RHS Baseball Team Opens Season Friday

The Revere High baseball team will open its season Friday afternoon, hosting non-league foe Cambridge on the high school ballfield. The opening pitch of the 2013 campaign for the local boys of spring is set for 4:00pm.

“We’re looking forward to the start of the season,” said RHS head coach Nick Faggas, who is in his second year at the helm of the Revere baseball program. “The team is learning our system and working on achieving the discipline that’s necessary to become a winning team.”

Pitching should  be the strong suit for the Patriots, with returnees Noah Jaynes, a sophomore, and junior captain Tom Portrait, who was a Northeastern Conference all-star last year, providing Revere with as strong a 1-2 pitching combination as any in the NEC.

Senior captain Mark Maloney, senior captain Dario Santiago, Jonathan Van Buskirk, and Kyle Norton Jr. also will be counted upon to provide plenty of support on the hill as the season progresses.

Among the key players for the Pats who have earned spots on the varsity from among the 60 candidates who turned out at the start of the season are third baseman Jon Papasodora, second baseman Jake D’Angelo, first basemen Chris Charido and Brett Deukmejian, catchers Dylan Kalloch and Steve Selevitch, and rightfielder Keanu Rodriguez.

Portrait will handle the chores at shortstop when he’s not on the mound and Maloney will be in centerfield.

“We’re excited about the coming season,” said Faggas, whose squad played scrimmages against Watertown and Melrose this past week. “If we give our pitchers the support they need in the field, we should be able to compete with anyone in the NEC.”

Faggas will be assisted in the coaching department by Sean Brinkley, Brian Hartman, and Andrew Billings, who will handle the freshmen.

After Friday’s opening encounter with Cambridge, the Patriots will host Lynn Classical Wednesday.

Softball team treks to Westford Friday

The Revere High softball team will inaugurate the 2013 season Friday, traveling to Westford Academy for a non-league encounter.

“Things are going well,” said RHS head coach Joe Ciccarello. “We’ve been taking a good look at all of the girls in the pre-season and still are in the process of making final cuts.”

The Lady Patriots scrimmaged against Malden last Friday, which was their first practice outdoors, played against Melrose on Saturday, and hosted Lexington on Monday to complete their pre-season schedule.

The Lady Patriots will be led in 2013 by junior captain Logan DiCarlo, the team’s returning shortstop, and senior captain Jackie Noel, who will patrol centerfield.

The key pitching department duties will be handled primarily by sophomore Sabrina Palermo, who enjoyed a stellar season last year as a freshman. “Sabrina is on pace to have a great career,” said Ciccarello. “She worked during the off-season and should be even better than last season.”

Other members of the team who will play key roles this year are Aliza Anderson, the only other returning senior besides Noel; sophomore Christina Stella, who handled the chores at second base in her fine freshman campaign; Cassandra DiBella in right field; and freshman Julianna Cecere, who has been very impressive behind the plate at the all-important position of catcher.

“We’re a young team, but very athletic,” said Ciccarello. “We’re looking forward to playing with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.”

After Friday’s opener, the Lady Patriots will stay on the road to Medford (another non-league rival) on Monday and to Beverly Wednesday for their Northeastern Conference opener.