Nichinello out as Revere softball coach

Joe Nichinello, who has coached the Revere High softball team since 1973, will not return next season.After both Nichinello and former Dom Savio coach Joe Ciccarelli interviewed for the position, the high school chose Ciccarelli.”I guess he really wanted the job,” said Nichinello, a lifelong Revere resident and former English teacher at the high school for 40 years. “The program, when I got it, was a fledgling program. I feel proud I turned it into a perennial contender.”During Nichinello’s tenure at Revere, he amassed over 300 wins and numerous appearances in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association postseason, including 10 straight tournament trips from 1989-98.”We had quite a good program going,” Nichinello said. “We made quite a few visits to the tournament. We made the semifinals quite a few times.”One highlight of Nichinello’s coaching career came about 20 years ago, when his Patriots stunned a formidable Bishop Fenwick squad in the quarterfinal round of the state tourney. With two outs in the last inning, Ed Henry’s Crusader team had the bases loaded against Revere pitcher Jen Wells.”It was a huge upset,” Nichinello recalled. “The count was 3-2, Jen had pitched her heart out, and she let the ball out. I could see it was high, and I thought it would walk in the winning run. But the girl at the plate swung, our freshman catcher (Cindy Barrett) was circling around, and it hit (Barrett) in the chest. (She) dropped to her knees and caught the ball.”Nichinello added, “It was one of the most exciting wins I ever had in my life, a game I never will forget.”In 2002, the coach recorded his 300th win, and received a letter of congratulations from Rep. Bobby DeLeo of Winthrop, who is now the Speaker of the House. And throughout the years, members of Nichinello’s teams went on to play in college, including Lisa Sliwinski (whom Nichinello called the first windmill pitcher in the Greater Boston League) at BU, Annamaria Addonizio and Rachel Belliveau at St. Anselm, and Wells at Salem State.This year, the Patriots struggled to a 5-15 finish, due in part to the loss of catcher Nicole Palermo to a torn ACL at the beginning of the season. Yet Revere lost five games by only one run.”We just had a string of bad luck,” said Nichinello, noting that his team “went through” three other catchers and calling this season “one of the best jobs I did. We were very, very competitive despite our losses.”Shortly after the season ended, in June, Nichinello interviewed for the job, meeting with athletic director Keith Correia, principal David Derussi, and three teachers. The next morning, Correia called him to inform him of the school’s decision.”He thanked me for my years of service,” Nichinello said.Asked whether he would consider coaching elsewhere, Nichinello said, “I might look into it. Right now, I’m just relaxing. What can I do? It’s out of my hands. I didn’t think it would come to this.”Reflecting on the end of his coaching career at Revere, Nichinello said that several of his friends had volunteered to assist the team and provided “a great help to me.” These volunteers included the late Steve “Rocky” Porella, who died this year; and Paul Napolitano, whose efforts included driving to Revere from his home in Tewksbury to assist Nichinello.