North Shore piling up wins

The North Shore baseball program was in a peculiar spot last May, not in a conference title position for the first time in years. Now, in 2018, the Vikings are showing the naysayers they refuse to go away, currently sitting at 11-3 overall (10-3 Conference A-3.)

Winners of five straight and seven of their last eight, the Vikings are rolling in a season where they have only dropped one series to perennial power Division.

The team is surely powered by its potent offense; however, head coach Scott Lineman believes success starts with confident pitching and stout defensive play. 

Leading the pitching staff is junior David Aufiero, currently with 3 wins on year and an impressive array of pitches, mixing speeds and keeping batters guessing. “He is no doubt the leader of our staff,” Lineman said. “He has some great breaking stuff that he mixes up well.”

Junior Robert Clarke (4-0 in conference games) receives the nod from Lineman for the second game of every series, and has performed superbly in his own right. “He is pitching extremely well for us,” Lineman said. “He is pounding the zone and keeping hitters on their toes.”

Lineman stresses the importance of defense. “The confidence of the pitchers begins with the knowing that his defense will make the play behind him and pick him up if he’s down,” Lineman said.

Offensively, the Vikings are rolling, averaging more than eight runs per game. That starts with the diversity of output at the plate. Near the top of the order, Matt Lewin and Will Scarola boast high on-base-percentages and good speed on the basepaths. In fact, Scarola leads the team in batting average at .375 and has swiped a few bases as well. Lewin’s high OBP (on-base-percentage) is due to his knack for drawing walks.

Catcher Dan Livoti is a very capable defensive player, keeping runners from advancing by blocking balls and has an arm capable of hosing out hopeful basestealers. He also has been making constant improvements at the plate. Junior Matt Saltzman frequents singles and hits for a high OBP as well. 

North Shore’s premiere hitter, Anthony Carleo, is raking from the designated hitting spot, a role forced upon him due to an offseason injury. He currently leads the team in RBI’s and slugging percentage, whilst sending two balls out of the park, adding a triple and four doubles. However, Lineman acknowledges that the duty of DH is a tough one.

“Being solely a DH is tough,” Lineman said. “If you are slumping at the plate, you can’t pick yourself up with a big defensive play and give yourself some confidence.”

To finish the season strong, Lineman wants all nine hitters to be ‘on’ at the plate at once, a lofty goal that just might be possible with this talented squad. As for thoughts of another conference title, Lineman was clear. “This year, I think we have the ability to do it,” Lineman said. “I think we can play with anyone.”