Fox Lane hosts John Jay with new faces on the diamond

Clockwise from top left, Gavin Mammola scores a run for Fox Lane in scrimmage against John Jay. Senior Jacob Storch is a four-year varsity starter for John Jay. John Jay’s Luke Fisch tries to tag Max Polinsky of Fox Lane at second. Jackson Carroll returns as the ace on the mound for Fox Lane. Sean Singleton is a returning starter from the Foxes championship team last spring. Jackson Moreo fires to the plate for John Jay. Jim MacLean photos.

By JIM MACLEAN 

It was a cold day for baseball, but that didn’t stop Fox Lane from hosting rival John Jay on the diamond March 17 for a scrimmage as the two teams got ready to start the upcoming varsity baseball season.

Both are coming off big years, and both have a lot of new faces on the field after graduating almost their entire starting lineups.

Fox Lane won the Section 1 Class AA championship last season and advanced to the New York state championship game with a senior class that had put together an impressive career on the diamond for the Foxes.

The Foxes do have their ace starting pitcher returning in junior Jackson Carroll, but just one starting position player is back for the Foxes. However, coach Matt Hillis returns and he knows he has a lot of newcomers who are ready to carry on the Fox Lane tradition.

“These kids have been waiting for their chance,” Hillis said of his Fox Lane lineup. “Obviously, those kids last year had been starting since they were sophomores, a lot of these kids were on varsity watching them, so now it’s their turn and they’re itching to go. They’re fully aware of our expectations and they’re working their butts off every single day, and they’re ready.”

It’s a tough act to follow. Nine of the seniors from last year are now playing in college after putting together one of the best seasons in Fox Lane history winning the Section 1 title and advancing to the state championship game. It helps to have Carroll back on the mound as he emerged as the ace on the mound last year for the Foxes and he will be one of the top pitchers in the Section. He is not the only one returning with experience on the mound as the Foxes have several capable arms to compete for another title.

In the field, senior Sean Singleton was a starter in the outfield last year on the championship team and he is the only returning starter this year for the Foxes.

“Jackson has been looking great, he’ll take the mound as our ace and if he can do what he did last year, we’ll be pretty happy,” Hillis said of Carroll. “Singleton is the only one returning with a significant amount of at bats last year and he’s looking really good at the plate.

Other returning players who were on the varsity last season and Hillis expects to take on bigger roles this year include Janak Bain in the outfield, catcher Jono Diorio, infielder Jake Katz, and first baseman Andrew Brauning. They are not the only ones as the Foxes have a deep bench with a lot of players competing for starting roles.

“Jono is at catcher and he does a really good job receiving and is a plus thrower, so we’re confident he can assume the catching duties,” Hillis said of Diorio. “Janak Bain should anchor center field. Andrew Brauning and Jake Katz and a ton of new comers and a lot of new faces, hopefully similar results.”

Fox Lane was set to open the season at home Wednesday, March 25, as the Foxes host rival Horace Greeley. Hillis knows everyone will be out to beat the defending champs and the Foxes will see the best from every opponent, and he believes his squad is ready for the challenge.

“Always high expectations. Rye has moved up to our class and they were in the state final four last year. Mahopac played us in the finals and they return a lot of players. Clarkstown North has some studs on the mound and they’re going to be good. We just have to get out there and battle every game.”

John Jay newcomers ready for varsity challenge

There were a lot of new faces on the John Jay varsity roster as well, and not as many of them as the Wolves came to Fox Lane for the scrimmage.

Last year, John Jay had a senior lineup lead them to the Section 1 Class A semifinals, but just about everybody from that lineup has graduated and now it’s time for newcomers to step up into starting roles for coach Ted Lawrence.

Lawrence is entering his fourth year at the helm for John Jay, and the Wolves have enjoyed three-straight seasons with deep runs in the playoffs. He hopes to make it four if the young squad can come together and finish strong. It didn’t help that the Wolves have not been able to use their home field due to the weather, as the chance to play on the Fox Lane turf field was the first time all spring that John Jay has been on a baseball field.

“At times last year we had seven or eight seniors on the field, now they’re gone,” Lawrence said. “We’ve got two seniors on the field, a few juniors, and the rest are sophomores, so we’re young. It’s a new season and we just have to get out there and play.”

It helps to have senior Jacob Storch back for his fourth season as a starter on varsity. Storch returns as the starting short stop for the Wolves, and he was their number two starter last season and will move into the ace role this year.

“Totally our leader, four-year starter, no doubt,” Lawrence said of Storch. “He’ll be our ace, our short stop, our lead off batter, so as he goes we go.”

After Storch, the only other returning starter for the Wolves is Jackson Moreo. He was the starting center fielder for the Wolves last year, and he will also be a starter on the mound as well this year.

Jack Garneau is another returning starter on the mound to give John Jay three solid arms on the top of the pitching rotation. Garneau will be the number two on the mound this year.

Lawrence is looking for senior Ben Kalish to move into a starting role this year, while Aidan Chernick will be starting in the outfield for the Wolves.

Senior Rob DiNapoli and sophomore Luca Maiuolo will be behind the plate handling the catching duties.

It adds up to a new lineup with a lot of young players battling for starting roles and playing time, but Lawrence feels it is a talented bunch ready for another big season.

“I like what I’ve seen so far,” Lawrence said after the scrimmage. “Today, we were a little sloppy, but it’s our first time out on a field. Fox Lane really swung the bats. It was good to see the boys out there with a chance to play on the turf. They’re working hard and getting better every day.”

John Jay was set to host Mahopac on Thursday, March 19, to open the season. The Wolves then face Pelham on the road on Saturday, and return home to host Byram Hills on Monday, March 23.