The baseball team begins this new season with high hopes for a long run, and even a shot at a state title. Coach Mucerino described the talent of his team this year as very strong with multiple strengths for every position, including a strong group of pitchers, while “every player on the team has the ability to put up three hits a game.” The strengths were shown in the Eagles’ first game of the year as they grabbed an easy victory in the Coral Springs High tournament, leading to a quick 3-0 start for the season. The Eagles defeated Coral Springs 6-5 in 10 innings earning their third win. “The fast start to the season does not give this team any sense of comfort, we know there is still plenty of work to be done and our schedule only gets harder,” said Mucerino as he talked about the beginning of this season. However, one thing is for sure, the Eagles will definitely be able to handle the strength of schedule and have a legitimate shot at prevailing into the post-season.

Looking at the Varsity Softball team, they too have the assets and credentials to succeed this season. “Our strength would definitely be our pitching, while our other players have the ability to play the field and contribute to a win,” remarked Coach Schoonover, as he related to his team’s goals for the year. “Our team goal this year will be to win the district championship and make it through 2 rounds of regional play.”

Both of these teams have the opportunity to succeed. “With some hard work and solid performances from our guys we can do it,” said Coach Mucerino. There is no reason why the bar should not be set at the top for both teams, as the hopes are high for a very remarkable and memorable year in baseball.

For the graduating seniors who walked off of the field for the last time, a legacy has been established, as well as a foundation for next year. Coach Schott admits that, “it always hurts to say goodbye to the senior class,” and he commends each senior player: “Vince Alvarez has played seven straight years at CCA. I’ve never coached for CCA without him, and his leadership has always stood out. Mark Gregory showed unbelievable leadership as well, and Preston Gainey fit in as a leader of the team. It’s a hard thing for a new kid to fit in as a leader but he did it. Cliff Prem had a very busy schedule with the fine arts but he added enthusiasm, hustle, and a great work ethic.”

These four seniors were key to the team’s twenty victories, but interestingly, the majority of the players were neither juniors, nor seniors. Standing out specifically was freshman catcher Taylor Gushue, who led the county for home runs and RBI’s, and sophomore first baseman Emilio DeSilva, who “showed the team what is was to be a good teammate. We did pretty remarkably for having seven underclassmen on the field at all times. It was like a JV team,” says Schott. “We were real close,” says freshman Ryan Reilly, we were “always joking around,” and Schott agrees that he “saw God make us a team early in the year. Others-centeredness grew in the kids as they learned to look out for one another.” He comments on the depth of the team in that “after our last loss, the team was visibly hurt, which tells me they learned how to put their hearts into something.”

Alvarez leaves his team with a reminder to “stay together and ‘mash,’” as the goal of winning State’s remains in the back of each player’s mind for the 2010 baseball season.

The game, lasting three and a half hours, split the Varsity guys into three teams. At any given time, one team was batting, one was on the field, and one was at rest. In order for the game to end in a reasonable amount of time, some of the rules were modified to keep the game flowing at a steady pace. Parents and friends were there to support the guys by cheering for them and getting involved, making for an eventful day of competition, as well as building on our CCA community.

“This was the most competitive and exciting 100 inning game I have ever been a part of,” says Coach Greg Mucerino. In the end, two teams were tied with seven runs each. Ryan Lowry came to the plate and made the game-winning hit for his team. Anthony Avilla was given the MVP award for being “the most consistent, and for being valuable in the ‘body of work,’” says Mucerino which, in coaching terms, means the game as a whole. As far as the fundraising goes, Mucerino states that “God has always blessed it and it’s been more than we ever thought it would be. In our economic situation, anything helps, but all in all, it was a good team-building drill and in the long run, we will see that it greatly benefited the baseball program.”