stettinger were named the Yellowjackets’ co-Most Valuable Players. Stettinger hit .477 with seven home runs and 28 RBI and was an All-State First Team and an All-SCC selection. SanGiovanni batted .423 and had a team-best 33 hits, 30 runs scored, and seven doubles. She was an All-State Second Team pick and an All-SCC honoree.

East Haven went 6-12 in a campaign that saw its No. 1 doubles pairing of senior Jake Zito and junior Rob Scalese earn the No. 13 seed in the Class M State Championship, where they received a bye through the opening round and then won their second-round matchup by a 6-1, 6-0 score. In the third round, Zito and Scalese took a 6-4, 6-2 loss to East Lyme’s Davon Chen and Eric Gu in their final match of the season.

During the year, East Haven’s primary singles players were Tony Cofrancesco, Spencer Goldberg, Nick Vessicchio, and Christian Ramirez. The doubles teams of Brendan So and Doug Comesanas, and Nick Kluth and Anthony Petolla were also regulars on the court for the Easties this year.

The Easties wrapped up the spring season with a 5-12 record. The highlight of the year came early on as East Haven opened the season by winning their first four matches. The Yellowjackets finished they year with victories over Lyman Hall (5-2), Career (7-0 and 6-1), Foran (4-3), and West Haven (6-1).

East Haven’s top singles player was Jenna Pane, who was a All-SCC Division II selection. Other singles players included Devyn Gargano, Karla Gonzalez, and Juliana Mikulski. The club’s doubles duos were Autumn Hernandez and Sandy Nguyn, Mikayla Raffone and Nhi Trin, and Victoria Gaudino and Alexis Pendziwater.

One of the biggest highlights of the spring season for East Haven came from Jordan Ingram, who represented the Yellowjackets at the State Open. Ingram participated in the 100-meter dash and sprinted to an 11th-place finish in 11.41 seconds.

Seniors Niam Coward, McClay Marshall, Dom Manna, Reinaldo Martinez, Austin Rivera, and James Stephens displayed great leadership throughout the year for the Easties.

After winning their division in 2016, the Yellowjackets fielded a smaller team this year, and saw plenty of athletes step up in a big way to score points. Sydney Marquardt led the way with 120.25 points scored on the season en route to qualifying for states in the long jump, pole vault, 100, 200, and 4x100 relay.

The Yellowjackets’ next best scorer was Haley Montesanto, who totaled 103.25 points between the 100, 300 meter hurdles, 4x100 relay, and 4x400 relay. Montesanto was East Haven’s most decorated postseason runner, reaching the State Open in the 300-meter hurdles. At the Open, she placed 20th overall with a time of 48.31, which was her personal record for the year.

Summer Onorato (84 points), Katie Maffeo (71), Molly Mazzucco (69), Paige Maffeo (48.25), and Isabella Ragaini (48) all put together great seasons in their respective events.

East Haven finished with a record of 6-16 this spring. During the season, the Yellowjackets recorded wins over Wilbur Cross (195-197, 172-196, and 177-191), Career (180-208), Hillhouse (180-210), and Shelton (159-166).

Julia SanGiovanni celebrated many home runs in 2017 as the East Haven softball team supplied plenty of power throughout the spring. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Jordan Ingram showed off his speed by running the 100-meter dash for the Easties at the State Open this year. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier

Haley Montesanto placed fourth in the 300 hurdles at the Class MM State Championship for the Yellowjackets’ girls’ outdoor track team in 2017. Photo by Kelley Fryer/The Courier