Bishop Ahr baseball opens season against Metuchen
BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer
After last week's season opener against JFK was postponed due to soggy playing conditions, the BishopAhr High School baseball team will begin the new season in earnest this week with a busy schedule.

The Trojans were scheduled to open on the road yesterday in Highland Park, prior to their home opener at 3:45 p.m. April 10 against visiting Metuchen. The team will close out the week with another home game against Nottingham at 1:00 p.m.April 12.

Back from last year's 9-9 team are just two starters, corner infielder Lee Cavico and pitcher and outfielder Mike Fallon. One of the team's top three pitchers in 07, Fallon is expected to take over the top spot in the rotation.

"He's looking good and he should be that frontline pitcher that we can count on to give us our best chance of winning ballgames," Bishop Ahr head coach Scott Runkel said. "Senior Tom Egan came off the bench for us last season and threw some innings for us. We're hoping Tom can step into one of the top three spots in the pitching rotation this year."

Cavico's return to the lineup should keep the Trojan offense productive. Arguably the best hitter in the Greater Middlesex Conference,

Cavico is undeniably

the best hitter in Bishop Ahr history.After batting .561 last season, Cavico enters his senior year as the school leader in home runs with 16 and total hits with 95.

"Lee is absolutely healthy and a terrific all-around player, teammate, and leader," Runkel said. "Lee and Mike are the team captains and we'll look to them to lead the younger guys this season."

The team is junior-laden with a number of players making their varsity debuts this spring. Junior Mike McConnell will be one of the few Trojans that will not be moved around the field as situations dictate. This year, McConnell will be the team's full-time catcher.

"He's very steady defensively and he'll be asked to handle a fairly large pitching staff," Runkel said. "Mike also has the potential to be one of our top hitters."

Junior Andy Bowidowicz is another defensive standout that also has hopes of being one of the team's top pitchers. Bowidowicz can also give McConnell a rest behind the dish if needed.

Classmates Matt Mieczkowski and DanMisdea could also be asked to play a number of positions. Mieczkowski may find himself at first base, on the mound, or even taking on the designated hitter role. Misdea is likely to see action from left field.

"Everything we do early on is merely a starting point," Runkel said. "The pieces should eventually fall into place, but right now every position is still interchangeable and we're still trying to feel our way."

Expected to join Misdea in the outfield at points during the season is Tom Lancey, Anthony Moreno, Tom Lacik and James DeChristopher. DeChristopher is also a likely candidate to see time on the mound.

A pair of sophomores, Dario Santangelo and Joe Post, is expected to see plenty of action this season.

"Dario has shown to be extremely versatile and we feel he can be a No. 3 or No. 4 pitcher for us," Runkel said. "The question mark for us will be howthese newplayers performat the varsity level."

Rounding out the varsity lineup is second baseman Don La- Porta and utility players Austin King and Steve Kaiser.

"Austin and Steve are valuable players for us," Runkel said. "Both are versatile and pretty good defensively. For me, it always starts with defense and we expect this to be our strength this year. It should be an interesting season. We've been working extremely hard and we're hoping to get off to a good start."