Sports

Palmeri leads reloaded Stanners in quest to repeat

Maria Palmeri has plenty falling on her shoulders so early in her high school career.

The sophomore has to move from a blossoming freshman to one of the Archbishop Molloy softball team’s leaders, its ace pitcher and cleanup hitter. Add to that she is replacing Janelle Boyd, one of the program’s most dominant and vocal players in each of those roles.

It’s a task, though one Palmeri is eager to accept.

“It’s a good opportunity to show what I really can do and how much I’ve improved,” she said.

Palmeri emerged as the unquestioned No. 2 pitcher behind Boyd as the Stanners went 16-2, won the Brooklyn/Queens championship and lost to St. Joseph by the Sea in the CHSAA state semifinals. She displayed a speed, control, poise and competitive drive that are rare in a freshman. She also owned the highest batting average on the team and showed a slick glove. This season, Palmeri will move from first base to third, a position she said played the majority of the time before high school.

“She is a little bit nervous because she feels she has to live in Janelle’s foot steps from last year,” Molloy coach Maureen Rosenbaum said. “However she has the potential to be even stronger than her because she is young and so strong right now.”

Palmeri is one of four returning regulars from last year’s team, which, along with Boyd, lost shortstop and leadoff hitter Anniela Vaccaro, who is now at Monmouth. Back is senior second baseman Julia Lipovac, junior Melissa Kump, who will move to shortstop, and junior centerfield Jen DeMaria. Senior Sabina DiLorenzo will work at both third base and the outfield and junior Joanna Makayan will see time in right.

“She has been the most reliable player that I’ve had over the years,” Rosenbaum said of Lipovac, who is also in the running with a number of players to catch. “She is my filler. … I just used her where I needed her to make my puzzle work.”

Finding the way to make the new pieces fit is part of her task this season. DeMaria, who came on strong last season, will be Molloy’s slap and speed hitter at the top of the order and has tremendous range in the outfield. Kump and Lipovac will round out the top and Rosenbaum envisions sophomore Dana Moss playing first base and hitting behind Palmeri.

“I think everyone can rely on her to field the ball and on the bunt she is one of the most aggressive players to get that ball,” Lipovac said of Moss.

Moss is one of the talented players moving up from a JV team that won the Brooklyn/Queens title. Their staff ace, Victoria Goldbach, a sophomore, could find herself behind Palmeri in the rotation. Junior Marissa Puzino will likely platoon with Kump, who can also pitch, at shortstop and junior Jackie Perillo can play first base. It leaves Molloy feeling that it can repeat as league champion.

“You want the players to have that experience in the big games, in the playoff games.” Lipovac said. “You don’t want them to feel the pressure.”

Expectations are something Palmeri fully understands. But her confidence has carried over and Rosenbaum said you can see a level of increased maturity in her, its give her the drive to not rest on her fine freshman campaign.

“If you are successful in your beginning years you have already taken some of that pressure off you,” Palmeri said. … “[But] you still feel like you have to reprove yourself. It’s just human nature. You always feel like you have to do better next year.”