Category Archives: Baseball / Softball

Baseball/Softball All-Stars

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By Emily Batman

Every year, the Colonial League coaches vote on First team members, Second team members, and Honorable Mention. They pick one position player for each of the three teams. These teams do not play in an all star game, but the First team members are recognized before the Colonial League Final.

Rachel Costantini was the starting catcher on the Falcons softball team. She was recognized as an Honorable Mention Catcher. “My season has been good so far. I got Honorable Mention and I think this is a good honor considering this is my first year playing this position for the high school.”

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Brooke Rogers was the pitcher for the Falcons softball team. She was named Honorable Mention as a pitcher. Brooke pitched every inning for the Falcons this year and was one of the reasons the ladies were able to compete closely with each team.

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Chad Cooperman was one of the starting pitchers for the Falcons baseball team. He received the honor of First Team all star as a pitcher. In the regular season he was 7-2 with a 1.3 ERA, 89 strikeouts in 59 innings pitched. “On the mound I am really pleased with my performances this year. However, I underperformed hitting which hurt our team’s success this year at certain times. I am looking forward to pitching in districts on Wednesday and hopefully advancing to the district semi finals next Monday.”

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Although the season is now over for both teams, they both competed until the very last at bat. The Falcons softball team lost 5-4 on Thursday May 26th against Pine Grove. The Falcons baseball team lost 2-1 on Tuesday May 31st against North Schuylkill.

Softball Senior Night

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By Shane Wittman

On Friday, April 29th at 8:00 o’clock,  the girls softball team played Saucon Valley at Pates Park for their Senior Night. The girls had a record of 11-4 going into the game, which clinched a district playoff spot. This season, there were only four seniors on the squad: Emily Batman, Rachel Costantini, Sarah Reilly, and Jess Safi.

Prior to the start of the game, the weather was predicted to be a chilly 50 degrees at 8:00. The game itself was clear, but it started raining shortly after it was over.

Before the game began, the senior’s were honored for their participation and the spectators heard about their experiences throughout their season and career. The game started with an exciting first inning and continued throughout the game, resulting in a blowout. The girls’ bats were on fire, and it seemed almost impossible for them not to hit the ball. The girls fielding was also flawless. They had an amazing senior night, winning 15-3. They finished the game in the fifth inning due to mercy rule, which was nice for the spectators, since it started to rain. All the seniors started the game. Batman played first, Costantini caught, Reilly played third, and Safi played left field. Batman was 1-3 hitting during the game, with a single to right field and a HBP. Costantini was 2-3 with two singles, 2 RBI, and a walk.

Senior Emily Batman was excited prior to the game. “It’s crazy to think that this is my last season playing softball for the school.” This year, Emily has been a consistent hitter with many singles and one double. Emily was enthusiastic about the team’s chances to win their senior night game. “As our coach would say, we are going to take their hearts.” Emily’s most memorable moment of her career is being a captain this year. “I’ve been playing softball since I was about 5 years old, so all of my hard work paid off and I got to be a captain this season.” Looking back at this season, Emily has no regrets. She believes her coaches this year are awesome, and the team has been playing softball really well. In the future, Emily plans on taking her talents to LCCC and playing on their school softball team. “Since they don’t have a soccer team and I want to stay active during college, I would enjoy playing softball there.”

Senior Rachel Costantini was excited for the game, but also sad. “I can’t believe it has been four years already.” This year Rachel has batted cleanup and has had many extra base hits, including two home runs and two triples. Rachel believed the team was going to win on senior night, also saying, “we are going to take their hearts.” The most memorable moments of Rachel’s career is being team captain this year and calling all of Morgan’s hits. “I have been playing softball since I was 5, and competitively on a tournament team since I was in high school, so it’s nice to be captain my senior year helping to lead a team I’ve been on for four years.” Looking back over her career and the season, Rachel has no regrets. In the future, Rachel is going to be taking her talents to Lebanon Valley College, where she was recruited to play softball.

Senior Sarah Reilly was not planning on playing softball this year. She played both her freshman and sophomore years, however, decided not to play last year and did track instead. Having Sarah Return this year was a huge help to the team. They did not have a third baseman, so she gladly decided to play that position and has been playing solidly there all year. Sarah believed the girls would win their senior night game and was excited to play. Sarah is going to American University next year, however, does not plan on playing softball there.

This year was senior Jess Safi’s first year playing softball. She decided to come out for the team in February with Reilly. Although she had never played before this year, she took up the sport quickly. She is a team player and believes the softball coach, Jeff, “is the best softball coach I’ve ever had.” Jess played left field during the senior night game. Jess is planning to attend St. Joseph University in the fall, but will not be playing softball for the Hawks.

The senior softball players have brought a lot to the team throughout their four years at Salisbury. Batman, Costantini, and Reilly all played on the varsity softball team as freshmen and have helped to develop the program in the past four years. They will be greatly missed by the entire team.

Salisbury Softball improves to 11-4

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By CJ Wittman

Since the beginning of the season, the softball team has improved from 1-2, to 11-4. Salisbury only lost two more games since the first two games of the season, putting them in second place in the Colonial League West Division. The Falcons set out to improve since the beginning of the season, and that they did.

Their latest loss of the season, Salisbury struggled to hit against the number one team Catasauqua. Catty was able to score a run in the third and fifth, and add three more in the sixth to seal the game at 5-0.  After losing twice to Catty, Salisbury is seeking revenge in the playoffs.

In their matchup against Dieruff, Salisbury took an early 9-0 lead against the Huskies in the first inning. Not allowing Dieruff to score, Salisbury added two runs in the fourth. After leading 11-0, the game ended after the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.  Sophomore Lilia Crouthamel made an impact with four RBI, along with Anna Bishop who added two RBI.  Senior Rachel Costantini added to the score with two RBI as well.  

In the game against Allen, Salisbury jumped up with a lead 10-0 after the first inning. The falcons then added three runs in both the second and third innings. Allen was able to put one run on the board during the second inning. After the third inning, Salisbury was winning 16-1, which allowed for the game to end due to mercy rule. Emily Batman had five RBI and Lilia Crouthamel had three.

In their latest matchup, the girls beat Northern Lehigh 12-3. Salisbury had a slow start and allowed Northern Lehigh to get up 2-0 in the first inning. The falcons were able to put five runs on the board during the third inning with the help of senior Rachel Costantini, who had a three run home run. In the fifth inning, Salisbury increased their lead, adding four more runs to the score board. The sixth inning, Costantini hit a RBI triple, helping the falcons increase their lead even more. Brooke Rogers and Peyton Stauffer both had two RBI for the team.

With an explosion of improvement, the softball team let people know they’re here to win. As five games are left in the regular season and the Falcons hope to keep winning to get ready for the playoffs.

Salisbury Baseball Struggles for Hits

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By Lindsay Bauer

The last couple of years, Salisbury High School has had a stellar baseball team — and this year is no different. The Falcons are a very young but talented team lead by a solid group of seniors. Star player Chad Cooperman has been starting for the Falcons since his sophomore year.

The baseball boys won Wednesday’s home conference game against Northern Lehigh by a score of 5-1. Chad Cooperman was lights out against the Bulldogs with fourteen strikeouts in seven innings. Cooperman also hit for a single and had one run batted in. When asked about Cooperman’s performance as of lately, teammate Joey Galatini commented, “Chad has just been our ace on the mound when he’s pitching, you know it’s going to be a good day.” Although the Falcons couldn’t get the bats going (batting a team average of .200), they secured the win with Cooperman’s arm and good defensive play.

Unfortunately, Salisbury once again struggled at the plate against the Palmerton Blue Bombers. The team batted an average of .160 and had just four hits on the entire day. Sophomores Andrew Sukanick and Cole Warmkessel pitched that day, as Sukanick gave up five runs on four hits and two walks while Warmkessel gave up no hits and one walk. “My stuff was off, I did not have the same control as I usually do,” said Sukanick.

Salisbury struggled to hit once again against Notre Dame Green Pond, ending in a 4-0 loss. The team’s batting average took another blow, falling to .130 on the day. “A good defense is a good offense. We need to starting hitting and putting the ball in play,” said senior Eric Schware.

2016 Falcons Baseball

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By Lindsay Bauer & CJ Wittman

Throughout the winter, the Salisbury Falcons boys baseball team started prepping for the upcoming baseball season. Hitting, fielding, and various other drills were practiced in the offseason, along with some regular weightlifting. Many players agreed that these preseason workouts were a crucial time to improve both athletically and fundamentally, with drill work being a primary focus and key element for future success.

Assuming the role of team leader is senior Chad Cooperman, who acknowledges that a solid core of players from last year’s lineup were lost to graduation. With that, Cooperman feels that it is difficult to give any guarantees on who this year’s starters are going to be. Returning starters include Cooperman himself, along with sophomore Joey Galantini, senior Nick Sikora, and sophomore Andrew Sukanic, all of whom played a solid amount of innings both in the field and on the mound.

Cooperman says that expectations are always difficult to determine. “If we come to work everyday at practice with the effort and enthusiasm to get better, anything is possible,” said Cooperman. Cooperman believes that this year’s team has a legitimate chance to be a top-running competitor for both a league and district title, and the Falcons hope to uphold the rich tradition of baseball success here at Salisbury High School.

With last year’s group finishing out the season with a 13-8 record, although falling in the district quarterfinal, the Falcons of this new team are going to have some big shoes to fill.

Kansas City Take the “Chip” Home

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By Adrian Espinal

The last game of the MLB 2015 World Series was another extra-inning game filled with historic baseball events. It was another come-from-behind win for the Royals. Down 2-0 heading into the ninth inning, the Royals scored twice to tie the game. During the twelfth inning, the Royals managed to score 5 more runs, therefore winning the World Series with a score of 7-2. The 2015 World Series has been their first win since 1985. After the big win, Kansas City held a parade to celebrate. Thousands of people attended along with the manager of the team, Ned Yost. The Royals catcher, Salvador Perez, was awarded with the MVP trophy after the game. Salvador Perez saved the team with many blocks behind the plate, preventing the New York Mets from scoring runs and throwing three people out at second base.
The Royals deserved to win. They earned the trophy. During the regular season they won 95 games and only lost 29. They worked really hard and kept their heads up. The Royals played with an outstanding defense and when it came to swinging the bat, they frequently were able to score. “They played smart baseball”, said Ned Yost, manager of the Royals after the win. This win will go down in the books as a victory for the Kansas City program.

Cooperman Commits to Bloomsburg

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By Ian Carson

Chad Cooperman, a senior at SHS, verbally committed to the Bloomsburg University baseball team on October 22, 2015. Chad got their attention because of his stellar performance on the baseball field as well as in the classroom. Not only is he a four year varsity baseball player, he also is a three year varsity basketball player. He is the National Honor Society President and he is ranked in the upper third of his class. He earns good grades, he continues to challenge himself by taking on some of Salisbury’s toughest classes. Chad decided to commit to Bloomsburg because he says it fits academically, athletically, and financially. Chad also states that he loves the campus as well as the coaching staff.

Chad started playing baseball when he was four and he will get to continue in the next level. Even though Chad is committed to Bloomsburg, he still has one more season of high school baseball. He has high expectations for the upcoming year, “We have a core of guys with some good experience and a very talented and deep sophomore class. As long as we come to practice every day and put in the effort needed to get better throughout the season, I think we could definitely have the chance to compete for a league and district title.” Hopefully Chad can bring his leadership attitude to the next level.