By Dylan Butler and Joseph Manniello
If there’s a team from Queens in the PSAL Class A baseball semifinals this year, odds are it will be John Adams again.
City champions in 1999, the Spartans are coming off back-to-back semifinal appearances — and losses.
A return trip is a strong possibility because senior shortstop Carlos Guzman, one of the top three players in the PSAL, is back.
Also back is prospect Lucas Tellado (1B/P), catcher Freddy Para and senior pitcher/second baseman Papo Cabrera, who returned after a pair of cataract surgeries to pitch six innings of one-hit relief in the Spartans’ Queens West A opening 9-3 win over Aviation.
“We’ve been scuffling through the preseason and the Monroe tournament,” said Adams coach Glenn Beyer. “We’ve been inconsistent and we’re not as deep as we’ve been in the past.”
Led by an ace on the mound, Cardozo has dominated Queens East A for more than a decade and this year shouldn't be any different with senior righty Mike Errigo.
The Stony Brook-bound hurler already paced the Judges to wins over John Adams and Christ the King, where he struck out 16 Royals in a complete game one-hitter.
Also back is Denis Medic and Jesse Malin for the Judges, who fell to Grover Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs last year.
Last year’s first-round playoff exit to eventual city champion Monroe has head coach Harley Watstein and the Long Island City Bulldogs wanting another shot.
“We'd like to be above .500 and move on to the playoffs,” he said, noting that this year’s deep pitching staff (led by senior Alveris Rodriguez) is the best in a while.
Another strong point, he added, is a balanced lineup, featuring juniors Luis Herrera (shortstop) and second baseman Wilson Villada.
With Forest Hills moving to the ‘A’ division, head coach Marty Finklestein knows the transition won't be an easy one.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” he said. “It’s still baseball. We’re not going to look back and make excuses.”
The pitching staff, which Finklestein called the team’s strongest point at the moment, will be led by ace Frank Russo (4-2, 3.23 ERA in 2003) and fellow senior Daniel Bellish.
That Neil Rosenblatt is optimistic is nothing new. But the Newtown coach said the difference this year has been in his team’s chemistry.
“There’s a different attitude across the board,” he said. “We’re athletic, fast and top to bottom can hit. We can be successful but it’s going to depend on the pitching.”
Among a talented group of underclassmen is sophomore left-handed pitcher Andres Caceres, junior shortstop Yordis Veras and junior centerfielder Steve Rodriguez. Also looking to contribute for the Pioneers is senior pitcher/second baseman Tommy Mejia.
Richmond Hill coach Greg Reo is preparing for anything and everything this season.
“I don’t really know what to expect,” he said, noting that the mix of one senior and 11 new players are a “strange mix of guys.”
Pitcher Chris Esposito, a four-year starter, and shortstop Ted Riofrio, whom Reo called “one of the top players in Queens … a future stud,” will be looked to for leadership.
Francis Lewis shocked many by reaching the quarterfinals last year before falling to eventual champion Monroe.
And with five returnees back from a team that finished a program best 22-7, including seniors Matt Adams (shortstop), Joseph Anderson (pitcher/catcher) and juniors Steven Merslich (pitcher) and Josh Payero (infielder/pitcher), expectations should be high once again for the Patriots, who have made the playoffs in seven of the last eight years.
But after winning its first three non-league games, Francis Lewis has lost four straight, including two to 'B' division sides.
“The five players we have back are all good players,” Francis Lewis coach Randy James said. “But we have to start hitting and getting support from some of our inexperienced players.”
Seniors Daniel Marte, one of the top catchers in Queens, and Angel Thevenin are the lone returnees from last year’s starting lineup for Aviation as a young squad looks to improve on a 5-10 record in league play.
“If I could just get them to hit and get the key hits, I think we’ll do all right,” said Flyers head coach Mike Fischer, a 1975 Aviation graduate.
Bayside coach Pat Torney knows what he’s going to get with Jason Espinal, one of the top infielders in Queens and fellow seniors Alfredo Nunez (pitcher) and Daniel Kapica (centerfielder).
But the Commodores’ success, and a possible playoff push, will depend on the team's underclassmen, including freshman shortstop Fazal Khan and sophomore first baseman Nick Kaferlein.
Flushing followed Forest Hills up from the ‘B’ division last season and will look to continue its dominance in the ‘A’ division. With just two seniors (Yao Tsu Hun and Darlyn Perez) and no freshmen, Flushing will look for contributions from eight sophomores and five juniors led by sophomore first baseman Gabriel Hernandez.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
