With a wealth of talent back, Union-Endicott baseball coach Ed Folli knows the preseason talk this year in Section 4, let alone the Southern Tier Athletic Conference, will center around his team.
He also knows that there are several teams capable of ruining the high expectations.
"Everyone is going to pick us because we're the proven commodity," said Folli, whos Tigers reached the Section 4 finals last year. "But there is a tremendous amount of talent out there."
"Ithaca has pitching, Binghamton has pitching, Vestal has pitching. It seems like a lot of teams have real good pitching."
That said, the Tigers look to be the team to beat in the Metro Division and in STAC, though Ithaca also has most of its team back and figures to be real strong as well. Windsor appears primed to unseat defending STAC champion Chenango Valley in the East Division, with Seton Catholic Central in the mix.
The Central Division lacks a clear-cut favorite, with any of the five teams capable of emerging as the champion. Defending champion Johnson City does have enough talent to repeat.
Corning East will try to repeat as West Division champion.
METRO DIVISION
U-E has its top two pitchers back-- right-handers Matt Francavillo and Joe Welch. Both are among the league's top five. Many key position players return, including third baseman Ian Christie -- who will also pitch -- center fielder Eric Mihelc and shortstop Mike Folli. E.J. Folli takes over as the catcher and Scott Osman will be the starter at second base. Chris Ciesla, a junior up from the junior varsity, will see some time at first base and will provide some innings as a pitcher.
Ithaca has one of the top rotations in STAC, led by left-hander Chris Bilyk, who missed part of last season with a broken bone in his wrist. Seniors Casey Walsh and Scott Dentes are also top-notch starting pitchers. Right fielder Jon Leonardo, second baseman Joe Ciaschi and third baseman Matt Dorn are the returning position players.
Binghamton could work its way into title contention with the return of its pitchers, Gio Yannuzzi, Joe Jenkins, Khalid Afify and Jake Bienkiewicz. Richard Sands returns at first base and Ryan Connolly, one of the top catchers in the area, returns as well. Newcomer Jose Made, a switch-hitting sophomore infielder, shows great promise. "My biggest concern is putting the ball in play," Binghamton coach Lou Ferraro said. "I
think the pitching will keep us in games, and our defense should be good, but we're going to have to be very scrappy to score some runs."
Vestal returns seniors Nick Serafini (third base), Mike Van Gorder (shortstop) and Matt Simek (second base).
No. 1 starter Dustin Corbett leads a solid pitching staff that's has depth. Among the key newcomers is catcher Brad Allen, who takes over all for All-Conference player Mike Kuratnick. Bears coach Tank Anderson is hoping the offense, which struggled at times last year, improves. "I think I've focused more on the offense," Anderson said. "It's been more of an issue this year, but I think we'll be OK."
CENTRAL DIVISION
Johnson City's hopes for a division title repeat will rest heavily on first baseman Mike DePersis, catcher Joe Sacco and right fielder Jon Colgan. Adam Harenzda is the top pitcher. Curtis Gordon, injured last season, appears to be the No. 2 starter. First-year coach Joe Guccia is hoping that senior Jim Zeggert and sophomores Bill Putman and Tyler Santos can provide some quality innings. "The division is very deep," Guccia said. "There are no easy games. We can't look at any of them and say there is an easy win out there."
Oneonta lost much of its starting pitching to graduation, but righty Mike Konstanty does return. He will also play shortstop. Third baseman John Chicorelli and center fielder Steve Sclafani are also back. Sophomore Drew Thomas, the top pitcher on the JV team last year, should help the staff, as well as left-hander Joe Hughes.
Maine-Endwell could work its way into the title chase, but the Spartans will have to hit better. Shortstop Ryan Nemcek, catcher Matt Tallon and second baseman Rob Krowiak all hit over .300 last year, and they will hit at the top of the order. There is inexperience at the bottom of the order, but M-E coach Gary Crooks is hoping for good things from outfielder Matt Carrigg and designated hitter Greg Feal, both up from the JV. The pitching staff will be led by standout junior Brian Golaszewski and senior J.P. Touhey.
Owego's hopes will likely rest on a pitching staff led by Ron Miller, Jeremy Chatt and Brooks Moses. Alan Detrick, a sophomore left-hander, will be part of the starting rotation. Miller will also start in the outfield and Ryan Ceruti is a quality catcher. "A lot of our guys don't have that varsity experience, so the first few weeks will be a test," Owego coach Mike Aubel said.
Norwich mustered just two wins last season, but virtually everyone of note returns this season. Seniors Peter DeSarro (center fielder), Andy Chesebro (third baseman), and Matt Hyder (catcher) should provide stability. The pitching staff will be led by Donny Lawrence, Dean Williams, Shane Smith and Great Bates, all of them seniors.
EAST DIVISION
Defending STAC champion Chenango Valley will have quite a different look this season with only two returning starters, center fielder Pete Cook and first baseman Eric Saeger. Kevin Ling, back from Tommy John surgery, and Mike Clark appear to be the top pitchers for the Warriors. Nate Andrus should provide some innings as well. Kyle Sharp, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound junior, will try to replace All-Conference catcher Brian Hansen.
Windsor should have a real good shot at the division title, as the Black Knights return most of their team. That includes the pitching trio of Brandon Olbrys, Anthony Suhadolnik and James Whitelaw. Offensively, shortstop Joe Costello, right fielder John Crea, third baseman Suhadolnik, catcher Ben Hashem and left fielder Brooks Commino are all very solid. "This is the best team I've had since I've been the varsity coach," Windsor coach Joe Costello said.
Seton Catholic Central's pitching depth -- the Saints go 10-deep -- figures to bolster their championship hopes. Jeff Monaco, Pat Reardon, Luke Murphy and Grant Madigan are the top guns on the pitching staff. Some of the other key returnees include shortstop Mike Gitto, outfielder Kevin Kline, and outfielder Ryan Hogan.
Susquehanna Valley is very young, but the Sabers do have some experience back with seniors Pat Whalen (first baseman) and Ryan Oliver (catcher). Bill Grace is a good No. 1 starter, and Chad Freije and Joe DePersis, up from the JV, should provide some decent innings.
Whitney Point returns second baseman Tom Phillips, third baseman Brody Kenyon and catcher Ed Perry. They should help the offense. Pitching-wise, Andy Franzen will be counted on greatly, as will Phillips. Junior Corey Peterson batted near .300 last year and will also pitch this year.
Chenango Forks has seniors Chris Spencer (outfielder), Tim Green (second baseman), Josh Phelps (outfielder) and Jesse Smith (outfielder).
Spencer will also pitch, as will sophomore Tim Batty and junior Ryan Warner.
