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03/31/2018 12:00 AMLife has been good for the Branford baseball team in its first two seasons with Head Coach Steve Malafronte. The Hornets won a division title in Malafronte’s first year and then notched 18 victories on their way to advancing to the Class L State Tournament quarterfinals last season. This year, Malafronte is looking for his team’s experienced pitching staff to help the Hornets build on their recent success and potentially take it one step further in 2018.
“Realistically, we are looking to compete to win our division, and we are realistically looking to compete to win a state title. We can be competitive. We can make some noise,” Malafronte said. “When you have three arms like we have returning, if they can keep us in games and we can scratch a few runs across, we can be a dangerous team.”
Branford’s pitching staff will be anchored by three senior right-handers who are proven performers on the varsity mound. Senior captain Zane Kmietek is back for his fourth year in the starting rotation and will be joined by Carson Mendoza, who’s in his third season in the rotation; and Alphonse Suppa, who was an All-SCC Quinnipiac Division selection last year.
Mendoza and Suppa combined to throw a no-hitter against Masuk last season, and Kmietek came one out away from tossing a no-no versus North Haven in a game that saw him strike out 12. Kmietek has already signed to play baseball at Division I Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Mendoza signed to play at Division II Stonehill College in Easton, Massachusetts. All three of these pitchers will also see time at first and third base and be fixtures in the Hornets’ lineup.
“Our biggest strength is our starting pitching. We preach that if we pitch, play defense, and just push a few runs across the board, we should be in just about every single game with a chance to win,” said Coach Malafronte. “They’re more than just pitchers. They have a multitude of talents. They’ll all be in the lineup every day and are capable of playing the game at a high level in all regards.”
Branford graduated some of its top offensive performers from last season, including third baseman/designated hitter Zach Withington, who made All-Quinnipiac, All-All Area, and All-State; as well as senior captain shortstop Nikko Liguori and senior captain center fielder Jordan Botte, who both went All-Quinnipiac. Consequently, the Hornets will have a mixture of newcomers and returning starters in their lineup this year, featuring their most experience up the middle. One of Branford’s savvy veterans is senior Robbie Barbash, who’s back behind plate for his second season as the Hornets’ starting catcher.
“Robbie is a great leader behind the plate. He understands what we expect and what we want him to verbalize. He’s communicative and can really take control of the game,” Malafronte said. “He has three years of varsity experience under his belt, so he understands what we’re looking for and what our expectations are. He’s a force at the plate and very solid defensive catcher.”
Senior Damien Maniscalco, a four-year varsity player and three-year varsity starter, will move from second base to shortstop for the Hornets this season. Maniscalco and Kmietek are Branford’s senior captains, and Coach Malafronte said they’re doing an excellent job of leading the squad.
“They’re both four-year varsity players, so that’s a lot of experience coming back to lead us. We’re very happy to have them as captains,” he said. “Zane will be more of the vocal leader, while Damien will lead more by example. They’re two kids that just grind it out and put a tremendous amount of work and effort into baseball.”
Junior Anthony Burzynski takes the reins as the starting second baseman after serving as a utility infielder last spring. Kmietek, Mendoza, and Suppa will share time at the corner positions when they’re not on the mound, and senior CJ Miller is also in the mix at third base.
With the graduation of Botte, senior DJ Caron slides over from right field to patrol center field this year. Caron will also once again be a key guy out of the bullpen for Branford.
“DJ will be the leader of the outfield,” Malafronte said. “He’s the type of kid that can go get anything. He can run like a deer and has a strong arm, so we’re looking for him to be central to our outfield.”
Senior James Wallace, who was the backup catcher last season, will start in left field, while Miller and Ricciardelli are slated to share time in right. Ricciardelli and senior Noah Jerolman are also expected to pitch in relief for Branford. Seniors Jake McPartland and Kyle Giglietti are among the players who will handle the team’s designated hitter duties.
“We’re inexperienced. A lot of guys are unproven at the varsity level. We lost our seniors from last year, so we’re looking for the seniors and returning players to grow and fill those roles,” Coach Malafronte said of his lineup. “But we do have speed, we have some power from top to bottom. When everything clicks, we can be dangerous.”
Branford’s pitching corps additionally includes seniors Henry Watson and Matt Judd, along with Justin Botte and fellow sophomore Bennett Gentile, who is also a utility infielder, as is sophomore Jake Bodner. Logan DiStasio is an outfielder for Hornets, while junior Mason Traca is their backup catcher.
As he gears up for his third season as Branford’s skipper, Coach Malafronte said the Hornets feature a bunch of players who love the game of baseball and know how to balance having fun with staying serious on the diamond. Malafronte wants his athletes to enjoy every second that they’re out there this spring. He knows that type of attitude only increases the Hornets’ chances of having another successful year.
“We’re super excited. We’re really hoping that the kids just have fun and play the game the way we know they can,” Malafronte said. “I’ve known all these kids and have coached them since they were very young, and we’re really looking to have a complete season where we are competitive and soak it all in.”
From the Sidelines
This year, Branford baseball Head Coach Steve Malafronte’s coaching staff will also include returning JV Head Coach Bryan Maturo and volunteer assistant John Limone. Program alum Dylan Palluzzi joins the Hornets’ staff as the head coach of their freshman team.
Branford will once again be playing in the SCC Quinnipiac Division this year, along with Xavier, North Haven, and East Haven. The Hornets will play two games against both of those teams, as well as two games against fellow SCC opponents Wilbur Cross, Daniel Hand, Foran, Career, West Haven, and Guilford. Branford also has a home game versus SCC squad Cheshire, in addition to a non-conference contest at New Canaan this season.
Branford has won three state titles in its program history. The Hornets won the Class L state title in 1998, 2006, and 2009.