Community School Of Naples Seahawks Baseball Team Are Favorites To Repeat As District Champions

In September of 2010 Community School of Naples announced that JOE CALI was hired as the new head coach of the varsity baseball team. Joe Cali was a highly recruited pitcher and played in the majors with the Indians for a few seasons, he starred in college for Florida Atlantic university, and is also a local hero pitching and playing catcher for Naples High. He is a well known pitching coach in the naples area and this will be his first high school varsity head coaching job.

The Seahawks are stacked once again this year and are favorites to repeat winning the division title. With the return of senior Danny Brown (right handed pitcher) who has officially committed to Flagler college and returning junior Nicky Locascio (Right handed pitcher) 2012 the Seahawks are favored to repeat as district champions for the third straight year and are ranked eight in the state of Florida (2a division). Last season the Seahawks wrapped up the district title by beating Evangelical Christian High School in a tightly contested battle in which Danny Brown pitched a gem of a game and was helped by the timely hitting of Charlie Jauss and Oliver Rogers who drove in the winning runs. The semifinal game was pitched by Nicky Locascio who shutdown the hard hitting St John Neuman High School squad.

The Seahawks play the Celtics twice this year in the regular season. The first game against the Irish of Neuman will be held at Community School of Naples and will be held on March 17 which happens to be on St Patrick’s day. The second showdown between the crosstown rivals will be held at St John Neuman on April 8th AT 4PM. These two games are not to be missed for they are always entertaining and everyone knows they are just a warm up for the playoffs. The cross town rivals are slated to give the Seahawks a run for their money this year. The St John Neuman Celtics have four returning seniors this year and with new head coach Mat Ross’s hitting philosophy they will be a force to be reckoned with in district play.

Community School has 2 games with the Knights of the Evangelical Christian School of Fort Myers. The two games against the north division winners are slated for Tuesday March 22nd and Friday April first. These 2 games and the two against the Celtics of St. John are circled on coach Cali schedule. These two teams are a priority in the regular season in the district tournament for the 2011 season.

The Seahawks also play the hard hitting Palmetto Ridge Bears twice this year. The perennial (5a) powerhouse club always has a great pitching staff and this year is no different, with returning senior southpaw Matt Picucci as their ace. These 2 games will be tough wins for the (2a) Seahawks of Community School. Coach Cali hopes that by playing 5a teams like Palmetto Ridge HS, the Hawks will rise up to the best they can be. Having a tough regular season schedule has worked in the past for the Seahawks. The returning champions are led by pitchers Danny Brown (senior and Flagler College recruit also right handed pitcher Nicky Locascio (2012) these two veterans are the aces of the squad and between them have the lowest ERAs in Community School history. Seahawk pitching runs deep this year with Gage Ott a two time champion himself as a returning junior to the mound this year. With wicked breaking balls Gage figures on being instrumental out of the bullpen this year in shutting teams for important wins. The pitching squad gets another returning junior in Matt Meyers (2012) whose size and strength make him a force to contend with on the mound. The return of junior Tommy Killonoski who was one of the top closers in 2010 and had some impressive starts for the Hawks last season, the pitching squad has the veteran arms it needs to win the big games. With the addition of newcomers Will Jauss the bullpen looks solid. The defense is led by two time champion Nick Ott, who manages the pitching staff from behind the plate. In center field we have the returning senior Chris Bussing whose speed makes him a dangerous base runner too. With the return of senior Chris Bussing in centerfield the outfield looks solid. Neil Defacce who hits from the right side will also be a force to reckon with when he joins the team. On offense the Seahawk hitters will better than ever, when the squad takes the field in February. Leading off will be the toughest out on the team, Danny Brown who can hit it hard to any part of the field. Batting second will bet he the speedy Mike Shoeler who bats from the right side, the powerful righty was hitting everything in sight last year and has base running skills that make him a double threat on offense. Mike is recovering from football related injuries, but he will be ready for action when that first pitch is thrown in February. Hitting third will be Nick Ott who has gotten more experience at the plate and should have a breakout year in 2011. The cleanup spot will be held down by the power hitting Nicky Locascio whose hitting skill get better each year. Matt Meyers who has gotten stronger from playing football for the Seahawks football team, could be another power hitter in the lineup. The addition of freshman Drew Tomani who has played quarterback for the Seahawk Football program has the talent to make an impact on this veteran squad.

The schedule that coach Cali has made for the Community School Seahawks is up against some of the toughest teams around the southwest Florida area. Playing this kind of competition in the regular season has helped the team in winning 2 district titles in the past two seasons. With 6 starters returning for the team the Seahawks are favorites to repeat as district champs. Whether it is pitching, batting, or fielding the Seahawks of Community School will no doubt be a force to be reckoned with in the (2 a) division and have their sites set on a state championship come May. With many of the returning players tasting a sip from the district championship cup twice in the past two years, coach Cali has a seasoned club that knows how to thrive in the playoffs and win when they it they have to.