Thursday, October 1, 2026
Seaford softball knows it boasts a strong offense, supported by some good arms in the circle, according to coach Joe Nastasi who’s Vikings have captured back-to-back county championships.
A senior-led staff helps with that, starting with Skylar Secondino, a crucial part of the pitching staff. “[Secondino] is really going to take the brunt of the load and has been the backbone of the team the past few years,” he said.
On the other side of the same coin is a highly talented freshman pitcher in Rylie Betz. “She does not play like [a freshman], she plays like she’s older than she is,” Nastasi said. “Definitely a threat in the circle as well.”
Lastly, junior Lauren LoPresti is one of the top performers among the pitching staff that [coach] boasted about as well. “LoPresti has thrown an competed at a high level for the last three years, and we know that when called upon she will execute as well,” Nastasi said.
Overall, what sets his pitchers apart is his team’s ability to deal with adversity.
“To fight and battle back; we’re never out of a fight, we’re never out of anything, a game is never over until we’re off those lines,” Nastasi said.
Seaford’s biggest asset is the fact the pitchers all throw different pitches, and have unique methodologies from inside the circle.
“They’re all different style pitchers that bring a little bit of a different looks and aspect into the game,” he said. “They balance each other out very well in my opinion, I think they’re a formidable group.”
There’s a couple of batters that have been key to the team’s success, seniors Katie Young (catcher), Kaitlyn Young, Secondino (she’s more than just a pitcher), as well as freshman Betz (also more than just a pitcher). Betz leads all of Nassau in home runs with five so far.
Seniors Alyssa Rodriguez and Shannon McClernon, with junior LoPresti are noted as huge parts of the team’s offense this year according to Nastasi.
“It’s a great thing for me this year, but it’s really not us leaning on a single player or two or three to carry us,” Nastasi said. “Everybody is very tough across the board and can produce who’s ever in the lineup.”
The Vikings have a target on their backs after winning consecutive county titles. They took Class B in 2023 and Class A last spring.
“Out of the 16 girls on the team, 10 of them are seniors so there’s a lot of experience as far playing in Nassau County championship games the last three years,” he said. “We’re never out of the fight, no matter who we see in the circle.”
How this all blends together is the fact that Nastasi sees plenty of mentoring to go around in the program, whether it’s a form of hands on teaching from an upperclassman to a lower classman, or a lead-by-example situation. All in all, the traditions of the program are getting passed along.
