Falcons fight for Red Division supremacy
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

JEFF GRANIT staff St. Joseph's Nick Ciardello is one of the top catchers in the state and looks to help lead the Falcons well into the postseason once again this year.

METUCHEN - With its No. 1 pitcher headed to St. John's University on a full scholarship in the fall, the St. Joseph High School baseball team is hoping its ace finishes his high school career in style.

After this season, Matt Owens will join the Red Storm and the team's rich history of dominant hurlers.

"Matt was our No. 2 guy last year, but it was really like having No. 1 and 1A," St. Joe's head coach, Lou Urbano, said. "He really is dominant. He throws in the high 80s and low 90s with control. He's also very tough mentally."

Owens and the Falcons opened the season on Saturday when they hosted Perth Amboy, and Urbano was not going to let his team take anything for granted.

"Perth Amboy had a tough year in the Red Division last season," Urbano said prior to the game. "I don't know too much about them, but I can tell you we aren't going to take them lightly. We're still worried about what we can do, and that's why Owens will get the start."

Simply put, Owens did not disappoint, hurling a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts to lead the Falcons to a 10-0 win. They then got to 2-0 on Monday with a 12-4 win over Ridge. Junior catcher Nick Ciardiello was the star in this one as he connected for a pair of home runs to spark the Falcon offense. Owens added to the onslaught with a three-for-four, two-RBI performance, while Ricky Hill handled the pitching duties, holding Ridge to just four runs on six hits in six innings of work.

On Tuesday, St. Joe's routed Piscataway, 21-3, as Ciardello and Owens again led the way with three hits each and eight RBIs between them.

Obviously, the Falcons have made their No. 3 ranking in the Greater Middlesex Conference stand up early on. Through three games they have featured an explosive offensive attack and solid starting pitching - two characteristics that made them one of the top teams in the conference last year.

There is no doubt the Falcons took a hit when Harry Douglass and Chris Parenti graduated last spring. Both are playing college ball, with Douglass at Harvard and Parenti at NJIT.

Douglass was a First Team All-State player in 2005, while Parenti went 9-1 on the hill, as the Falcons finished up 23-7.

Sharing some of the pitching responsibilities with Owens this season will be senior Hill. Slated to be the team's No. 2 starter, Hill got a couple starts in 2005 in addition to some relief appearances.

"He doesn't throw as hard as Matt, but he has very good control," Urbano said. "I'm looking for a big year out of him."

The rest of the pitching staff enters the season with no varsity experience. Juniors Kevin Poll, Nico Vargas and Doug Steinbach are expected to see plenty of mound time. Vargas will be the team's everyday center fielder once he recovers from a preseason knee injury. Until Vargas returns, starting outfielder Greg Owsiny will bring solid glovework to center field.

Sophomores Sean Hill and Sam Fourre possess talented arms, with Hill bringing a left-handed hurler to the mix.

"Sean and Sam are talented but they're young," Urbano said. "We'll have to see how they improve from the mental aspect of the game. They had some good outings and some rough outings in preseason, which is expected of sophomores. They will be thrown into the fire at some point this year."

The experience of Ciardiello behind the dish is sure to come in handy when dealing with some young, inexperienced arms.

"Nick's also our best hitter," Urbano said. "He'll bat third in the lineup, and we're looking for a big year from him. He hit close to .300 last season as a sophomore."

Fellow junior Eddie Brown returns to play shortstop and bat leadoff in front of third baseman Dan Rizzolo. Rizzolo was a First Team All Red Division selection as an outfielder last season.

With Owens hitting cleanup, sophomore Dave Milanes bats fifth in the order.

"Milanes could be a very special player for us," Urbano said. "He'll DH for us, and we'll also work him in at first base."

Junior first baseman Tim Fury will share time at the position with Milanes, and will be joined on the right side of the infield by senior Jason Rodriguez at second base.

"Tim is big and powerful, and we'll need him to drive in some runs at the sixth or seventh spot in the order," Urbano said. "Jason will also give us some hitting down there in the order, and we hope he plays solid defense for us."

With three solid wins already in the books, the Falcons appear to be in top form right from the starting gate.

"We play a really tough schedule, so we'll have to play well, day in and day out," Urbano said.