Monroe County Baseball is in full swing . Here is the breakdown of Division III with season capsules for Pittsford Mendon, Greece Athena, Greece Arcadia, Spencerport, and Canandaigua.
CANADAIGUA BRAVES (Class A1)
Finish last season: 8-11
Coach: Dale Werth (18th season, 224-171)
Top returners: A.J DeBalso (Sr. C/P/OF- hit .264 with three doubles and 10 RBI), Sam Boock (Sr. SS- 47 defensive assists last season), Sam Bement (Sr. Utility- hit .257 with six RBI and one home run), Aaron Crunick (So. P/IF- 3.13 ERA, two saves, 25 K’s in 22 innings, 10.2 K/9), Kenyon Mahoney (Sr. 1B/P- hit .233 with 5 RBI, won one game on the mound)
Top newcomers: Josh Barnes (So. IF/P), Nate Barone (So. IF/P), Matt Pawlicki (Jr. OF), Will Smith (Jr. OF), Matthew Papenfuss (Jr. P)
Next game: Monday, April vs. Newington at Northeast Regional Park in Florida.
Outlook: “The kids have been working hard this winter/spring. We are going to need good senior leadership and some young players to develop over the course of this season,” Coach Werth.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JENNIFER LAEMLEIN HERE.
GREECE ARCADIA TITANS (Class A1)
Finish last season: 2-16, Lost to Webster Thomas in quarterfinals
Coach: Shane Ricci (second season)
Top returners: Aaron Ford (Sr. P- 2021 2nd-team all-county), Jacob Tsymbal (Sr. OF- 2021 1st-team all-county) Parker Drees (Jr. 3B/P), Dom Zona (So. CF)
Top newcomers: Elijah Little (Sr. OF), Sam Biondillio (Sr. OF)
Next game: Monday, April 11 vs Greece Athena.
Outlook: The Titans used last year to gain experience, as their whole roster was first year players. This season they have 10 guys returning whom all saw a lot of the field last year. That being said, the Titans have high hope for a great season and a lot of hard work was put in during the off season to prepare for 2022.
GREECE ATHENA TROJANS (Class A2)
Finish last season: 17-5, Class A sectional runner-up
Coach: Tim Sova (first season)
Top returners: TJ Kurtz (Sr. P/3B), Aleks Englert (Sr. C), Jaden Madrid Jr. (Jr. SS/P), Connor Osier (So. P/1B)
Top newcomers: Riley Catana Jr. (Jr. SS/P), Ryan Nettnin (Jr. P/3B), Valencio Almborg-Perez (Jr. IF/OF), Jayden Rapp (So. OF/3B), Sammy Saucke (Fr. 2B/SS)
Next game: Monday, April 11 vs. Greece Arcadia.
Outlook: “We will look to build on last years success and hopefully finish the job this year. Replacing Casey Saucke’s bat will be difficult but we’re confident we have the roster depth to get that done. We feature a nice mix of veteran leadership and young talent,” Coach Sova.
PITTSFORD MENDON VIKINGS (Class A2)
Finish last season: 11-7, lost in A2 quarterfinals to Greece Athena
Coach: Jeff Amoroso (10th season, 99-71)
Top returners: Brendan Kane (Sr. CF), Dan Mariani (Sr. P), Dan Palumbo (Sr. 3B), Cam Blauvelt (Sr. OF), Collin Clark (Sr. C), Trey Wallman (P)
Top newcomers: Colden Forney (Fr. P/SS)
Next game: Monday, April 11 vs. Spencerport.
Outlook: Pittsford Mendon returns 13 players with 12 being seniors. The Vikings field an experienced group with chemistry and aim to make a run in sectionals.
SPENCERPORT RANGERS (Class A1)
Finish last season: 7-15, Lost in Class A Semi-Finals to Webster
Coach: Larry Frisa (ninth season, 50-98)
Top returners: Shaun Cannon (So. – 2nd-team all-county), Frank Grad IV (So. – 2nd-team all-county)
Top newcomers: Cian O’Keefe (Jr. C), Joshua Winter (So. P/C/IF)
Next game: Monday, April 11 at Pittsford Mendon
Outlook: After a playoff run where they went to the Class A semi-finals and pushed eventual champion, Webster Thomas to the brink with a 1-0 defeat, the Rangers are feeling confident they can build off last year and have a successful season.
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