After the thaw, baseball

It might have been snowing as recently as last week but, believe it or not, it’s baseball season. And as long as the weather holds up, local high-school teams will be playing their first games this week.

The St. John Neumann Pirates are lucky enough to be spending the week in Florida, but the other squads have made do by practicing inside.

Now the players will find out if they are prepared for the competition. Here is a team-by-team look at South Philadelphia’s six high-school baseball squads.

---

Public League

Team: Bok Wildcats

Coach: Tom DeFelice

Division: B

Home field: 11th and Bigler streets

The Wildcats started practicing as a team four weeks ago but, like every other city squad, they can count on one hand the times they’ve been outside.

Frigid temperatures at the start of the week forced Bok to postpone Monday’s game. Between the snow, rain and cold weather, DeFelice has been unable to gauge his squad’s abilities.

"I think this is one of the most difficult years I’ve ever had because of the practice schedule," the coach said. "It’s the fourth week of the season and we’ve only been outside three times, which makes it difficult to put my finger on [how the team looks]."

In the field: Pepe De Salis, junior shortstop-pitcher; Cedric Green, senior catcher-pitcher; Robert La Motta, junior pitcher-second baseman; Rosario Messina, junior second baseman-outfielder; Rasheed Fleming, junior pitcher-third baseman; Justin Stewart, junior center fielder; Joe Campagna, junior first baseman; Sam Cubilette, freshman outfielder; Cossim Turner, junior outfielder.

2003 recap: The Wildcats finished seventh in Division B with a 5-9 record and missed the playoffs.

Coach’s outlook: "We don’t have that one superior pitcher to get us to the playoffs. Hopefully, somebody will step up and get us there."

Schedule

Monday	Saul	Away
Wednesday	Fels	Away
April 12	FLC	Home
April 14	Olney	Home
April 19	Kensington	Home
April 26	Roxborough	Away
April 28	Saul	Home
May 3	Fels	Home
May 5	FLC	Away
May 10	Olney	Away

All games start at 3:15 p.m.

---

Team: Furness Falcons

Coach: Bob Weidinger

Division: C

Home field: 11th and Bigler streets

The Falcons’ first mission: Forget about last year’s winless season.

The team’s chances already have improved with a return to Division C. Instead of ending game after game via the 10-run mercy rule, Furness hopes to contend for the division title. Weidinger said his players need to build wins — and confidence — quickly to put together a winning season.

"I think these kids are going to see a big difference between Division B and C," the coach said. "Right now, they aren’t sure if they’re going to win."

In the field: Anthony Esposito, senior second baseman; John Rohrbach, senior third baseman; Michael Rohrbach, junior pitcher-second baseman; David Giblin, junior center fielder-pitcher; James Kalbach, sophomore pitcher-outfielder; Stanley Youmans, senior catcher; Ralph Didio, junior first baseman.

2003 recap: The Falcons finished last in Division B with a 0-14 record, dropping them to Division C this season.

Coach’s outlook: "We should be above .500. If not, it will be disappointing."

Schedule

Today	Lamberton	Home
Tuesday	Prep Charter	Away
April 1	FTC	Home
April 13	Southern	Home
April 15	Strawberry Mansion	Away
April 16	King	Home
April 20	West Philly	Away
April 27	Dobbins	Home
April 29	E&S;	Home
May 4	Germantown	Away
May 6	Franklin	Away
May 13	Gratz	Home

All games start at 3:15 p.m.

---

Team: GAMP Pioneers

Coach: Art Kratchman

Division: A

Home field: Seventh Street and Packer Avenue

When a coach opens the season with a roster that includes five freshmen and two sophomores, it’s generally considered a rebuilding year.

But the Pioneers, who have advanced to at least the Public League quarterfinals in each of the last six seasons, are striving a little higher.

Even after losing All-Public selections Mario Malatino, Anthony Caines and David Scirrotto to graduation, Kratchman said the future looks promising.

"I am very excited about the young kids," the coach said. "All of them have been playing since they were 4. I believe some of them can contribute this year.

"Hopefully by the end of the year, the wins will start coming around."

In the field: Vinny Evangelista, junior first baseman-pitcher; Ryan Challender, sophomore pitcher-outfielder; Dominic DeMarco, junior outfielder; Paul La Bruna, senior pitcher-first baseman; Kyle Torriero, senior third baseman; Gabe Natale, junior outfielder.

2003 recap: The Pioneers finished the regular season 6-8, but lost to Northeast High in the Public League quarterfinals.

Coach’s outlook: "It’s all about pitching. If Evangelista or Challender come

up big, we will have a chance to do well."

Schedule

Today	Lincoln	Home 2:45 p.m.
Monday	Edison	Away 3:15 p.m.
Wednesday	Central	Away 3:15 p.m.
April 5	Washington	Away 10:30 a.m.
April 8	Bartram	Home 10:30 a.m.
April 10	Cherry Hill West	Away 11 a.m.
April 13	Washington	Home 2:45 p.m.
April 14	Northeast	Home 2:45 p.m.
April 19	Lincoln	Away 3:15 p.m.
April 21	Frankford	Home 2:45 p.m.
April 24	Germantown Friends	Away 10:30 a.m.
April 26	Bartram	Away 3:15 p.m.
April 28	Edison	Home 2:45 p.m.
May 1	Cherry Hill East	Away 1 p.m.
May 3	Central	Home 2:45 p.m.
May 5	Washington	Away 3:15 p.m.
May 8	Neumann	Away 10:30 a.m.
May 10	Northeast	Away 3:15 p.m.
May 12	Central	Away 3:15 p.m.

---

Team: Prep Charter Huskies

Coach: Sean Magee

Division: C

Field: Smith Playground (24th and Jackson streets)

The Huskies were just puppies last season, but they had a firm bite on the Division C race. Prep Charter’s 11-win inaugural season and postseason berth set the foundation for what Magee hopes will develop into one of the top baseball programs in the city.

The coach challenges his players to improve, even scheduling a non-league contest against the superior Chestnut Hill Academy. The local squad lost as expected, but Magee insisted it was a worthwhile learning experience.

"They just got a little taste of what to shoot for," he said. "It was good for them to see that."

Now that the regular season is underway, the Huskies are focusing on a return to the postseason.

"I am not satisfied with anything less than the playoffs," Magee said.

In the field: Mike Tafuri, senior first baseman; William McGovern, sophomore second baseman; Kevin O’Donnell, senior shortstop; Chris Schmanek, sophomore third baseman; Mark Bermann, junior left fielder; Henritz Ismael, junior right fielder; Vincent Vanier, sophomore catcher; John DeMarco, junior catcher; Matt Brydges, junior pitcher; Daniel Cavalieri, sophomore pitcher.

2003 recap: The Huskies finished second in Division C with an 11-2 record, but were eliminated by Washington in the first round of the playoffs.

Coach’s outlook: "I want to go deep in the playoffs. We have one game under our belts and hopefully we can improve on that."

Schedule

Today	Dobbins	Away
Tuesday	Furness	Home
April 1	Gratz	Home
April 13	Lamberton	Away 3 p.m.
April 15	King	Home
April 20	FTC	Away
April 22	Overbrook	Home
April 27	Strawberry Mansion	Away
May 4	University City	Home
May 6	Southern	Away
May 11	CHES	Home
May 13	West Philly	Away

All games (except April 13) start at 3:15 p.m.

---

Team: Southern Rams

Coach: Eric Weinstein

Division: C

Home field: 11th and Bigler streets

With just three returning starters, the Rams have a tough road ahead. One of their first challenges might prove to be hanging onto a lead. Southern was beating Dobbins 9-6 in Monday’s regular-season opener heading into the sixth inning, but the local squad ended up losing 10-9.

With so many new faces in the lineup, Weinstein said he expects his team to struggle.

"I have good guys looking to have fun," the coach said.

In the field: Ike Egbukwu, senior shortstop-pitcher; Ralph Digneo, junior catcher-first baseman; Shawn Sabb, senior center fielder; Ricky Nguyen, sophomore second baseman.

2003 recap: The Rams finished the season 6-7 and missed the playoffs.

Coach’s outlook: "I would be happy with a .500 season. It’s definitely a rebuilding year. We might surprise a couple teams."

---

Schedule

Tuesday	Germantown	Away
April 1	Franklin	Away
April 13	Furness	Away
April 15	Gratz	Home
April 20	Lamberton	Away
April 27	FTC	Away
April 29	Overbrook	Home
May 4	Strawberry Mansion	Home
May 6	Prep Charter	Home
May 11	University City	Away

All games start at 3:15 p.m.

---

Catholic League

Team: St. John Neumann Pirates

Coach: Gaeton Lucibello

Division: Southern

Home field: 26th and Moore streets

This is it for the Pirates. If they want to leave their mark in Neumann school history, this is their last chance.

The Pirates haven’t qualified for postseason play since 1998, and haven’t played for the title since 1995, when they lost to North Catholic.

Even though Neumann graduated seven players, Lucibello remains optimistic.

"We haven’t made the playoffs for a few years now," the coach said. "It would be super sweet to go out with a good playoff run."

This week, the team is enjoying spring training in West Palm Beach, Fla. The Pirates left on Wednesday and will play three exhibition games before heading home Sunday.

In the field: Jonathan Brady, senior first baseman; Vito Cianci, senior second baseman; Michael Rosetti, junior second baseman; Christian Lanutti, junior pitcher-shortstop; Nick Perrone, sophomore third baseman; Benjamin Landi, sophomore third baseman; Billy Canady, senior center fielder; Christian Meccariello, senior left fielder; Albert DiDiminico, sophomore right fielder; Kyle Ogozarek, sophomore catcher.

2003 recap: The Pirates finished fifth in the Southern Division with an 8-10 record, missing the postseason cut by one game.

Coach’s outlook: "We may not have all the talent, but as long as we play together as a team we have a good chance [of making the playoffs]."

Schedule

Tuesday	Pennsauken	Away 3:45 p.m.
April 1	McDevitt	Away 3:30 p.m.
April 3	Bishop Eustace	Home Noon
April 5	O’Hara	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 6	West Catholic	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 8	Winslow Township	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 12	Bonner	Away 3:30 p.m.
April 14	St. Joe’s Prep	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 16	La Salle	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 19	Roman	Away 3:30 p.m.
April 21	Kennedy-Kenrick	Home 3:30 p.m.
April 23	Carroll	Away 3:30 p.m.
April 27	Conwell-Egan	Away 3:30 p.m.
April 29	O’Hara	Away 3:30 p.m.
May 3	West Catholic	Away 3:30 p.m.
May 5	Bonner	Home 3:30 p.m.
May 6	Wood	Away 3:30 p.m.
May 8	GAMP	Home 10:30 a.m.
May 10	St. Joe’s Prep	Away 3:30 p.m.
May 12	Roman	Home 3:30 p.m.
May 13	Kennedy-Kenrick	Away 3:30
May 18	Carroll	Home 3:30 p.m.

---

Public League A

Frankford 13-0

Washington 9-5

Northeast 8-6

Central 8-6

Lincoln 7-7

GAMP 6-8

a Bartram 3-11

Roxborough 1-12

---

Public League B

Edison 13-1

Olney 13-1

Mastbaum 10-4

Saul 6-8

FLC 5-9

Bok 5-9

Fels 4-10

Furness 0-14

---

Public League C

Kensington 13-1

Prep Charter 12-2

Dobbins 11-2

Lamberton 9-5

Franklin 9-5

Gratz 8-6

Germantown 7-7

Southern 6-7

Strawberry Mansion 6-7

E&S; 6-8

King 5-9

West Philly 5-9

Overbrook 4-10

University City 1-12

Penn 1-12

---

Catholic League Southern Division

O’Hara 15-3

Carroll 13-5

Roman 13-5

Bonner 9-9

Neumann 8-10

SJ Prep 6-11

Kennedy-Kenrick 6-12

West Catholic 1-16