BATAVIA — The Batavia baseball team is gearing up for a resurgent season under second-year head coach James Patric.
After posting a 4-12 record a season ago, the Blue Devils are hoping for more this season as they welcome back a number of talented players with varsity experience. Senior duo Jesse Reinhart and Vin Grazioplene highlight an exciting roster which features several capable underclassmen.
“Teams that show up in the offseason and want to be around each other are the teams that are the most successful,” said Batavia head coach James Patric. “This group has been dedicated to one another, they have held each other accountable and most importantly they’re having fun. They have the potential to win it all and I’m excited to watch.”
Reinhart will play center field and shortstop while also serving as one of Batavia’s top options on the mound. Grazioplene is the team’s starting catcher and possesses one of the Blue Devils’ most dangerous bats.
“Jesse has developed into a leader over the past few years, leading the football team to a sectional championship,” said Patric. “He is dedicated to our team, values his teammates and will be important to us down the stretch. He has really developed at the plate and will be a tough out every time. Vincent was our best defensive player last year and will again provide us with great leadership on the field. He communicates well with the pitchers and gives them the confidence on the mound to be successful. He started to really get hot with the bat at the end of last year and we hope that carries right into the early parts of the season for us.”
Junior Shawn Kimball is another contributor for Batavia, primarily on the mound where he is the Blue Devils’ top starting pitcher.
“Shawn showed so much growth as a sophomore last year in his first varsity season,” added Patric. “He has worked extremely hard on his skills and will anchor our pitching staff this season.”
Fellow juniors Aidan Anderson (outfield). Alex Johnson (first base), Parker Kleinbach (infield) and Sawyer Siverling (utility) are other role players for the Blue Devils, along with sophomore Cole Grazioplene.
“Cole came up as a freshman last season and made an immediate impact,” said Patric. “He is able to play multiple positions and has tremendous potential at the plate.”
Batavia’s season-opener is scheduled for this afternoon at Pittsford Mendon.
Coming off of a loss in the Class B1 semifinal, the Blue Devils softball squad will be paced by a young, but talented roster this spring. Fifth-year head coach Jim Fazio will look to a pair of sophomores to lead the way for his youthful group.
“We are a very young team with potential to be very good,” said Fazio. “It is a close-knit group who play well together and their skills complement each other greatly. It will be exciting to see their progress this season.”
Sophomore shortstop Julia Clark is hoping to build on a successful ninth-grade campaign, during which she led the Blue Devils in almost every offensive category. She posted a .473 batting average, four home runs, 20 RBI and 18 stolen bases a year ago. Fellow sophomore Giana Mruczek will be equally as critical to Batavia’s success this season, doing her damage from inside the circle as the team’s starting hurler. Last season, Mruczek tossed a no-hitter in her first career varsity start and racked up a total of 92 strikeouts in 84 innings pitched.
Batavia will also welcome back eighth-grader Libby Grazioplene, an infield/outfielder that possesses a lethal bat, and ninth-grader Hannah CArney,who is coming off of a knee injury which cut her season short a year ago. Carney will serve as the team’s utility player, while junior Lyndsey Grazioplene and sophomore Sophia Minuto also hope to make their presence felt in the Blue Devils’ lineup.
The Batavia tennis program took a significant step forward last season when it won its first sectional match in a number of years, defeating Hornell to advance to the second round. This season, with a few players returning from last spring’s transcendent squad, six-year head coach Tom Redband is hoping his team continues trending in a positive direction.
Senior Tanner Mountain returns as a third-year first-singles player, while junior singles player Jack Pickard and sophomore singles player Orion Lama return to help lead the Blue Devils. Newcomers Ben Stone (sophomore), Ryan Cox (sophomore), Elijah Abdella (sophomore) and Ethan Bradley (sophomore) all hope to improve as the season progresses.
“While we graduated 10 seniors last year, we still have a core group of singles players and a group of younger players moving up from the modified team who have committed to working at their game in the offseason,” said Redband. “We are looking for our top singles players to build off last year’s experience and continue to grow and learn how to compete, with our new players rounding out a fairly deep team that should help us compete in doubles as well.”
Winless a season ago, the Batavia/Notre Dame lacrosse team enters the 2022 season with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and determination.
“Though we were winless last season, we had a great time as a team and were proud of how we played,” said second-year head coach James Dillon. “Never once did we leave a game with our heads down because we knew we played our best. I was immensely proud of this team and the tight bonds they forged.”
Dillon welcomes back a strong core of returning players, including senior Noah Burke who was the team’s leading scorer from is attack position last season. Juniors Ryan Hamilton and Julia Petry are also top contributors for B/ND, Hamilton on the attack and Petry on defense. Sophomore goalkeeper Jaxson Tucker is another impressive athlete for the Blue Devils.
Top newcomers include senior Luke Geiger, junior Ryan Dillon and junior Cooper Hamilton.
“Lacrosse was new to many of our players so we used last season as a training tool to teach and learn,” added Coach Dillon. “This season we take those experiences and continue to build the program. I am very excited to see how we do this season and beyond.
“COVID-19 took a toll on Batavia Lacrosse due to the sudden cancellation of the 2020 season. The ’21 season saw very few signups and resulted in a very small roster — providing limited subs. This year we have rebounded. Due to the partnership between Batavia City Schools and Notre Dame we will field a roster of 24 players. This will allow us to be more competitive across all positions. With the recent startup of the Lacrosse Youth League the future looks very bright for this awesome sport here in Batavia.”
TRACK AND FIELD
As always, the Batavia track and field program enters the spring season with high expectations.
After a second-place finish at sectionals last year, the Batavia girls have their sights set on taking home a league title and competing for yet another sectional championship.
“After placing second in sectionals last outdoor season and then getting second in indoor sectionals this year, we are determined to continue to improve and compete for a sectional title.” said Batavia girls coach Rich Boyce. “Honeoye Falls-Lima ran away with the title last year, but we have a large team with a lot of new recruits. I’m excited to see what they are capable of.”
The top returning athletes for Batavia include seniors Gavin Konieczny (pole vault, triple jump, high jump) and Emma Radka (throws), junior Abby Moore (sprints and jumps), sophomore Isabella Walsh (jumps) and ninth-grader Campbell Riley (distance). Top newcomers include ninth-grader Zenallah Hatcher-Simmons and eighth-grader Libby Grazioplene, both of whom will compete in throwing events.
On the boys’ side, Nick Burk returns for his 22nd season as Batavia head coach and expects a strong group of veteran leaders to carry the day for his defending sectional champion squad.
“We are well-balanced with athletes who can score in almost every event and some quality depth from our underclassmen,” said Burk. “Our goals this spring are to compete in every meet and to find ways to continue to improve. If we demonstrate consistent effort this spring and focus on improving, we will have a chance to win another championship. A number of our athletes will compete to have a chance at the state championship meet this springtime as well.”
Leading the way for the Batavia boys is a strong distance crew composed of juniors Nate Canale, Cody Harloff, Noah Pickard and Dom Grillo, while the Blue Devils will also be strong in the throws, where seniors Luke Geiger, Austyn Fernandez and Abel Hammer will proel the group’s overall success. Tyler Umlauf and Noah Burke will be the top two pole vaulters for the Blue Devils, while seniors Carter Havens and Jesse Reinhart, along with junior Fabian Vasquez, will compete in the hurdles, jumps and sprint events. Finally, junior Ifran Armstron will be a factor in the hurdles, while fellow junior Lucas Crater joins senior Rohan Armstrong in the pentathlon.
“We have a lot of veteran leadership this springtime,” concluded Coach Burk. “We have a number of returning scorers from last year’s sectional championship team.”
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April 02, 2022 at 08:22PM
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SEASON PREVIEW: Batavia expecting exciting spring | Sports | thedailynewsonline.com - The Daily News Online
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