WEST ORANGE, NJ – During the cold winter months, Stephan Zichella had some special moments in the athletic arena, as his West Orange High School wrestling squad captured a state sectional title.
This spring, Zichella feels his WOHS baseball team could possibly do the same thing. The Mountaineers, who sported a 5-2 record to start the 2018 campaign through April 16, has some quality pitchers and a solid lineup overall.
“In Essex County, teams like Millburn, Seton Hall Prep, Livingston and Bloomfield are always tough,” said Zichella, “but I think that this season we can compete with those clubs. Two years ago we made it to the state sectional semifinals against Morristown, and our team this spring has that same kind of potential.”
The season has already been special because WOHS chalked up a no-hitter against Science on April 9. That was the team’s first no-hit effort in a full decade. Freshman Sean Brown, senior Matt Mincolelli and senior Kyle Bernokeits combined for the gem in a 19-1 contest. At the dish, senior shortstop Aaron Puryear led the way with three hits and three RBI.
Puryear hit a walk-off double to lift West Orange to a 7-6 home win over Cedar Grove on April 16, the team’s fourth straight win. Puryear finished with three hits and three RBI.
“Aaron is a great all-around player,” said Zichella, who has been a bit frustrated by the poor weather conditions in the early going. “No matter what the situation might be in any given game, he always shows a very positive attitude. He bats second in our lineup, so he can help us in several ways.”
Th lead-off hitter for West Orange, senior Vin DeSantis made an impact last fall as the starting quarterback for the football team. The talented youngster is a fine pitcher and also can help the team in the outfield in center. DeSantis had two hits and scored four runs against Cedar Grove. “When Vin gets in a groove, he’s very tough on the mound,” said Zichella. “He’s a true power pitcher.”
Along with DeSantis, the other big hurler for WOHS is senior southpaw Chris Walker. According to Zichella, Walker is so effective because he “gets great movement on the ball.”
Walker, who has been on the varsity for four years, is probably one of the toughest outs in the county. In 2017, all the youngster did was hit .508.
Another top hitter in the lineup is senior third baseman Tyree Bradley. The talented senior shows great bat speed, and is coming off a .417 average in his junior campaign.
Bradley, who is so sound fundamentally, also aids the team in the role of a closer on the hill.
Some other key performers for WOHS include junior utility player Chris Spagnuolo, senior outfielder Mike Giovine, senior DH Jon Carlucci and senior catcher Eric Castro.
“We have a lot of guys who can contribute for us,” said the coach, who enjoys being involved in both baseball and wrestling. “Sean Brown and Aiden Healey are two talented freshmen that we’ll be counting on a lot. Sean can help us as a pitcher and infielder, while Aiden helps out as both a pitcher and catcher. We have several guys who can contribute at different positions on the field.”
West Orange, which opened the season with a win against Belleville, figures to be a dark horse in the Greater Newark Tournament, which is always a competitive event.
“Our first priority is to try and win our conference,” said Zichella. “Then we’ll think about the GNT and states. I like our chances because this team has a bunch of lively arms.”
Upcoming games: April 20, Belleville (A), 4 p.m. April 23, MKA (H), 4 p.m. April 24, Bloomfield (H), 7 p.m. April 25, Pequannock (H), 4 p.m.
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