Wantagh captures conference crown

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Wantagh softball has achieved quite the turnaround season.

A year after a 5-11 campaign, the Lady Warriors went undefeated in league play this spring to win the Conference ABC-III title. Head coach Christine Moran, who returned after a one-year absence, noticed a determination from her players right from the start to improve.

“They wanted a better season after last season and they put in the work for it,” Moran said. “They are a very hard-working group of kids.”

The battery of junior pitcher Haley Monahan and senior catcher Julie Van O’Linda has led Wantagh’s rebound. Monahan has recorded 11 wins including a no-hitter with 16 strikeouts in a 6-0 victory against Valley Stream South on April 21. “Haley has been amazing,” Moran said of Monahan, who is also one of the team’s top hitters. “She is a rock on the mound.”

Van O’Linda has been major part of the dominant pitching from Monahan and has a strong arm that prevents runners from advancing. She has also been a force with the bat including a 3-for-4 performance with a home run in an 11-4 win against Manhasset to close the regular season on May 5.

Van O’Linda’s younger sister Emily has paced Wantagh’s offense as a seventh grader in the leadoff spot. She came up clutch with a two-run double when Wantagh was down to its last out in a dramatic 8-7 win versus South Side on April 25. “She sets the tone for us,” Moran said of Emily O’Linda. “She is on base about 90 percent of the time.”

Eighth grader Nalani O’Brien (second base) has also sparked Wantagh’s offense in the number two spot. Senior Julia Guida has stepped up in her last season with the Lady Warriors and registered six RBIs in a 15-2 blowout of Carle Place on April 26. Moran has also been impressed with Guida’s glove in center field. “She is like a vacuum in the outfield,” Moran said of Guida. “She runs the show out there.”

Moran credits new assistant coach Chris Pellman as being a key component for Wantagh’s success. “He knows the game and we have similar coaching philosophies,” Moran said. “The kids love him.”

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