Thursday, October 1, 2026
Elmont baseball and softball previews
Spartans undergo youth movement
Elmont is hoping a fresh crop will lead to greener pastures – even as questions remain as to the timeframe of a harvest.
Coming off back-to-back 5-win campaigns, the Spartans return to the newly-expanded Nassau Countywide Conference with a sophomore-heavy squad led by a small cadre of experienced upperclassmen.
And though it has been something like a generation since Elmont held frontrunner status in its conference, fourth-year Spartans coach Ed McCormack is not unconvinced that the seeds of resurgence are sown.
"We've got sophomores who will be under the leadership of our two seniors," McCormack said. "These kids will be our mainstays the next three years; there's big stuff ahead. The seniors have embraced the idea that it's a new regime coming up. But even now I think they're ready to compete."
A third-year varsity starter, team co-captain Mohmmad Arif is the Spartans' dean and centerpiece. The left-throwing, right-batting senior will head Elmont's starting rotation, and will switch from his customary left field to start at first base. Senior co-captain Damien Rubio starts at second base and gives Elmont's bullpen right-handed depth.
Sophomores round out the Spartans infield, with Cameron Patterson at shortstop, Andrew Peguero – also a starting righty – at third, and speedy Antonio Marcello, who is penciled in at leadoff, taking over behind the dish.
"Antonio might even pitch in an emergency," McCormack said. "He gives us good wheels at the top of the order."
Another leadoff option for Elmont is fleet-footed junior Dante Lewis, the Spartans' JV captain last year who is slated to start in left field. Junior Evan Balafortune is projected to start in right field, while sophomores Ricardo Fortuna – Elmont's number three hurler – and Angel Vargas, currently a backup catcher, also figure in the outfield mix.
McCormack said Roosevelt and Uniondale remain the teams to beat in Countywide. "I think we're on the right track to climbing up the standings," McCormack said. "If we minimize mistakes we'll be competitive in this league, looking ahead to moving up out of the conference."
Lady Spartans eye more success
Doubling its wins from a season earlier, Elmont went 8-4 in ABC-V last year – 10-4 overall – to wind up a game behind first-place finishers Malverne and North Shore, narrowly missing the playoffs.
In no small measure, the Lady Spartans' turnaround derived from a pair of breakthrough performances, namely pitcher Kimberly Rodriguez's 10-3 showing as a freshman, and the 2-homer, .620 offensive eruption that made shortstop Akemi Shard, now a junior, an all-conference honoree.
Both young Elmont stars are returning, with a host of mostly young but mainly proven talent throughout the lineup – a state of affairs Lady Spartans coach John Squillace sees as cause for the highest optimism. The 13th-year Elmont skipper was moved even to (almost) make big predictions.
"Some records might be broken this year," Squillace said. "Akemi could bat .800. Kimberly has even more pop on her fastball and is working on a riser and changeup. We're very excited about her 10thgrade campaign."
Rodriguez will be tossing to a trusty target in junior returning starter Eloni Peralta, whose steady play at catcher and reliable bat – pivotal factors in last year's run at the title – will once again be counted on, Squillace said.
The coach elaborated: "Eloni was tremendous behind the plate as a 10thgrader. She's a safety net who keeps everything in front of her. We're looking forward to more of her glove and bat."
Seniors Ericana Thompson, a first-year starter at first base, and Andrea Ayala, a third-year starter at second, will man Elmont's infield with junior Gigi Faison returning from a one-year hiatus to reclaim her starting job at second.
Aside from second-year starting sophomore Ambar Naar in left, Elmont's outfield is yet unsettled. Four seniors in contention for the open slots are Rashay Thomas, Natasha Torres, Stephanie Gutierrez, and Reign Worrel.
Returning to ABC-V, Squillace expects no let-up by the aforementioned conference leaders, and states no program can be overlooked. "But if we keep our winning attitude," Squillace began. "I believe we can improve on our success."
