Spring Sports Preview: Lots To Defend

Last spring, the state championships just kept coming — first the team, then the team and finally, the Boys Lacrosse team. The 2012 spring season has started off strong, with hopes of repeats and new championships.

In addition, in decades this spring, now that the school is equipped with all the necessary equipment.

Baseball: The boys lost in the semifinals last year, but one athlete said, “There are a lot of young kids that can fill the gaps [of the five senior starters lost]." This year, the Avenger baseball team is led by All-State pitcher David Hopkins, a junior, and senior Kevin Mason. Hopkins will return to the mound just as strong as in his underclassmen years, with catcher Scott Cullinane looking promising at home base and Kevin Mason assisting to lead team to another successful season.

Boys Tennis: The Avenger tennis team returns to the courts as the Division 2 state champion. The team has eight seniors, as well as many talented freshmen and sophomores. Sophomore Shiv Patel continues to be the team's strongest player, with Dylan Leyden, Jason Brown, Chris Shea, and Jordan Krauss among those filling the other slots on the roster.

Boys Volleyball: Thanks to last year’s graduation, the boys volleyball team has lost close to all of its starting players, but they are still hoping to make it to the Division 2 quarterfinals. The player to watch is junior Patrick Wong, the only member of last year's starting lineup to remain.

Boys Lacrosse: These Division 2 state champs are back for blood. After only losing two seniors, they are looking to have just as strong of a season as the last one. With the arrival of junior Britt Conde from Maryland, as well as the presence of seniors Ethan Zink, Kyle Carosotto, and Andrew Gehlmeyer, the team is confident that they will be successful in defending their Division 2 state champion title.

Girls Lacrosse: This year, the girls are back from a disappointing Division 1 playoff loss with most of the defense gone. The team also lost its best attacker, Kylie Powers, yet there are still some promising players. Ana Basile, Samantha Blair, and attacker Marielle Kraft will hopefully lead this up and coming team into the playoffs once again.

Girls Outdoor Track: The team is coming off of a fourth-place overall finish at indoor states, as well as second and fourth place finishes in the 4x400 and 4x200 respectively. But can the 4x400 meter relay team place first in the outdoor relay like last year? They all remain hopeful. With several returning girls who have earned earning all-state, all-class, or all-division honors, as well has a new lot of throwers and field event athletes, the team’s ultimate prospect is well insight. The sprint relays, made up of star-athlete Jaimee Dorsey, Mikayla Baiocchi, Rebecca Nunez, Allie Davis, and Jen Sarazen collectively, are running very well this season.

Boys Outdoor Track: With a poor finish at the indoor state championship, the EG boys track team is ready for a comeback. The distance boys are bound to earn the team many points this season, while the sprint portion of the team is lacking. However, sprinter Dylan Manning who was one of the top three 600-meter runners at indoor states, is ready to help lead the team to a more successful overall finish with the help of captains Chris Millman and Trevor Larochelle. 

Author Mikayla Baiocchi is a junior at East Greenwich High School.