Molloy’s Ferran may rise to the top

Over the last two seasons, the GCHSAA had been ruled by a pair of fire-balling righties - Nina Cesare of St. Francis Prep and Nicole Losito of Mary Louis. But this year, with each at college, Molloy’s junior ace Kayley Ferran may take the mantle as the league’s dominator.
“I think Kayley is definitely up there,” Molloy Coach Maureen Rosenbaum said. “She throws hard, throws a lot of different pitches. I expect a big season from her. She pitched in the playoff game [opposite Losito and Mary Louis] that we almost pulled out. She got more confident as the year went on.”
Ferran will have help, too, on the mound. Junior Kristin Torres and freshman Janelle Boyd, also an accomplished hitter, should ease the burden. Senior catcher Andrew Morscher returns with seniors Kathleen Kelly and Kerry McLean and several newcomers up from the jayvee, which won the city championship last spring, to give Rosenbaum a deep squad.
St. Francis Prep may not have Cesare, now at New York Tech, to lean on but Coach Ann Marie Rich is still optimistic. The Terriers lost only four seniors and in junior Lynn Schiano and sophomore Kyrstil Hoffman, they have a pair of arms to fill the void left by Cesare. Senior catcher and cleanup hitter Justine Clifford will help ease the transition for the two youngsters. Also back is centerfielder Bonnie DeFina, second baseman Nicole Epstein, Alexis Namit, a utility player, and right fielder/third baseman Mary Anne Diehm.
But what really excites Rich is her new first baseman, Carla Pennolino, the first freshman to make the varsity since Kristin McEvitt seven years ago. “She can hit,” said Rich. “I saw her in softball camp and I had a feeling she was going to try out for the varsity.”
Mary Louis, the defending champs, could be in for a long season. The Hilltoppers lost seven starters, including their battery of Losito and Michelle Walsh, both at Molloy College. But the new faces will not confuse the brand new coach, Jenny Paiser, up from the jayvee after two years.
Control specialist Vicky Capeci, who was solid in limited duty last year, will be asked to handle the pitching duties. “She’s not going to blow balls past people, but she outthinks hitters,” Peiser said. “I see a lot of ground balls in her.”
Seniors Martha Vargas and Therese Postel, joined by junior third baseman Maureen Gorman, should anchor the middle of the lineup. Also back is junior Vanessa Melendez, a shortstop. “This is a rebuilding year,” Peiser admitted. “But I feel really confident. We’ll have a lot of team speed and our defense will hold up against anybody. It’s just a matter of whether we get our offense going, because we’re younger.”
Last season, Christ the King and their ace Samantha Stallone started well, but when they faced the division’s top teams - Molloy, St. Francis Prep and Mary Louis - the Royals faltered, missing out on the playoffs when they lost to Stella Maris on the last day of the season. Coach Frank Florio feels with Stallone a year older and reinforcements up from the jayvee such as Amanda Sepulveda and Kim Bermudez, this year could be different. CTK’s leading hitter at .380, junior third baseman Danielle Amato is back, teaming with senior middle infielder Jill Mieszkowski and centerfielder Jessica Ambrose.
But, still, Stallone is the key. “Samantha is going to have to carry us if we’re going to have success,” Florio said. “When she’s on, we’re on.”