The Arts & Business baseball program hasn’t just gone from worst to first. The Bulls were worse than that.
After the freshmen-heavy club finished last in Queens B North in 2007 with a 1-15 record that included a 30-0 loss to Frank Sinatra, Arts & Business was sent to the developmental level, to compete against programs just getting started.
“They took it as a slap in the face,” sixth-year coach Michael Cohen recalled.
The Bulls have responded with a fury, going 7-1 in that one Developmental season, 7-9 last spring, and are now sit atop Queens B North with a 6-1 mark. Those inexperienced freshmen have matured into experienced seniors, such as left-handed ace and left fielder Irvin Gomez and catcher James Marte. The addition of hot-shot freshman shortstop Donicio Rodriguez (.381 avg, 9 RBIs) has also added to the mix.
“The games we lost last year, we’re not losing this year,” Cohen said. “The guys worked really hard. I’m looking at totally different players.”
Back from year off, Reingold hopes to lead Riverdale/Kingsbridge past semifinals: Riverdale/Kingsbridge hardly missed a step last year when coach John Reingold took a leave of absence to get married, and the Tigers haven’t missed much since he returned, either.
They are off to a 7-0 start in Bronx B North, well on their way to repeating as division champions despite graduating five integral seniors, including standout Justin Santiago. The veterans have been replaced by a group of newcomers, led by blue-chip freshman Sage Cheren, a hard-hitting centerfielder.
Sophomore left-hander Jason Araujo, nicknamed “C.C.” because of his likeness to New York Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia, has made an immediate impact, along with third baseman Brian Suarez, who saw little playing time a year ago. Araujo threw a two-hit shutout in an impressive 8-0 shutout of Smith last week while Cheren homered and drove in two runs.
Those newcomers mesh well with returning senior ace and shortstop Stefan Sunda, who has gotten off to a hot start with the bat, hitting .500 with seven RBIs, and going 2-0 on the hill.
“I know some coaches aren’t a big believer in chemistry, but I am a huge believer in it,” Reingold said. “This is probably the most cohesive group we’ve had. The kids love playing with each other. There is camaradeira. … In the end, you need the horses, and we definitely have those.”
Defending champs off to quick start: Health Profession won its first baseball city title of any kind last June on the strength of Michael Corona’s right arm. Lost in the euphoria of the championship victory was the play of the Romano brothers, Paul and Ivan.
This spring, the two are picking up where Corona left off, leading the Vipers to a 5-1 record in Manhattan B South. Ivan Romano, a middle infielder, is hitting .333 with six runs batted in and four stolen bases. His brother, Paul, who plays four positions – pitcher, catcher, third base, and first base – has driven in a Manhattan B South-leading 11 runs, scored himself seven times, and has picked up a victory on the mound.
So while the Vipers may not have that stud right-hander any longer, the Romano brothers have them in contention yet again.
Sensational sophomores lead Juan Morel Campos: Through seven league games, Juan Morel Campos has been impressive, winning each of its games by at least seven runs. Even more impressively, the Cougars have just four seniors and one junior on their roster.
That’s OK, because Juan Morel Campos has three dynamic underclassmen – sophomores Kelvin Rodriguez and Jose Villar and freshman Jonathan Rodriguez. The three infielders have combined to drive in 31 runs and score 26 runs. Rodriguez is batting .444 to lead the Cougars, who have scored at least nine runs every time out. So much for needing veteran leadership.