Thursday, October 1, 2026
Could the third time be the charm for MacArthur softball?
The Generals have suffered back-to-back heartbreak in the Nassau County Class AA finals, falling to Bellmore JFK in 2024 and Glen Cove last spring. Despite a 7-11 record in Conference 1 last season, MacArthur battled its way to one of Long Island’s biggest stages.
Now, with junior pitcher Alexandra Livanos leading the way, the Generals are aiming to finish the job.
“We had five senior starters,” said coach Bobby Fehrenbach. “Our pitcher, Livanos, has been starting since ninth grade. She’s not a big strikeout pitcher, but she battles and works, and we try to make plays behind her. Offensively, we just try to put the ball in play and see what happens.
“We won the first game [of the county finals] in extras, got no-hit in the second, and then had a 1-0 lead late in the third game. They scored late, and we stranded a runner, and that was it,” he explained.
Livanos has been the heartbeat of the program, striking out 115 batters across 11 wins last season while also contributing at the plate with a .315 batting average.
While MacArthur returns its ace, and the roster features significant turnover, a small core of two upperclassmen and one lowerclassman joins Livanos.
“[Senior] Brianna Almanzar is at third, [senior] Gianna Spaventa moves from left to center, and [sophomore] Alyssa Tinucci moves from the outfield to shortstop,” Fehrenbach said. “We lost catcher, first, second, short and center.”
Those positions usually hold key leadership roles. Almanzar and Spaventa, along with the rest of the seniors, will fulfill leadership roles.
From an offensive standpoint, Fehrenbach loves making the opposing defense make a play. It’s all about contact for the Generals.
“Tinucci is our fastest kid and leads off,” Fehrenbach said. “Spaventa is a lefty hitting second who can bunt or drive the ball. That creates pressure on the defense. From there, it’s about putting the ball in play and adjusting based on what teams give us.”
Young talent has surged early for MacArthur. Sophomore first baseman Ashley Powers and Tinucci have displayed some power early on. Sophomore Olivia Macken, who will be in left field, offers some balance to the lineup as well. Freshman Bella Santoro, who will start at second, has also shown some power at the dish. Fehrenbach added, “The young kids are pretty good.”
Junior Danielle Giordano will be behind the plate as the new starting catcher.
It might be a young group, but Fehrenbach believes in his group and the identity they’ll have, despite the lack of overall experience.
“It’ll come around, just going to take a little bit,” Fehrenbach said. “[We want to] play hard, be mentally focused and never give up. We want to be competitive every game. Even if we’re down late, we’re going to keep battling. That mindset carries into the playoffs, believing we can come back and win.”
The Generals travel to face Conference I newcomer Calhoun this Saturday at 10 a.m.
