see you at the stadium

It's almost 4 in the morning, and I just got back from the gym. I recently joined a 24 hour gym (Cardio Express in Wethersfield if anybody's wondering) to suit my nocturnal lifestyle, and so far it's working out well. But that's not the point of this post.
I'll be covering my first game of the spring in less than 12 hours, and I'm very excited about it. I was stuck in the office most of the winter due to drastically early deadlines and our desire as a staff to continue to get results from as many games as possible in the paper. That meant I was on phone duty most nights. Now with games in the afternoon, I get to go back out in the field most days.
I'll be at the Berlin-New Britain border war baseball game at Beehive, and with a pair of good teams (one looking to be among the elite in the state) it should be exciting.
I figured now is a good time to share some of my "preseason" thoughts (the season is actually two days old) on the spring sports in the area.
Predicted top team: Berlin baseball
If anybody is going to win a state title this season, put your fake money on the Redcoats. They return a team loaded with talent. In fact, when contacted about previews, two opposing coaches had the same comment. "They're [expletive] loaded."
Think about it. Last summer both the Berlin Legion team and Jaycee-TD Banknorth League team made it to their championship, the latter winning. The teams both had players from the current high school squad, though the Legion team had more. This team returned most of its key parts, including a pitching staff coach Leo Veleas says is deeper in talent than he's ever coached. That's saying a lot.
Team on the rise: Newington softball
I have a feeling this could be a very special year for the Indians. They went 13-7 last year, losing a number of close games that they should have won. Experience is the greatest teacher, and with all six players back in front of the outfield grass (and in softball that's what matters most) the talent is there to be among the best in the CCC and possibly the state. Now, Masuk looks extremely tough to beat for a state title (and it's way to early to talk about that for this team), but the Indians held them scoreless in a 0-0 scrimmage. Keep an eye on this team.
Bounce-back year: Rocky Hill softball
The Terriers have had a few bad years and are looking back at the golden days when they had pitchers like Natalie Tine and Ashlee Teraila leading them deep in the state tournament. Well, look out for Megan Ruonavaara, a player who will terrify hitters in the coming years as much as her name terrifies sports writers. Rocky Hill is back.
Most likely to defend a title: Berlin boys golf
The Redcoats golfers will try to steal some attention away from the baseball team, and with Ryan Lee, Kevin Jud, Mike Scheyd and others back, this team has a very good shot to defend its Division II state title. Scheyd, typically their No. 3 guy, shot even par in his first round of the season. Not a bad way to start.
Best local athletes you've never watched: Farmington tennis players Mark Kahan and Monica Szwed
Kahan lost the state open final last year, but bounced back by winning the New England title instead. Szwed, as a sophomore, went deep in the girls tournament, and with a little added muscle to her precision shots should go further. These two are fun to watch, no punchers here. Of course, I speak as a varsity letter earner in tennis, so maybe I'm biased.
Best rivalry: It may be more media driven than anything (guilty as charged), or maybe not, but the three-way rivalry between golfers Sarah Sideranko (New Britain), Kirsten LaPointe (Newington) and Erica Barnes (Berlin) is always fun. Sideranko and LaPointe have been dueling it out in the spotlight since being named all-state players their freshman season. They have such contrasting styles of play on the course, it's fascinating to watch them head to head. Sideranko will invariably outdrive LaPointe, but the latter seems to know exactly where to hit it with the strength she has to make an approach shot possible.
Meanwhile, Barnes spent two years just trying to get noticed and did so in a big way by finishing tied for second at last year's state open, on a day when the other two weren't quite as sharp.
They all face off against each other, and to add to the fun, Sideranko and LaPointe will be college teammates at Hartford next season.
Some upperclassmen to watch (in no particular order): Spencer Parker, Newington volleyball; D.J. Voisine, Plainville baseball; Matt Carasiti, Berlin baseball; Chris Linares, New Britain baseball; Amanda Palmieri, Southington softball; Kelly Paterson, Southington softball; Felicia Leone, New Britain softball; Josh Edelson, Farmington golf; Chris Kelly, Southington track; Jackie English, Wethersfield softball
One other storyline: baseball dominance
I predict, for the second year in a row, that area baseball teams will finish much better than local softball teams. Looking around the towns, it's hard to find a bad baseball squad. Rocky Hill might be the weakest, but I have a feeling the Terriers will challenge people. Southington and Newington don't look as strong as they've been, but there's always talent at those two schools. I wouldn't be shocked if all these teams make the postseason, with Farmington appearing ready to bounce back this season, and teams like New Britain, Berlin, Plainville and Wethersfield possibly among the best.

That's about it for now. Come out to the Hive Friday at 3.

and down the stretch they come

One week left before the high school tournaments get underway, and there's a lot at stake this week. So let me review some of the things most worth watching.
Most importantly, I feel like I've overlooked the Berlin softball team. During preseason previews, I spoke to coach Jason Pires and felt the Redcoats could be a good to very good team. Then I watched them in an ugly loss to NFA and put them in the back of my mind. It seemed all season like every time Berlin would start to string together wins, a bad loss would pop up. RHAM: 4-0, making RHAM look like the easy favorites in the conference race with probably the best pitcher in the league. Farmington: 4-1 followed by East Catholic 6-5.
Well, here we are. And if the Redcoats top St. Paul on Monday, they will win the conference race outright with a 13-3 record. They could also do it if RHAM loses at Middletown.
I should have more on this team later in the week in The Herald, but I'll say this is storyline number one to watch this week.
Number two: Can New Britain beat Southington? The Hurricanes have probably the best team they've had since I've been watching them, the Knights have struggled more than they ever have in that time. This is up in the air. Southington's still favored Monday at Chesley Park, but don't be shocked either way. What a win it would be for New Britain.
Number three: Can the Southington volleyball team go undefeated? Two to go on the road at Fermi and Maloney. They beat both 3-0 earlier in the season. The Knights have far bigger fish to fry down the road (state title anyone?), but a perfect regular season would be nice.
Number four: The NWC baseball race. Berlin played itself out of this. But Plainville's still alive.
East Catholic: 12-2, at Rocky Hill, at Middletown
Plainville: 13-3, with only non-conference games left.
Berlin: 10-4
Plainville will be rooting for the Terriers and Dragons. But they'll probably be more concerned with three good non-conference warmups, which will have a huge bearing on their tournament seed.
Number five: Speaking of tournament seeds:
BASEBALL
Newington: currently fourth in LL with four games this week, three against tough opponents (Fermi, Bristol Eastern, Maloney)
Southington: currently 12th in LL and needs to do well this week to get better than that. Games against New Britain, Manchester, Simsbury, all very tough.
New Britain and Farmington both in at 9-9, and hoping to avoid play-down games as 34 teams have already qualified.
Wethersfield: Can clinch a tie with Guilford for the top spot in L with a win over Weaver Monday. Eagles are the lucky team that had almost no rainouts, and have a lot of rest time here.
Berlin: Currently ninth in L, with games against St. Paul and Rocky Hill left. Redcoats would love to move up and get a bye (of which there should be seven or eight in Class L).
Plainville: currently fifth in M, with a chance to move to third if they can tie East Catholic and Lewis Mills. But the Devils have to make sure they don't drop lower with losses. (There will be no byes in M, but rather play-in games, as 32 teams have already qualified for the postseason.)
Rocky Hill: looking to get one of those play-ins, but needs to win two of three against East Catholic, Portland, Berlin. No easy task.
SOFTBALL
Southington/New Britain: amazingly tied for ninth in LL. Could that game have any more implications. Probably only two byes available in LL, so that won't matter for these teams. But second round seeding could be big for either one, and of course a first round home game.
Newington: Clinging to home game status at the 16th seed. But a game, and likely loss, against Bristol Eastern looms, meaning these Indians could be forced to travel again. They also got a bad draw on the "by lot" number, which decides between tied teams.
Berlin: currently third in L, with a good lot number, and playing to stay there if they can beat St. Paul and Coginchaug.
They should get a bye, as there will be a maximum of 27 teams in the L tourney.
Wethersfield: currently 17th, and has games against Windsor, Weaver and Conard remaining. A home game is at stake.
Farmington: needs a miracle four-for-four week.
Plainville: 15th in M, playing for a home game with games left against Middletown and Suffield.
Rocky Hill: currently the last team in the M bracket, but in. There is no risk of a playdown game, but they will have to play somebody good on the road.

So that's it. That's what everyone is playing for. We will have some bracket coverage on Friday or Saturday. And then the long weekend to relax before the craziness. And that's not even to mention the tennis, golf and track action as well. More later.

not sure what to think

Man, a couple local teams have been struggling lately. It's getting late in the season, close to playoff time, and I hope its just a blip on the radar for them, but it makes me wonder.
First off, the Berlin baseball team has lost four in a row. Now, to be honest, at the start of the season I did not expect them to be as good as they seemed when they were 12-0. But by the same token, I would never have guessed they'd lose four in a row. I can't even imagine when the last time Berlin baseball lost four in a row was. They've all been close, and I assume the Redcoats will start playing better again. I'll say this, history shows us that Leo Veleas gets his team ready for the postseason, and playing the best at that time.
I'm most confused by the play of the Southington softball team. Coming into the season, most people figured the Knights would struggle a little bit pitching. Nothing against the pitchers they have, but it is tough to replace somebody like Niki Davenport. But the pitching's been pretty solid, not just Sarah Lempicki, but Brittany Volpe as well.
What's shocking is the way the Knights defense has played, making sloppy mistakes, and costly ones in a couple of losses. Perhaps just as surprising is how the offense, once imagined to be a juggernaut, is failing to score runs, such as in a 2-0 loss to Simsbury on Tuesday. There are simply too many good, experienced hitters for this team to get shut out like that.
Up until now, I was willing to give the Knights the benefit of the doubt. While they had three losses, two of them were to Bristol Eastern, and one was to Rockville, a team they should have beaten, but a very good team. Simsbury is slightly below Rockville based on what I've seen, but still a good team. Yet, these are the kind of losses that great teams don't accumulate.
Maybe this Knights team simply isn't great. There's not much shame in being very good, but this team has the talent to be great and just hasn't lived up to it.
It will be most interesting to see if they wake up before the end of May, or it could be their shortest postseason in a long time.

Meanwhile, a couple other teams just keep winning. And since I'm talking softball, it's time to give the New Britain Hurricanes their due. For several years the 'Canes have beaten up on a soft schedule that coach Mimi Parks wishes they didn't have to play. She knows it gets them nowhere, and just gives a false sense of security, not preparing them for when they play even average opponents. They have posted some good records in the past but have been average against good teams.
Well, this year, they have made the next step. No, I don't consider them a true title contender in Class LL, mostly because of the depth and talent at the top of that class (Masuk, Cheshire, Trumbull, etc.). And they did lose 3-0 to Southington earlier, so they haven't been able to overtake their rivals just yet.
But, the Hurricanes have some solid wins against teams like E.O. Smith, Simsbury, East Hartford and Glastonbury. They also close with a good set of challenges, with G-Bury, Manchester, Simsbury and Southington a second time each.
I'm interested to see how they deal with Manchester, who's pitcher (Leone) shut them down last time around. If they get through that, why not take a good shot at Southington. If Simsbury can beat the Knights, New Britain's got the talent for it.
(But know that the Knights will do whatever they can to prevent that from happening. Despite the lopsided nature of it, this is the rare rivalry that still means something to both teams.)
Then there are the Wethersfield and Newington baseball teams, both with only two losses, and neither of whom I expected to do this well before the season. Both have had their share of good fortune, but both have also played well and had some surprise players step up and be very good. The most telling thing about each team is that it is hard to say who the best player on each team is. There are several candidates but none stand out definitively.
It's gotten to the point where these teams seem blessed. Perhaps it will continue.

softball poll notes

I just returned from a great matchup on the softball field between Bristol Eastern and Southington. Of course, both are perennial powers and state title contenders each year. This year is no different.
I am honored to have a vote in the New Haven Register's state softball poll, and I'll openly say that while the Knights have fallen out of the top 10 according to the voting, I have continued to vote them well within it. After watching them play the concensus number two in the state (exactly where I've been voting Eastern for several weeks) I will say anybody who doesn't think Southington is among the top 10 teams is not only ignorant, but is also fooling themselves.
I'll say it this way: put the Knights on a field with Lyman Memorial, the current 10th ranked team in the poll, and you won't see a competitive game like we did between Southington and Eastern. Southington would wipe them out.
But enough on that. I wish I could say it was a flawlessly played game between these elite teams, but it was not. Both made mistakes. But both have pitchers who know how to work out of jams and who have very good stuff. I'd easily say Sara Plourde (Eastern) is the second best pitcher in the state, and Sarah Lempicki (Southington) is better than people think. I just hope Southington can earn its respect at some point, because the Knights don't have a signature win yet. They should get a lot of revenge for their one bad loss when they face Rockville again. But they might have to wait till the tournament to earn their laurels, if they are up to the task.
Being at Southington softball made me think of former Knight Elisa VanKirk, one of the funniest people I've ever met, and one of the scariest hitters to step on a diamond. So I looked up her stats at George Washington University and found out that while she is hitting just .235, she is leading the team with six home runs this year. Get that average up, VK, or coach Bores will be disappointed.
Unfortunately, it was Plourde who hit a critical, VK-like home run over the fence on Friday, leading her team to a 3-2 win.

early season thoughts

I've gotten to see two local teams so far (Berlin and Newington softball) and I'm going out to see a very good Southington volleyball team tonight. So I don't have a lot to say yet.
The only thing I think I can say, and this really has nothing to do with the outcome of those two games, which were both losses against good competition, is that for the first time in a few years area baseball teams appear to have surpassed area softball teams in terms of quality. In fact, the girls have been dominating the landscape across all sports recently, from soccer to basketball to softball to tennis to gymnastics. But the guys on the diamond appear ready to make a ton of noise next month.
Plainville looks to be a legit M title contender, if not the favorite. Berlin is back as usual (coach Veleas always gets the best out of his players, as does coach Freimuth, who has had a couple down years before last year). Also in the NWC, Farmington looks like a potential surprise conference contender, and Rocky Hill appears significantly better, off to a 2-0 start against non-conference teams.
The CCC is as expected, a lot of talent in New Britain, Southington and Newington, all who may eventually have trouble in an always-loaded LL bracket. But all are good teams. And Wethersfield is poised for another possible run in Class L. I expect all eight teams to make the postseason.
On the girls side, Southington is back and has its best lineup since the team that won the state title in 2004 (at least in my opinion). It might be even better. Masuk has the best pitcher in the state, but if anybody can hit Fico it is this team. The Knights defense has to step up and help pitcher Sarah Lempicki for this team to stay in the top five all season as usual.
Newington, despite a loss yesterday, has a very good team, with a deep lineup. Now, LL is stacked of course, so a title is probably too lofty a goal. But these Indians could go deep if things go right.
New Britain is 2-0 and looks solid again. The Hurricanes are probably what they've been for a couple years, a good team that can upset somebody in the tournament.
I don't know what to think of Wethersfield. They've got most of the team back from last year, but they've always gotten a big boost from a weaker division, so you never know what to expect.
And then there is the NWC. The conference is balanced, but I'd say down a bit this year. Plainville's score against Cromwell, a 16-3 win, looked promising, and that lineup is potent. But Sara Forcella was an ace on the mound, and no slight to Missy Jandreau, but those are big shoes to fill. They're still a good team though.
Berlin could be good as well, but a very shaky opening performance means the Redcoats still haven't solved some of the problems that have plagued them for years.
I don't know at all what to think of Farmington and Rocky Hill. I'll have to see them play first. They could go either way.

But there's no question. The baseball teams are better as a whole.

I love spring season. So I'll probably be on here to post thoughts on tennis, golf and volleyball as more results start coming in. Now all we need is some warmth.