As he huddles with his coaches after practices and preseason games, Mount St. Michael coach Wally Stampfel scratches his head when he thinks about his pitching staff and no doubt longs for last year.
A year ago, Stampfel had few worries in that department, especially when he could roll out the likes of Tommy Cardona and Steven Rivera on consecutive days.
Cardona, who was also one of the Mountaineers’ top hitters, was 3-3 with a 2.70 earned run average with 70 strikeouts and Rivera was also one of the division’s top hurlers. They were big reasons why Mount was in the race for the CHSAA Bronx/Westchester ‘A’ division title in the final week of the regular season.
“With Cardona and Rivera, anytime you put them out there you knew you had a pretty good chance of winning,” Stampfel said. “This year we’ve got 12 guys pitching through the preseason and we’re hoping some guys step to the front.”
Also Cardona and Rivera on the hill twice a week gave the Mount a bit of a swagger against some of its league opponents.
That certainly isn’t the case this year.
“There were games last year when we walked on the field very confident that even if we didn’t hit a lot, even if we booted the ball around that we figured we were going to win,” Stampfel said. “This year we’re going to have to earn every win.”
Jason Pimentel is a three-year starter who is trying his hand at pitching this year. Mike Iglesias is a senior shortstop who will likely come out of the bullpen and Marcos Perez started a handful of games as a junior.
“But we’re asking him to take a big jump up in class,” Stampfel said. “Last year, as the No. 3 or 4 man in the rotation, the expectations aren’t too high.”
Perhaps the silver lining for the Mountaineers is that their situation isn’t unique this year. Most of the household names last year – Fordham Prep’s duo of Sal Lisanti and Kenny O’Brien, Cardinal Hayes lumbering lefty Nick Santiago and even Iona Prep’s Pete Ladis – have graduated.
“We’ll sit down in the locker room after practices and games and we’ll be crying about our pitching issues, that we really don’t have that stud No. 1,” Stampfel said. “But who does?”
Without that blue-chip arm, or arms as was the case last year for Mount, the Mountaineers are going to have to be sturdy defensively and solid offensively. Thus far in the preseason, Stampfel has seen mixed results.
Mount had its best offensive output of the spring, and worst defensively, against perennial powerhouse Xaverian on Thursday. He said he’s like what he’s seen from some younger players, like Steven Ramirez and Mike Perrotta, who will platoon in right field after solid seasons on the junior varsity squad.
And senior Jeremy Lewis is a quality defensive catcher – and he’ll need to be with inexperienced arms on the mound.
“We’re going to have to come up with 16-17 outs this year,” Stampfel said, down from about eight when strikeout artists Cardona and Rivera were on the mound. “Our outfield defense has been outstanding, but we’ve struggled defensively in the infield.”
