Overtime

Melissa Giordano said preseason honors could be viewed as either pressure or something to live up to.

The former Stamford High School star chose the latter path.

Giordano, the shortstop for Marist College, was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s Softball Player of the Year on Thursday.

Giordano earned the same honor in a preseason vote of league coaches.

“It’s not like I expected it to happen, but you hope it will happen,” Giordano said Thursday night.

Giordano led the MAAC in batting average (.429), hits (66), runs (42), doubles (19) and on-base percentage (.491). She finished with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.

Giordano set school single-season marks for batting average and doubles and is now first on Marist’s all-time list in batting average, hits and doubles.

The Red Foxes finished the season with a 16-33 mark.

“We are hosting the league tournament so I would rather still be playing, but this is nice,” Giordano said.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Returning captains Bobby Horn and Steve Rivera, who played a key role during the Westhill High School baseball team’s magical run to the CIAC Class LL championship last year, will take you along for the ride as the Vikings deal with the pressures of attempting to repeat.)

By Bobby Horn

It is something that we are used to, but as long as we come out on top, we don’t care what the score is. Three of our last six games have been very high scoring.

These games consisted of the win over St. Joseph by the score of 16-4. Two games later there was a sloppy win over Fairfield Warde, 16-14, and just recently an 11-10 thriller over Trumbull.

The Trumbull game really helped me realize why I love this game so much and why I chose to base my college decision not only on education, but also on the sport I love, which is baseball.

The game went back and forth. The thrilling home runs are what kept us in the game. Two of them came off the bat of Steve Rivera, who produced four RBIs in just the two at bats. Then there was Pat Muller, who hit a three-run home run to bring us back within one run in the bottom of the sixth, 9-8.

Each home run brought the excitement I love to feel in a tight game. Every time I saw the ball leave the bat heading deep toward the fence, I immediately started screaming, “Get out, get out of here.” That was followed by screaming and shouting between me and the entire team.

Nothing, however, was as exciting as the last inning at Westhill that day, as we were able to score three runs in the bottom of the seventh to give us the crucial 11-10 win that we truly needed.

The inning was nothing but nerves and trembling. I started off with a line out to the second baseman. After that, most teams would just give up after seeing their leadoff batter hit a hard ball and get unlucky.

Not us however. We were helped by an error by the second baseman, which put our first base runner on base. We then followed that with a walk, putting the tying run on first base. This was when I started to realize that our tying run was just three bases away.

I can remember my heart racing and head pounding, just thinking we needed one big hit, and we got it. Ryan Curto hit a ball that no one expected, a 400-foot bomb to left field. As soon as that ball was hit, I jumped onto the field, yelling, “Stay fair, stay fair.” The ball seemed to be in the air forever. I felt like everything was going in slow motion. As soon as it dropped, I saw the tying run rounding third and going home.

I immediately started jumping and screaming like I was a little boy in Little League, excited about a big comeback. Two intentional walks and a bloop hit later gave us the 11-10 win.

I again started jumping and screaming with my teammates, which brought back the memory of last year’s state championship win over Masuk. It was one of the greatest feelings in the world.

This game proved to me why this is the greatest sport ever. It is just like my Little League coach Tom White once told me, “Baseball has no time, the game is not over until the last out is recorded.”

We were able to prove this statement as we were able to get a one-out rally going to produce the three runs that gave us the win.

Games like these are the reason why we love to play this sport. Even though we would much rather win a game by a blowout every time, we will take a win no matter how it happens.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Fred Kelley was an assistant for Stamford High’s baseball team the last 20 years. Now, with the retirement of Bobby Augustyn, Kelley has taken over one of the city’s most storied programs. Kelley will share the ups and downs of being a first-year coach.)

By Fred Kelley

I have made so many new observations by sitting in the seat of a head coach for the first time. Some things are unchanging, and of course that refers to the great national past time, baseball.

The beauty of baseball is its unpredictability. The ace pitches on any given team, and the coach pencils in a win before the game is even played. Eight of the top pitchers in the FCIAC have been beaten already this year.

Teams that should win 90 percent of their games don’t, and teams with inexperience and no highly touted names win. As the playoff picture looms on the horizon, excitement permeates every contender.

The bottom line is you still have to play each game and anything can happen because nothing is preordained, especially in the competitive FCIAC. Remember the Rays of 2008.

Another observation is that being at the helm of any baseball program does not just relate to the varsity. If a freshmen game is cancelled or a junior varsity contest is not rescheduled, a good head coach must hear the ire of parents.

After all the games are for the players, and if they are cheated out of one because of inclement weather, it behooves me and others in charge to reschedule, but sometimes it is fiscally impossible in today’s economic climate. Parents and players, I do realize how important those games are for you as well as me.

Baseball fans, enjoy the next three weeks because it will be exciting as the countdown to the county and state playoffs wind down.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Sammi Nemchek is in her fourth-year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team. Her father, Mike, coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including his daughter. Sammi and Mike explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic.)

By Sammi Nemchek

Playing softball since I was seven, I’ve had the same glove for many years. This year I decided it was too small and I’d probably be better off with one that actually fit an 18-year-old’s sized hand. My dad tried convincing me otherwise but of course I always know best.

Unable to break it in before the season started, my teammates and I started calling it “the brick,” and of course my dad was right. Although this may seem like a pointless story, it was not until the other day that my dad brought it to my attention in an “I told you so” way that it hit me: our softball season was halfway done.

It is sad that we are at the midpoint already, but I am happy that this season has been a lot better for the team than I would have predicted.

We’ve had a number of positions in which their were big shoes to fill and I was nervous, however, our newcomers really stepped up and I would never doubt a player on the field. It took a little while to build confidence, but our team is now believing in one another’s abilities and our bats are waking up, which is allowing us to play to our full potential at a crucial part in the season.

It feels good to win games we were unexpected to, and I think it helped our team a lot too by being underdogs.

Games are being cancelled a lot lately because of the weather, to be made up later, and I could not be happier. As a senior I appreciate these rainouts because it keeps the season going that much longer. The year is winding down and I cannot imagine myself never playing a competitive sport for Trinity again.

The spring season is always the shortest, and each year the seasons seem to get shorter and shorter. I really would love to freeze time and slow it down.

Not only did our team’s success surprise me, but our academic achievement did as well. We recently figured out for a story in the Advocate that our team has a 3.7 grade point average. I never thought once about the grade point average of our team before it was brought to my attention, because it was not the reason we were all together. However, when I found out I was really proud to know that not only were we juggling a sport but also maintaining our grades.

Although it is always said “schoolwork first,” playing a sport can become very overwhelming.

I know my parents were really proud to read that article and the rest of the Trinity Catholic parents should be as well. It felt good to have adults come up to us and recognize our accomplishment. There are many other scholar-athletes out there that deserve to feel proud as well.

Silas Redd, King’s heavily recruited junior running back, ended months of speculation Sunday morning when he gave a verbal commitment to attend Penn State in the fall of 2010.

It is the realization of a long-held dream, Redd said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon.

“I’ve wanted to go there since I was 7 years old,” Redd said. “My dad got me into watching them and it became like a tradition. One of my Pop Warner coaches went there and I guess it just stuck in my head.”

Redd, who rushed for 1,350 yards and scored 13 touchdowns in leading the Vikings to a 9-1 record last fall, attended the Nike Football Training Camp at Penn State over the weekend. He said he left Norwalk, where he lives, with the intention of announcing his decision, but first wanted to meet with Joe Paterno, the Nittany Lions’ coach.

The two met Sunday morning at 8. A half hour later, Redd had made his commitment.

“I wanted to spend one on one time with Coach Paterno,” Redd said. “I didn’t want to say anything without him first knowing.”

Redd is the second King player to commit to a major Division I program. Kevin Pierre-Louis, a junior linebacker, previously announced his intention to attend Boston College.

“How often does this happen?” said Tom Decker, King’s athletic director. “This is going to help the admissions process because kids are going to want to come here.”

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Stamford High senior Emily Powers, a starting defender for the school’s two-time state championship field hockey team, is playing lacrosse this spring though she had never picked up a stick before and the program is still competing on the JV level. She will tell you why and document the experience.)

By Emily Powers

Stamford High School has always been big about fundraising, no matter what the cause, and today, May 3, was no different.

Although the weather didn’t corporate like we had hoped, the Carnival for a Cure that took place still managed to attract around 100 people despite the rain. The boys and girls lacrosse teams (with the help of the baseball and softball teams) put together Carnival for a Cure, to help the fight against breast cancer. It consisted of multiple lacrosse skill games, mini lacrosse games, food and fun for everyone, with all the proceeds going to the Bennett Cancer Center at Stamford Hospital.

Mr. (Jeremy) White, the Stamford High boys lacrosse coach, organized the entire event. I have him as a teacher for two classes, AP Economics and Contemporary Issues, and I babysit his children.

He is a man who should inspire so many people in the community. He never stops trying to help. Last year he put together having the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research, come to our school and shave many of the boys’ heads as another fundraiser for an excellent cause.

While many teachers and faculty take part in making contributions to the Stamford High community, sports programs and the city as a whole, not many do it quite like Mr. White. You can find him supporting every sports team, boys and girls, no matter the season, and he is constantly looking out for the good of everyone.

Today, although the weather was down, the spirits were high and many showed up to support this cause thanks to Mr. White. He got the word spread with the help of his fellow coaches, and while the attendance would have been higher on a nicer day, everybody made the best of it.

If only there were more people like Mr. White, who constantly goes above and beyond in everything he does, the world would be a better place.

(This is the latest in a series of entries by guest bloggers throughout the high school spring sports season. Mike Nemchek and his daughter Sammi, who is entering her fourth year as a starter on Trinity Catholic’s softball team, explore the topical nature of the parent-athlete dynamic.  Mike coached many of the city’s top players in youth leagues, including Sammi.)

By Mike Nemchek

Quite often, the expression “having a senior moment” is associated with forgetfulness.

This past week, however, the three senior co-captains (catcher Julianne Vesciglio, shortstop Merrilee Weston and second baseman Sammi Nemchek) on the Trinity Catholic softball team had moments of brilliance that no one is likely to forget for quite some time.

Due to a previous rainout, Trinity had four games this past week and, after Friday’s 2–1 victory at Norwalk, swept to four straight wins. Especially impressive were the come-from-behind victories against Danbury and Norwalk.

A co-captain should lead by example, so perhaps that’s why coach Tom Kriz has them batting in the first three spots in the order and defensively playing three of the key spots in the field. The three amigos did not disappoint their coach or the loyal fan base that continues to support the green and gold.

Over the course of the four games they led with their bats, gloves, arms and legs. Clutch hits and sacrifices were abundant, aggressive defensive play took away sure hits from the opposition, Julianne threw out several would-be base stealers and all three took the extra base to put their team in a more favorable position to score.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not implying the three won the games by themselves. In fact, any success enjoyed by the Crusaders up to this point is due to the collective contributions from the entire team. After all, you can hit the ball all over the field and score 20 runs, but what good is it if you give up 21 runs and lose?

Fortunately for Trinity, the rest of the team follows the lead of its co-captains and is building a reputation for dominating pitching, a surging offense and a sound defense.

As if an undefeated week wasn’t enough for the three seniors, the Stamford Advocate acknowledged their academic achievements along with those of their teammates in an article that appeared in Friday’s edition. As a parent and former coach, I’m extremely proud of the three knowing the same effort and dedication is being put forth in both the classroom as well as on the field.

It was quite a special week for these three seniors, one that was filled with many unforgettable moments.

In a stellar year for female high school athletes in Stamford, Julie Osipow stood taller than all the rest.

Osipow, the star center fielder for Westhill’s softball team, was named tonight as the 24th recipient of the Allyson Rioux Award, which is given to the city’s most outstanding female student-athlete.

“It’s a huge honor,” Osipow said. “I’ve been playing sports since I was about 3. It’s great to get recognition for it, and to be honored after someone like Allyson Rioux, who was such a great athlete and person, makes it very special. I’m very humbled by it.”

Rioux, who was named to All-State teams in three sports at Westhill and was a second team All-American selection in softball at the University of Massachusetts, died of a brain tumor in 1989 at the age of 27.

Osipow, who has been considered one of the best center fielders and hitters in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference the past two seasons, was also the goalkeeper for the school’s soccer team and played for the Stamford Spinnakers hockey team.

“A lot of kids don’t play three sports anymore,” said Francene Moavero, Rioux’s sister and a board member on the award committee. “She not only played three sports but really excelled at them. We had a preliminary vote and she was the frontrunner, then we kept talking about the other candidates and she kept coming up.”

Rioux will receive a $5,000 scholarship.

Osipow is the seventh recipient from Westhill. Jillian Masi was the last one, in 2007. Stamford High’s Karlie Tiscia won the award last year.

The selection of Osipow is even more impressive given the field she was up against.

“There are so many girls in other years that would have won hands down,” Moavero said.