Rams find success on diamond

After struggling for the past few years in the highly competitive Nassau Class A baseball scene, West Hempstead moved into the Countywide Conference for 2014 with a rebuilding process in mind.

Bill Cloughessy, in his fourth season at the helm of the Rams, believes success on the diamond this spring will bode well for the future of the program. So far, he likes what he sees with five wins in six Countywide games and a 6-2 record overall.

“There’s a positive vibe around the team,” Cloughessy said. “We’ve got a good group of seniors and more depth than we’ve had the past few years. We need some success if we’re going to create more interest in the program. Our JV team is also off to a pretty good start, so we’re pleased.”

The Rams won four straight, including a sweep of Roosevelt, before falling to New Hyde Park in a non-league game on April 9, 9-4. No. 1 starter, senior Hardvis Batista, worked the first four innings and struck out seven but also issued six walks and was lifted after reaching triple digits in pitches. “It was a good test,” Cloughessy said. “We were tied 4-4 before we fell apart in the last few innings.

Batista, who pitched a gem April 1 against Roosevelt when he allowed just one hit and fanned eight in a 6-1 win, kept his hot bat going against New Hyde Park with a pair of RBIs to up his team-leading total on the year to 14. He’s batting .357 through eight games. “Hardvis has a strong arm and a solid bat,” Cloughessy said. “We count on him a lot.”

The staff and offense took a hit a few weeks ago when senior Yoldalyn Canela-Vargas suffered what could prove to be a season-ending injury. A collision in the infield left the team’s starting catcher and No. 3 pitcher with a slight fracture in a vertebrae. He is hitting .400.

Senior southpaw Andrew Cunningham will take over Canela-Vargas’ workload on the mound, and junior Tyler Montick assumes the full-time catcher role. Cunningham has pitched well in relief, Cloughessy said.

Senior Charles Smith, the No. 2 starter and a third baseman, was sharp in his most recent outing after struggling with command early in the campaign. He went six strong innings in an 11-2 win over Roosevelt on April 3 and got offensive support from senior leadoff hitter James Valerio, who went 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Valerio is 11-for-33 on the year.

“We still have a ways to go,” Cloughessy said. “I want to see us finish as strong as we’ve started.”