2011 Mepham Baseball and Softball Preview

Mepham Baseball

2010 Record: 12-10 (lost in quarterfinals to Carey, two games to one)

Head Coach: Bill Murphy (sixth season)

Assistant Coach: Jim Hughes

Top Players: Greg Licausi (senior, RHP); Nick White (senior, RHP); Tom DeLuca, (senior, CF); Billy Ruvllo (senior, C); Dom Manzella (senior, 3B).

Expectations: The Pirates are heading into another spring season with their confidence at new heights under head coach Bill Murphy. Mepham finished with a 12-10 overall record in 2010 in Class AA-III but lost a three-game playoff series to Carey in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

“We have a very focused, hard working and mature group who will take a more serious, business-like approach to the season this year, which is good,” Murphy said. “The experience will help tremendously. They saw how hard you can really work and still fall short in the playoffs, so they have a different hunger about them this year.”

The key to the 2011 Mepham team will undoubtedly be the experience with senior leadership, more notably in the pitching staff. Mepham looks to start the season with four senior right-handed pitchers on the mound, including Greg Licausi, Nick White, Angelo Messina and Jordan Gilroy.

“As long as we play together, we can do as well as we want. We can really beat any team, so as long as we play as a team, we are in good shape,” Licausi said. “We will play all good teams, but we are just going to have to play our game all the way through.”

Big Games (A-Away, H-Home):

4/11 (A), 4/12 (H), 4/14 (A): vs. Carey HS

5/2 (H), 5/3 (A), 5/4 (H): vs. Kennedy HS

5/9 (A), 5/10 (H), 5/11 (A): vs. Calhoun HS

News & Notes: Mepham is looking in good shape to get over their recent quarterfinal playoff hump and compete for a Nassau County championship. They will be matched up in a challenging league with the likes of defending Nassau champion Calhoun, Kennedy, Carey, Valley Stream Central and Long Beach. Top non-league games for the Pirates include MacArthur and Seaford.

Three of the Pirates league opponents this year -- Calhoun, Kennedy and Carey -- appeared in the county semifinals last season.

“If we want to be the best, then we have to compete and beat those top teams, so we are very excited," Murphy said. "We want to go into the playoffs on a role in the end and make good things happen.”

Mepham Softball

2010 Record: 7-11 (lost in quarterfinals to Farmingdale)

Head Coach: Mike Muscara (27th season)

Top Players: Victoria Gunnels (senior, P/1B); Claudia Law (junior, C); Shannon McLean (senior, 2B/OF); Nicole Pazienza (junior, CF); Kaitlyn Bazarewsky (senior, RF).

Expectations: The Lady Pirates lost a heartbreaking  game to Farmingdale by a 1-0 score in the 2010 playoffs with an opportunity to tie late in the seventh and final inning. With that experience under its belt, Mepham is looking to contend for a county title under longtime head coach Mike Muscara.

“We are a strong team with experience and we have good pitching. We need to play good defense and we can do well in this league,” Muscara said.

Victoria Gunnels will be the backbone for the Pirates on the mound. She was an All-Conference player in 2010 figures to start the majority of the games this season.

“Victoria is a good hitter as well, so we really need her to hit and pitch well,” Muscara said. “We need her to keep the walks down and stay in control. If she plays her game, then everything will be good.”

Playing out of Class AA-I, Mepham figures to have a challenging road to that hopeful championship. They will play defending champion East Meadow, along with a rematch against Farmingdale, and games against MacArthur, Carey, Massapequa and Long Beach in-conference.

In non-league, Kennedy, Carle Place, Oceanside and Bethpage will challenge Mepham. The Pirates will play Bethpage at home in the season opener on March 25.

Big Games:

4/4: Massapequa @ Mepham, 4:15 p.m. (Mepham will play on road 4/29, 4:15 p.m.)

4/6: MacArthur @ Mepham, 4:45 p.m. (on road 5/2, 4:15 p.m.)

4/7: Mepham @ Farmingdale, 4:15 p.m. (at home 5/4, 4:15 p.m.)

4/11: East Meadow @ Mepham, 4:45 p.m. (on road 5/6, 4:15 p.m.)

News & Notes: Mepham is a member of one of the most challenging leagues in Nassau County, but figures to be right in the mix come playoff time in May.

The two four-game stretches between April 4 and April 11, and April 29 and May 6, may ultimately determine if Mepham could be a serious contender for a Nassau County title in 2011. 

“Against the top teams, we need to hit and play good defense and get the hits when we need to get them,” Muscara added.

Paired with the solid pitching, the Pirates figure to be an exceptionally strong team up the middle, a key element for a successful softball team.

Along with the All-Conference Gunnels returning as the key pitcher, Mepham also returns two All-County players -- Law and McLean -- as well as two All-Division players -- Pazienza and Thomas -- to their lineup.