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Baseball: Summer leaves Guerin Prep looking forward to spring
Updated: September 3, 2012 12:39PM
RIVER GROVE — Despite having many games knocked off the schedule due to the brutal summer heat, Guerin’s baseball team was able to get a glimpse into what its team may look like next spring.
Guerin was only able to get in 10 regular-season games in before the playoffs started going 4-6 in that span. The Gators finished the season with a tough 20-7 loss on an extremely hot day at Lane Tech in the Fenwick Sectional play-in game on July 17, but had plenty of good things to remember from the summer campaign.
“It’s good to see kids play that you normally don’t see, and that’s mainly what it’s for,” said Guerin head coach Dan Mustari. “We try to work on things as see where guys are going to play and make sure they’re ready for varsity baseball if they aren’t already, and it’s a good time to see it. With the light schedule, it was tough to do that, but getting the kids out there together and get the camaraderie is nice. We’re looking forward to next year, and we’ll be young. We lost a few key guys, but the next couple of years we’ll try to make a run at it.”
The most memorable game of the summer came in late June when the Gators bested one of the better teams in the area, Nazareth, by a 5-2 score. In that contest, Anthony and Mike Marra each went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Mike recorded a two-run triple while also combining with Nick Crawford for a great performance on the mound.
Along with the Marras and Crawford continuing their good form from the spring season, Coach Mustari found a few others who showed well this summer and may fill some important holes next year. Gino Fasso had some time at shortstop, and his continued development will be vital as he vies to solidify that position after the graduation of team leader Tommy Kelly.
Mario Navarro showed well as a left-handed pitcher and outfielder while Connor Campbell looks to get some time at first base along with Dan Siman, who will look to pitch as well. Morris Vazquez can pitch with both hands and play the outfield. Ryan Donlan’s commitment in being at every single game after spending some time with the varsity at the end of last season may just have solidified his spot in right field.
“I tried to put kids in positions where they can help for next year,” Mustari said. “Some of the kids will end up on the sophomore level, but we’re just one team in the summer. I’m looking for a shortstop, and pitching some young kids to see what they had. The guys I know from last year, I’m not too worried about them. I know what I have with them, but the jump from sophomore to varsity is a big jump.”
