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Schools

Absegami Seniors Need to Lead on Baseball Diamond

The Braves roster is full of underclassmen.

baseball coach Brian Wastell is counting on his senior captains to lead by example every day.

This season, there are more eyes than usual looking up at the captains.

The Braves feature a host of underclassmen in the lineup, and Wastell refuses to use youth as an excuse.

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“We expect to win,” Wastell said. “We are not showing up to play, we expect to win. We are drilling that into their heads that we have to compete every day.”

Staff ace John Waters, catcher Anthony Ardente, and Wagner University-bound shortstop Vaughn Champion are the three captains being asked to lead the Braves on the diamond.

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Waters, who will also play first base, needs to log major innings and keep the Braves in games. He was 5-1 in 2011.

“He is a finesse pitcher,” Wastell explained. “He throws a nice curveball and spots his fastball well.”

Ardente is a four-year starter with a powerful arm that will cut down base runners looking to steal. The senior also has to support the young staff, which includes sophomores Mike Dolan and Brandon Bowen, and freshman Matt Ardente.

Senior Hank Alemany will be asked to eat up innings on the mound behind Waters.

Champion, a Cape-Atlantic League American Conference first-teamer in 2011, anchors the infield and will lead off the batting order to get as many at bats as possible. The shortstop is on the verge of collecting his 100th career hit.

“He is just a very, very good baseball player and an even better guy,” Wastell said. “He is a high-quality guy.”

Sophomore Matt Ganard, and freshmen Steven Hewa, Andrew Roesch and Jake Marsica round out the starting lineup.

“We have a talented freshman class, but they are realizing how good high school baseball is around here,” Wastell said. “We expect them to come every day to work and compete.”

Although Wastell expects a lot from his underclassmen, he also understands there will be bumps along the way. However, he wants his team to limit those mistakes as much as possible.

“The freshman and first-year varsity guys are realizing the speed of the game,” Wastell said. “When they make mistakes the other team is going to capitalize on those mistakes. One thing we are stressing is to minimize those mistakes and compete.

“We don’t have classes. We have varsity baseball players that have to adjust.”

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