×

Red Dragon baseball team shows improvement

When it happened, Marco DeFalco felt like everyone gave up on the Niles baseball team.

Things were already going to be tough for the the Red Dragons coming into this year. Niles lost six regular starters from a senior class that helped claim back-to-back conference titles.

Then came another big blow: junior Corbin Foy, a standout shortstop and pitcher, tore his ACL during basketball season and was done for the year.

“When Corbin went down,” said DeFalco, a senior for the Red Dragons, “everybody, whether they admit or not, pretty much counted us out.”

That was a mistake.

Niles has endured some ups and downs, earning an 8-7 record to this point, but the Red Dragons are hitting their stride at the right time.

They’re 6-1 in the White Tier of the All-American Conference, led by DeFalco, a pitcher and outfielder who will pitch for Youngstown State University next season.

The lefty, coming off a phenomenal junior year, is 3-1 and came into Thursday’s 6-1 White Tier loss to Lakeside with a 2.40 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 23 1/3 innings.

His ERA doesn’t replicate the 0.38 he served up last year, and he admitted he may have put pressure on himself to duplicate last season (he also threw back-to-back no-hitters). He soon realized the Red Dragons didn’t need a microscopic ERA. They needed leadership.

“It was a little bit hard to try to forget about that and not really expect to come out and do that every game,” he said. “This year is more about being a leader to the younger kids. I’m the only returning pitcher who has varsity innings, so I’m just trying to step up and show the other guys the way it’s supposed to be and how everything’s done.”

DeFalco’s had help along the way.

Some of it comes from fellow senior Luke Swauger. Then there’s other veterans like Nick Guarnieri, Joe Gallo, Joe Corson and Ken Flanigan.

Oh, their first-year coach has actually been around for a while, too. Mike Guarnieri took over for his brother, T.C., this season. The two have basically shared head coaching duties every season since 1996, and the program has thrived during their tenure.

A few key losses and a disappointing injury weren’t going to change that.

“Some young guys have picked up the ball and done real well with it,” said Mike Guarnieri, now in his second stint and 11th season, overall, as head coach of Niles. “It’s been an interesting season. We’ve had it handed to us a couple times, especially down in Myrtle Beach (at a tournament), but since we’ve been back home, we’re 7-3 in Ohio.

“They’ve battled, and it’s a work in progress. Obviously we’re real happy with where we sit in the conference, but we’ve got a long way to go.”

Underclassmen are a major reason the Red Dragons are in first place in the league.

Zach Leonard is the first freshman to be a regular starter at shortstop since the Guarnieri brothers took over 22 years ago, but he’s handled the burden. Other young players like sophomore Brandon Hayes and freshman Chase Sudzina, both pitchers, have been key contributors as well.

“All the freshmen and sophomores, we had to turn to a lot of them where we lost Corbin at,” DeFalco said. “I can’t be more proud of them. Chase Sudzina, Zach Leonard, Brandon Hayes, I can’t thank them enough. They’ve come in, have not made any excuses. It’s just next man up. They’ve come up and done their job, and it’s paying off.”

Mike Guarnieri has enjoyed the ride, as bumpy as it may be at times.

The ups and downs are part of the reason he took over for his brother following last year. Just like the season, the exchange of changing roles (T.C. is now an assistant) was an interesting moment.

“It was a funny transition,” Mike laughed. “I just sort of looked at him at the end of the year, and he said, ‘Well, what do you think? You want it?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’

“It’s different this year because we’ve had such a veteran crew for so long,” he later added. “It’s always been like we’ve had guys to replace guys, but the core always seemed to be there, and we have a core this year, it’s just a little smaller than what we’re used to. But I love coaching. The kids keep you young, and you feed off their energy.”

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
     

COMMENTS

Starting at $4.85/week.

Subscribe Today