Girls Softball Preview New Floyd Coach A Fortunate Guy:

By Gregg Sarra. STAFF WRITER. Newsday, Combined editions; Long Island, N.Y. [Long Island, N.Y]. 23 Mar 1993

Outgoing Floyd softball coach Donna Lauria, who left the Colonials to take the job at SUNY-Stony Brook, handed incoming coach George Forstel quite a mixture of veterans and newcomers for the 1993 girls softball season.

And the beauty of it is Forstel inherited a program that he’s very familiar with. He was the junior varsity coach at Floyd for the past six years. Knowing the players and having six starters back should make the transition from JV to varsity a smooth one – and it could be enough to get Floyd back to the county championship. The Colonials won the county title in 1991.

“I’m very excited to finally be a head coach at the varsity level in this district,” said Forstel, who’s coached at Floyd for 20 years. “I feel comfortable in the League I setting, having been a part of it for so long. It’s the challenge I’ve waited for.”

Forstel, a 20-year football assistant, also coached junior varsity baseball for 10 years. But this will be his first test as a true varsity head coach.

“I know how tough the league is,” he said. “But we have a decent nucleus returning and a couple of defensive players from my JV. We still have a few holes and the snow is hampering our efforts to get outside and find the right combinations.”

Forstel will look to senior ace Tracie Schratwieser and shortstop Liz Jennings to lead the Colonials. Schratwieser recorded 13 wins last year and Jennings was the key to the offense.

Most coaches believe Floyd is strong, but Bay Shore is the team to beat and Hauppauge and Connetquot are not far behind.

“Floyd is strong enough to win our league,” said Patchogue-Medford coach Paula Lindsay. “But Bay Shore and Hauppauge are going to be tough to beat in Class A.”

Lindsay’s team, the Class A titlist, will find it tough to defend that crown successfully as seven starters graduated and junior outfielder Jean Egan was deemed ineligible for her senior year because of age restrictions.

So Patchogue-Medford will rely on pitcher Beth Zukowski, a 12-game winner in the Red Raiders’ drive to the A title last year. Patchogue was denied the overall team title when Class C champion Hampton Bays defeated the Red Raiders, 3-1, as senior Kim Tuffy outpitched Zukowski.

It was Hampton Bay’s second county title, having won the crown in 1986 with a 5-3 win over Sachem. But even the Lady Baymen will be hard pressed to repeat that effort. Tuffy and four other starters graduated.

“We hope to have a competitive season,” said Hampton Bays coach Jeanne Polan. “We have five new players that have to learn quickly what the varsity is all about. Our preseason schedule is loaded and that should get us ready for our league.”

That league is League VII, one the Lady Baymen have won seven consecutive years. Behind the pitching of returning juniors Diane Hutchison and Kristin Wetterhahn and three-year varsity players in catcher Lauren Reale and shortstop Christine Mancuso, the Lady Baymen look to be the favorite in league play.

Shoreham-Wading River, the Class B Long Island champion, should improve on last year’s third-place finish in League VI with the return of All-County junior pitcher Keri Bettenhauser and leadoff hitter and All-County catcher Dhani Chinalai. If coach Judy Conwell has her way, the fate of the Wildcats will be in their hands.

“They’re experienced and they run the defensive show,” Conwell said. “Chinalai calls the pitches with Bettenhauser and sets the defensive alignment.”

Experience will play a major role in Hauppauge’s push toward another League IV title, a title it won on the final day of last season with a victory over West Babylon. The Eagles are solid with seven starters back, including All-County pitcher Stacey Waite and seniors Dara Hansen (third base) and Keri Irwin (second base).

West Babylon and pitching ace Tammy McGurk will be the chief competition for the Eagles. Newfield, Deer Park and Riverhead move into League IV, and although none of the three has been a traditional softball powerhouse, that unknown factor leaves Hauppauge coach Ray Arent cautious.

“You never know where those programs are at,” Arent said. “We could be in for a surprise.”

Another team that dropped into a new league was Connetquot, which joined League II. The Thunderbirds’ move threatens to end Commack’s three-year reign in a league coaches agree was balanced.

“They {Connetquot} were always one of the top teams in League I and now they drop down into our league,” said Commack coach Ken Passante. “That will break up the parity we had with Northport, Lindenhurst and Centereach. Whenever you bring a pitcher like {Melissa} Byrne into a new league, they obviously become the team to beat.”

Byrne was rated Suffolk’s pitcher of the year the past two years by the coaches association.

At Bay Shore, coach Jim McGowan is well aware of the preseason hype his League III team is getting.

“I know people are telling us we’re the team to beat,” he said. “But we’re still starting four sophomores and a freshman.”

Among the returnees are sophomores Karen Dromerhauser and Allyson Johnson and senior Mary Perssons. Dromerhauser, who had 50 RBI, and Johnson, who batted a county-high .639, lead an experienced team. Perssons hasn’t been beaten in 18 straight games and all-conference third baseman Jenn Hulse and second baseman Liza Fernandez (.442) are back.

“We have some fine talent,” said Bellport coach Chris Baumann. “But we’ll need a few bounces to go our way to beat Bay Shore.”

Baumann has juniors Keri McDermott, a .620 hitter, and Lisa Repper, a .548 hitter with 17 extra-base hits.

“It’ll be tough,” he said. “We had three losses in league last year – and they were all to Bay Shore.” Players to Watch Keri Bettenhauser, S-WR, P, Jr. Three-year All-County selection . . . Batted .415 . . . Nine homers, 35 RBI . . . Led Wildcats to LI Class B title with two-run triple for 3-2 win over MacArthur.

Beth Crimi, Longwood, C, Jr. All-County . . . Batted .419, five homers, 23 RBI . . . Threw out 9 of 11 base-stealers . . . “Her reputation precedes her behind the plate,” said Longwood coach Bill Anderson. “Very rarely does a player try to steal against us.”

Melissa Byrne, Connetquot, P, Sr. Highest-rated pitcher in county past two years . . . All-County righthander with 9-4 record, two no-hitters and five one-hitters last year . . . Allowed nine earned runs in 84 innings . . . Had 126 strikeouts, 29 walks, 32 hits, 0.74 ERA.

Karen Dromerhauser Bay Shore, C, So. Only second player ever picked All-State as a freshman . . . Voted rookie of the year . . . Led county with 50 RBI and nine homers . . . Batted .550.

Keri McDermott, Bellport, SS, Jr. Coach Chris Baumann calls her “my field general. She’s an assistant coach on the field.” . . . Slick-fielding infielder with excellent lateral range . . . Batted .620, six homers, 32 RBI . . . All-County. June Moloney, Commack, C, Jr. Key player for League II champion . . . All-County, hit .549, .629 on-base percentage, 22 stolen bases, 32 RBI . . . Strong throwing arm . . . Will move to catcher from third base.

Karen Mulligan Connetquot, SS, Soph. All-County . . . Batted .452, 13 extra-base hits . . . All-around athlete, tremendous range, able to throw runners out from the hole . . . May move to catcher.

Liz Jennings, Floyd, SS, Sr. All-County . . . Led Colonials with six homers, .456 average, 33 RBI . . . Five-year varsity starter.

Allyson Johnson, Bay Shore, SS, So. First eighth-grader in Bay Shore program . . . Led county in hitting at .639, 8 homers, 46 RBI . . . All-County . . . “Arguably the best two-way player in the county,” said coach Jim McGowan.

Mary Perssons, Bay Shore, P, Sr. All-County switch hitter, .530 average . . . 18-0 record over two years, three no-hitters, one one-hitter and four two-hitters . . . ERA of 1.03 . . . Averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game.

Lauren Reale, Hampton Bays, C, Sr. Signal-caller for 25-2 team that won overall county title . . . Three-year starter . . . All-Conference . . . Batted .432 with power . . . Gunned down 8 of 10 base-stealers.

Lisa Repper, Bellport, C, Jr. One of the premier power hitters in Suffolk . . . All-County selection, team captain . . . Batted .548 with 17 extra-base hits, including seven homers, three triples, 38 RBI . . . Two-time team MVP. Stacey Waite, Hauppauge, P, Soph. All-County performer recorded a 20-3 pitching record . . . Had four no-hitters to go with the three she had as an eighth-grader . . . Struck out 149 batters, walked 48, six shutouts, 1.43 ERA.

Beth Zukowski, P-M, P, Sr. Control pitcher with a 12-2 record . . . Ground-ball pitcher . . . All-County selection.

Half Hollow Hills 19, Longwood 16

Half Hollow Hills scored three runs on a throwing error in the top of the eighth inning in a 19-16 win over Longwood. With the bases loaded and one out, Longwood pitcher Amy Catona fielded a comebacker by Melanie Anderson and threw home for a forceout. Catcher Beth Crimi tried to double up Anderson at first, but her throw went into rightfield and Anderson came around to score. Half Hollow Hills trailed 16-9 before scoring seven runs in the top of the seventh inning, keyed by Samara Friedman’s three-run triple, to tie the score. Crimi had two homers and seven RBI for Longwood. April 16

Patchogue-Medford 13, Longwood 4. Leading 6-4, Patchogue-Medford scored seven runs in the seventh, keyed by Alison Kuehne’s three-run homer. Beth Zukowski struck out eight for the complete game. WP – Zukowski. LP – Pennino. HR – Kuehne (PM), Sisco (PM). April 21

Sachem 12, Longwood 0. Chrissy Wolf threw a one-hitter, walked none and struck out six. Longwood‘s Beth Crimi singled with two out in the first. WP – Wolf. LP – Pennino. April 28

Sachem 4, Longwood 1. Trisha Pearson threw a sixhitter and struck out eight for Sachem. WP – Pearson. LP – Pennino. April 30

Sandy Seubert pitched a one-hitter and struck out six in her first varsity start as Patchogue-Medford shut out Longwood, 8-0, in a League I game. Brittnay Weis got the lone Longwood hit, a one-out single in the first inning. Alison Kuehne gave Seubert all the support she needed with a three-run homer in the first inning . May 1

In another League I game, Stephanie Bauer (5-for-6), Theresa LaFroscia (5-for-6) and Stephanie Jurkowski (4-for-6) totaled 14 of Brentwood’s 23 hits in a 20-5 victory over Longwood. LaFroscia had a two-run triple and scored in Brentwood’s six-run third. Jurkowski also homered. Hazel Zigrest was the winning pitcher and Aimee Katona took the loss. – May 5

Brentwood 19, Longwood 10. Kathy Devine had a two-run single to tie the score at 10 and Stephanie Jurkowski’s two-run double gave Brentwood a 12-10 lead as it erased a 10-5 deficit with eight runs in the fifth. Longwood led 8-0 after two innings. WP – Morrissey. LP – Penninno. HR – Weiss (L). May 7

Tracie Schratwieser pitched a five-hitter and struck out six as first-place Floyd downed Longwood, 14-0, in a League I game. Teammate Dana Deshler went 2-for-3 with a home run, double and three RBI. Stephanie Pennino took the loss. May 18