Northampton Community College ’s athletes are getting ready for a full season of spring sports. Some teams are defending titles, while others are new to NCC and look forward to a rewarding and competitive season.
The softball team has put a lot of effort in their pre-season workouts. They are preparing for the spring break tournament held in Myrtle Beach from March 15 – 20 and will play eight games while they are in South Carolina. According to Coach Sam Carrodo, “the numbers are small, but the intensity is amazing. I feel we will be a very competitive team and our chances for success are high.”
There are four returning players: Katie Bee, Kristy Kroll, Tami Kilousky, and Lauren Oswald. New players include Lauren Alston, Steph Edwards, Nicole Fleming, Katlyn Newman, Michelle Palmisano, Brittany Rhinehart, Krystal Sheredos, Katlyn Snyder, Stef Snyder. What does Coach Carrodo expect from this team of 13 young women who play ball, go to school and work? His goals are “to stay healthy, work hard on the field and in the classroom, reach and win both the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference and the State Championships.”
Any students who would like to join the team and have played high school or travel summer ball can contact Carrodo at 610-861-5370 or stop by his office in the Spartan Center, College Center Room 131. The team’s first home game is Tuesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. against Penn State – Scranton. You can find the full schedule here.
The NCC defending 2007 Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference baseball champions are eager and ready to get out on the field and play some serious baseball. Under the direction of the newly named head baseball coach, Adrian Yaguez, the team is not only looking to defend its EPCC title, but would also like to build an identity for the baseball program, both in the classroom and on the field.
“I’m very pleased with the efforts of everyone on the team. It’s difficult when you have a coaching transition in the middle of the year, and the kids have been great in adjusting to the change. They are a fun group to be around and they’ve worked extremely hard since we’ve started workouts,” stated Yaguez. Returning players are Billy Bearse, Chris Charette, Mark McFadden, Matt Monti, Brandon Smith, Ron Vail, Victor Vargas and James Williams. Newcomers include Rodney Agosto, Brian Bartsch, George Gerolimatos, George Huha, Matthew Kugler, Kyle Larrabee, Brandon Matyas, Roy Raggi, Emmanuel Santiago and Andrew Stevens.
Eric Schmitt is the assistant coach and Andrew Holva is serving as volunteer assistant. The Spartans first home game is scheduled March 29 at noon against Luzerne County Community College. It will be followed by these match-ups.
The tennis team is also defending its EPCC title and they have four returning players. Mark Puggiest, R. Brad Moser, Jonathan Snyder and Eden Fimiano will be joined by newcomers Meghan Groh, Erika Alerica and Cody Ruff. Coach Jack Masters is looking forward to another competitive season. His goals for the team are that they work hard, play hard, continue to improve, have fun, and be in the hunt for the league championship at the end of the season. Master is looking forward to working with the athletes and said they are “very coachable and willing to put in the time and energy to be successful. It is simply a joy to work and be with them.”
The tennis team will be home on March 29 in a match which begins at 1 p.m. against Bucks County Community College. Here's the rest of the schedule.
Lacrosse is new to NCC. In their opening season last year they played a few scrimmages, but this year hope to play 10 games/scrimmages. They currently do not have a coach, but under the guidance of Joe Assise, they are trying to teach and coach themselves. The team consists of 13 athletes who are eager to play, and work hard at all their practices. You won’t want to miss these fast-paced, action-packed games.
The Spartans will be home on Sunday, March 23, 1 p.m.; Sunday, April 6, 4 p.m.; Tuesday, April 8, 5 p.m.; and Saturday, April 19, 1 p.m. Since lacrosse is not currently in a league, these games are subject to change. You can find the latest information at this address.
Don’t forget to show your support for the lacrosse team by attending their fundraising mixer on March 14. For more information on this event, go to Student News.
