Green Dragons want to forget about last season
Softball team finished 4-19 a year ago
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI Staff Writer
With the season opener against Southern on April 2 just a few days away, Brick Township softball coach Jerry Caci was concerned over the weekend about his team.

"It's so-so. We're not doing much hitting," said the first year coach who succeedsMike Fletcher. "I hope we can get rid of this problem."

It's different from last year when Caci, an assistant at the time, saw the Green Dragons get off to a thunderous start, only to see the team simmer to a 4-19 season. In the first three scrimmages this year, the team has lost games, 4-1, 1-0 and 1-0, as veterans Ronnie Wilenta and Heather Figula have pitched well and the defense has made the plays reliably before giving up deciding runs late in the game. It was reminiscent of last season to Caci.

"Last year, we hit the ball all over the place in scrimmages and won every one of them, but once the season began, everything started with two out and it's hard to get anything going like that," he said. "We're not putting anything together. It's far and few between. We look good in one at bat and horrible in another, which was our problem last year, too.

"Defense and pitching is good.We have to put our hits together."

But there is one consolation as Caci quipped, "If we're in a slump, this is a good time to be in it."

The only concern is when the team will come out of it.

But with starters back in six of eight positions, experience could help the teamclimb out of its offensive malaise. Junior third baseman Kelly Garrido and junior right fielder Heather Leone were the lone hitters to bat over .300 last season and are batting second and cleanup in the order thus far.

The solution is simple and direct: "We're just putting more time into our hitting; there's not much else we can do about it," said Caci.

But there is something on the mental approach he said: being disciplined about what pitches to swing at.

"We have to look at the pitch selection and not try to do too much, otherwise you start lunging and reaching and then everyone starts pushing and pressing. It gets contagious."

Caci hopes it doesn't get to that point. But he also has a way to manufacture runs with the speed of leadoff hitter Katarina Kiseli, an outstanding bowler during the winter season who is back in left field. Garrido and senior shortstop Joey Afflito are savvy hitters, the latter at the third spot in the order.

And once they score runs, Brick Township can make them stand up. "Our infield is looking very good so far," said Caci, who also has a sharp second baseman in sophomore Emma Erbig and first baseman Brianne Waska, a senior who was mostly a designated hitter last year. Brittany Morgan, a senior, and Nikki Morgan, a sophomore, again are sharing time at catcher. Starri Stark, a senior, is a steady performer in center field.

And Wilenta, who is a good spot pitcher with an effective riser, and Figula, a hard thrower with a drop and a changeup, have been shutting teams down. "They're not walking too many people," said Caci. "They've been doing fine, no complaints there."

Two other players coming off the bench who could help are junior Sam Ellis, a catcher, and senior Diane Nardini, an outfielder.