Mineola High School Varsity Softball Coach Chrissy Bennett has a nice mix of veteran and rookie talent as she heads into her third season. In looking ahead at the season, Bennett says, "This year is going to be extremely competitive. We are ranked in the top eight teams in our conference. Our goal is simply to improve with each game we play. Holding one of the top eight spots guarantees us a playoff spot."

Coach Bennett's experience tells her what a team needs to stay in the thick of things against a rugged schedule. She was an All-County pitcher at Oceanside and went on to pitch at Central Connecticut State. It begins with pitching and Mineola has senior Kristin Raffetto. Bennett describes the hurler as "very dominant." She's a returning All-Conference selection. The coach also has returning veterans Vicky Russo, Melissa Hock, Caitlin Orlando, Liz Terezo, Melissa Skupp and Jill Tognelli. Bennett characterized Russo, who plays second base, as "a very smart player, who's great defensively with tremendous range." In speaking of Hock, who plays third base, Bennett says "she's great at the hot spot." Hock is the Mustangs' lone returning All-County player. Orlando, the shortstop, is an excellent defensive player with a very strong arm, says Bennett. In centerfield, it's Liz Terezo, who the coach describes as "outstanding and the strongest offensive player on the team." Catcher Melissa Skupp is Mineola's most enthusiastic player and the coach says, "she does a wonderful job behind the plate." Jill Tognelli is an experienced utility player. The Lady Mustangs will also be getting some help from younger players. Sophomores Nicole Lapin and Lauren Raffetto are up from the junior varsity while freshman Roseanne Mercurio was brought to the varsity right away. Bennett says Mercurio is her starting left-fielder. "She has blazing foot speed and is smart." Lapin "is extremely quick and is our lead-off hitter." Raffetto will add depth at multiple positions. As is usually the case in a competitive fastpitch softball league, pitching and defense will win most games for a team. That's no different in this case. Coach Bennett has some more help this season. The board of education approved varsity assistant coaches for track, baseball and softball ... and veteran Rory Block has moved up from head JV coach to be alongside Bennett on varsity. He brings a lot of experience and know-how to the position.

Mineola opened its conference B/C-1 season on March 25 with a 2-1 victory over visiting Seaford. The Lady Mustangs scored both runs in the bottom of the first inning. Liz Terezo drove in the first run and was later driven in by Melissa Hock. Terezo was 2 for 3 in the game with an RBI. Kristin Raffetto scattered five hits and struck out in gaining the win. You'll notice a pattern as the season develops. Yes, pitching and defense are the keys in softball. But, you do have to score a little. In game two of the season, Floral Park stopped Mineola 4-1 as Christa Cerrone limited the Mustangs to four hits. Then Wheatley blanked Mineola 2- nothing behind a two-hitter from Jessica Sachse. The Mustangs dropped to 1-and-3 in the league when they dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to Plainedge. Diane Morrison limited Mineola to one hit and Plainedge pushed the winner across in the bottom of the 8th.

The Mineola Junior Varsity Softball team has a new coach. With Rory Block moving up to varsity assistant, Shannon Finley has taken over the JV team. She was standout player at Oceanside High School and Southern Connecticut State. Finley says, "I couldn't be happier with the turnout for this year's team. Since this is my first season at Mineola and the first time on JV Softball for many of my girls, it will be a positive learning experience for both." The first year coach went on to say, "I am very impressed with their eagerness to learn and how much improvement I saw in the first three weeks. Defensively we are good. We have a strong infield with Amanda Klein at first base. Amanda has a great glove and a confident attitude. Unfortunately, second baseman Kristin Carter is expected to miss a month with a broken finger. But we have a transfer sophomore, Mary Raguseo, who is very versatile in the middle infield. She'll most likely take on the responsibility of second base. At shortstop, we have sophomore Mallory Calonita, whose strong arm will benefit our defense. At third base is freshman Nicole De Stefano. She has a good glove and is quick to the ball." As far as the outfield is concerned, Coach Finley has a large selection of players. "Three sophomore lefties, Jessica Handibode and Jessica Rowen, both sophomores, and junior Janet Holler will round out a strong defense in the outfield. Each of them has a strong arm and great speed." The coach also said, "To add to our dynamic outfield, we have freshmen Feba Joseph, Danielle Dasilva and Kelly Munson." On the mound, sophomore Courtney Barry will be the team's main pitcher. Coach Finley also said freshman Sara Lasorsa adds a nice catcher-pitcher combination. "If Sara pitches, we have freshman Christina Losquadro catching. Both girls have great experience behind the plate." Coach Finley concluded by saying, "I'm looking forward to a positive season emphasizing basic skills, teamwork and most of all, fun."