Pitching staff to lead East Rockaway

It’s one of the most uttered clichés in sports, but pitching and defense, indeed, are the keys to baseball at all levels. The two go hand in hand. With that being the case, 2010 should be a solid season for East Rockaway.

The Rocks, who return all three of their starting pitchers from a team that was beaten by Oyster Bay in the Nassau Class C finals, should challenge for the Conference B/C title.

Coach Dan Vito is optimistic. “Our strength is definitely our pitching,” Vito said. “It’s the most depth we’ve had on the mound in a long time. Defensively, we have the potential to be very strong all around. We could have a real nice season.” Among those the Rocks will compete against in conference play are Oyster Bay, Locust Valley, and Wheatley.

Junior pitcher David Hobbs, an All-Conference honoree as a sophomore, returns for his third season on the varsity. Hobbs is a smart pitcher who spots his fastball well, and has good off-speed stuff. Hobbs, who also serves as the clean-up hitter and starting shortstop, held Malverne hitless for the first five innings in a season-opening win on April 1. 

Dylan Giliberti, an All-League recipient as a junior, struck out nine to earn his first win of the year as the Rocks knocked off Malverne 6-1 in the second game of the series. A pair of juniors, Andrew Bashford and Luke Burggraf, round out a solid starting rotation. Burggraf will play both middle infield positions, and bat leadoff. Junior Jerry Ventrello will come out of the pen for the orange-and-black.   

Senior Brian Lantz returns for his third year at catcher. Lantz, who bats second in the order, handles the pitchers well and does the little things behind the plate. Senior David Blessington, who can play just about every position on the field, will also see time at catcher.

Joe DelGais is back for a fourth season on the varsity. The senior third baseman is an absolute masher at the plate, and Vito was quick to mention the vast improvement DelGais has made on defense. DelGais was 3-for-3 with two RBI in the opener. Giliberti and senior Mike Breidenbach will both see time at first base.

In the outfield, East Rockaway has fleet-footed senior Joe Todero tracking the ball down in center, senior Mario Tierney in left, and the strong-armed Bashford in right. Bashford was 3-for-4 with two RBI in the second win over Malverne.

Vito likes the way the Rocks started the season. “We’ve been working hard on two-strike and two-out hitting,” he said. “The way we approach these situations can be the difference in the outcome of a game. The key is putting the ball in play, and putting pressure on the opponent’s defense. We have to stay focused, and try to make things happen at the plate. So far, we’ve been doing that pretty well.”