English baseball moving on

LYNN — Filling the void created by the graduation of a pitcher who is now toiling away on the hill for the Division 1 Vanderbilt University baseball team will be challenging, but English High coach Joe Caponigro is taking it in stride.”Life goes on,” Caponigro said, referring to the loss of his ace hurler Ben Bowden, who has already made two appearances for the 19-3 Commodores.View Photo GalleryThe Bulldogs had no shortage of excellent pitching last year, but the team did have some offensive struggles. English allowed 72 runs, but scored only 70.Caponigro is hoping to improve on the 9-11 record and crank that 70 up a few notches with this year’s group.”We had very good pitching last year. We just didn’t get the timely hits,” he said.One of the guys he’ll be looking at to solve the problem will be senior catcher and captain Drew Gentile. Gentile has been with the varsity for four years and played every game as a sophomore and junior.”He was one of our leading hitters. He’s very productive and very durable,” Caponigro said.Junior outfielder Kyle O’Connor has started since his freshman year. He hits from the left side and has great speed, Caponigro said. Senior Andrew Napoleon has been in centerfield for three years and he pitches.Caponigro said last year in the Clancy Tournament, English was down 2-0 in the first inning with no outs. Napoleon came in to pitch and went seven innings withoug surrendering a hit.”I’m looking for him to corral the outfield and give us some strong innings,” Caponigro said.’Junior Lucas Harris will also figure into the pitching mix and when he’s not on the mound, he can step in in a variety of different spots.”He can play anywhere. He’s an excellent athlete,” Caponigro said.Joshue Perez, a senior, came up to varsity midway through his sophomore season. He’s a “corner guy” and a pitcher, Caponigro said. Senior Mike Ausiello brings some versatility to the team. he can play infield, outfield and he pitches.Some other players who could provide the Bulldogs some help are senior Michael Troy, a pitcher and third baseman who came up from junior varsity at the end of the year. Jeam Castill, a big lefty pitcher and lefty hitter, was on junior varsity last year. He’ll be fighting for the innings and playing time.Also in the mix are speedy junior infielder Anthony De la Cruz, senior middle infielder Kelvin Aracena (he played a lot of shortstop last year), sophomore Kenny Sanchez, who didn’t play last year; Brett Molea, a sophomore transfer from St. Mary’s; Dan Rustani, a senior outfielder who can also pitch and play first, and Jack Milhem, a junior righty. Caponigro was still evaluating the prospects this week (72 players showed up for tryouts) so the actual roster is still a work in progress.”We have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions,” Caponigro said. “It’s going to make the competition for the lineup very spirited. We have a pretty athletic crew. It’s fun to see how the preseason plays out and how they develop.”Caponigro is looking forward to trying out the newly “turfed” Fraser Field. New infield turf was installed during the off-season which should cut down on the number of weather related postponement. The only dirt on the field will be on the mound. The turf also extends back to the backstop and dugout areas.”I think it will be great in regards to the weather. The maintenance of the field won be nearly has tough.”,” Caponigro said, crediting Community Development’s John Kasian with having a vison regarding the whole Agganis complex.'”This will be great for baseball on the North Shore,” he said.