Malverne Baseball Set to Trump Tough 2010 Season

Malverne baseball coach Tim Young wants to forget about a tough 2010 season, when his Mules were only able to pull off three wins.

"Obviously, we are looking to improve on that 3-16 record," said Young. "A lot of our players are returning, so we should have a good team chemistry."

Senior and team captain Tim Ohl will lead the pitching rotation and play third base for the Mules this season Junior centerfielder Scott Sabino also returns after recording an impressive 33 putouts and 5 assists last season. In addition to being a beast in the outfield, Sabinso is also an offensive force, batting .424 in 2010 with 19 RBIs and striking out only three times.

Junior catcher Jeremy Sarnataro moved up to varsity halfway through the season last year and became the designated hitter. He hit .378 and had 9 RBIs in only nine games.

New to the Mules varsity roster this year is junior Jordan Richard. He will play in the outfield.

"We will look to use his speed in both the outfield and on the bases," said Young. "He will also add some power for us in the middle of the [batting] order."

Another newcomer is sophomore Dominick Gandolfo, who also play outfield and pitch.

"His strong arm in right field will round out the outfield with Sabino and Richard," Young said. "He also adds the ability to hit the ball hard to help drive in runs."

Gandolfo will round out the rotation as the number three pitcher.

The Mules open their season with two non-league games against New Hyde Park and West Hempstead this week. Their first league game will be April 4 at East Rockaway.