Holy Cross looks strong this year

The top three teams in the city - Moore Catholic, St. Francis Prep and Xaverian - all graduated their top players. Holy Cross, meanwhile, returns their entire core outside of the starting rotation. Seniors George Carroll (catcher) and Effrey Valdez (shortstop), gap hitters that batted over .300 as juniors, are prepared to lead the Knights to newfound heights.
“They know the way things need to be done,” Holy Cross Manager Doug Manfredonia said.
The Knights also bring back the Leisenheimer brothers, Ian, and Justin. But it will be the three senior pitchers, Peter Regan, John Anatra and Mark Vollaro, that will determine if Holy Cross can improve upon last year’s second round finish. With the staff’s top three no longer around, the aforementioned triumvirate will need to step up.
The middle infield is gone. So is the catcher and centerfielder. As is three-fourths of the starting rotation. Nevertheless, St. Francis Prep should be tough once again. They may not be as talented or experienced as last year’s group that went all the way to the city championship game and lost, but ability, they have. “We just have to develop our potential,” St. Francis Prep Coach Brother Robert Kent said.
Kent will be relying heavily on the junior pitchers Danny Foreman and Robert O’Neill and a sophomore Sean O’Boyle, along with this year’s No. 1, senior Robert Casal.
Sophomore Lucas Romeo and junior Mike Canfarotta, each who’ve impressed so far defensively, will be the new middle infield. Back is slugger Peter Karmas, who may move from first base to either third or right field. Ryan McManus will take over behind the plate and Jason Kaye, Mike Garaufis (the starting quarterback on the city championship football team) and John Miele will all see time in the outfield.
Joe Silvestri, the Archbishop Molloy shortstop headed to Georgetown, hopes to rebound from a sub-par junior year in which he sustained an injury to his throwing arm that greatly affected his performance in the field and at the plate.
Silvestri won’t have to lead the Stanners on his own. Southpaw Sandy Sussman, Molloy’s best pitcher a season ago, is back, joined in the rotation by senior control specialist Gus Sebo and lefty Andrew Lontos. The Molloy outfield should be strong, with Anthony Carnacchio, Frank Pizzo, and Mike McCann.
When Allen Watson, the former Major League pitcher-turned Christ the King baseball coach, held tryouts for the baseball team, he was pleasantly surprised. 30 more kids tried out for the jayvee and varsity than a season ago. “We had to make some cuts,” said Watson, in his first year at the helm. “Usually we don’t have to make any.”
How that translates onto the field, where the Royals have struggled so mightily the past few seasons, winning one league game the last three years, is anybody’s guess, but at least there’s more interest.
After winning six games during the fall season, Watson hopes to see even more improvement. Southpaw Bobby Tesseyman, the staff ace, will be joined at the top of the rotation by Chris Valerio. Right fielder Chris Rau, who hit .500 in the fall, center fielder Dylan Alagarjah, and Valerio should represent the middle of the order.
Although McClancy returns arguably the league’s best positional player in shortstop Dan Lopez, a slick fielder, and speedy, accomplished hitter, one significant question remains - Can a new all-junior pitching staff learn on the fly?
The Crusaders graduated their entire rotation last season, and will lean heavily on right-hander Nick Condos and southpaw Dan Lelay, along with sophomore Joe Hermann. “We’re going to be only as good as our pitchers,” McClancy Manager Nick Melito said.
Still, the Crusaders should be strong up the middle with returning second baseman Alberto Gil, and Lopez, the University of Pittsburgh recruit. Lopez hit .500 a season ago and stole 35 bases. He needs just 25 to reach the century mark for his career, which would be a school record. Junior Ryan Blanco will start at the hot corner and senior David Cruz and junior Joe Liberta will share catching duties.