NYPost.com softball beat writer Marc Raimondi breaks down the NYSAISAA softball tournament, which begins in earnest with the quarterfinals Sunday.
SCHEDULE
(All start times at 11 a.m.)
No. 9 Long Island Lutheran vs. No. 1 Fieldston @ Lehman College
No. 10 Friends Seminary @ No. 2 Poly Prep
No. 6 Dalton @ No. 3 Holy Child
No. 5 Horace Mann vs. No. 4 Riverdale @ SUNY Purchase
FAVORITES
Fieldston
The Eagles are the top seed and have the best position player in the city in Princeton-bound shortstop/pitcher Kate Miller. They have also received contributions from players like Marissa Rackson and Carolyn Susman. Though they slipped up late against Riverdale, they remain the favorite here.
Poly Prep
Poly shared the Ivy League title with Fieldston, splitting two games with the Eagles in the regular season. Ciara Schirripa has been gutty on the mound and Jacquie Kennedy is one of the best athletes in this draw. The Blue Devils are looking to extend their record streak to seven NYSAISAA titles.
Holy Child
Molly Leitner has had a great year in the circle and at the plate and Holy Child has an impressive résumé, including wins over Poly Prep and Horace Mann. The Panthers are young – they have four freshman in the starting lineup. So if they don’t win this year, they will be a problem in the future.
CONTENDERS
Riverdale
In the preseason, coach Sue Fleming said her team was the one to beat with so many players returning from last season. It didn’t quite turn out that way for the Falcons, led by co-aces Nicole Cornet and Madison Kahn. They did beat Horace Mann and played spoiler against Fieldston late in the season, too.
Horace Mann
Injuries and a variety of other issues harpooned what coach Ray Barile expected to be a big season. Horace Mann, which won the Ivy League title last year and lost in the NYSAISAA final, can still make a run, though, if ace Mia Farinelli is on. Jamie Gropper has been incredible at the plate and Cara Annunziata has come on lately.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
P Nicole Cornet, Riverdale
The senior windmiller has a chance to do something Riverdale hasn’t done in her career: make a deep run in the NYSAISAA tournament. She should be at the forefront with her experience and craftiness in the circle.
CF Sara Land, Horace Mann
After graduating center fielder and leadoff hitter Clara Hill, Land has been a godsend for Horace Mann in those roles. She skipped a year of softball to run track, but that speed has been a major key to the Lions’ success this year.
P Molly Leitner, Holy Child
Arguably the top pitcher in this draw, Leitner has been a strikeout machine at times for Holy Child. The windmiller, though, is just a freshman and it’ll be interesting to see how she deals with the pressure of elimination games.
P/SS Kate Miller, Fieldston
The best player in this tournament – and in New York City – will be in the middle of the lineup and in the circle for Fieldston. The Princeton-bound star is almost impossible to get out at times and just does every single thing well on the field.
P Ciara Schirripa, Poly Prep
Before this season, she was known simply as the daughter of Sopranos star Steve Schirripa, but that is no longer the case. After an injury sidelined her as a freshman, Ciara has come on as Poly’s ace en route to a share of the Ivy title.