Carbonara wants to build confidence into players
Rich Carbonara returns for a second season with the Geibel Catholic softball program, looking to build more confidence into his players.
He is already a step ahead of last year. The Lady Gators were winless in 2015, but they opened their season on March 24 with an 11-8 non-section win over Rockwood.
“The girls played good, fundamental softball to get the win. I’m very happy with that,” he said. “The overall improvement in their skill level from last year has been good.”
He says everything begins with solid pitching. He will rely on senior captain Chelsea Ward to carry the load for most of the season. Carbonara says he has several very good athletes on the team.
Besides Ward, it appears his most experienced players will be Ward’s sister Carly, who is a junior, at shortstop, and sophomores Jillian and Gabby Yourish with Jillian behind the plate and Gabby at second. They are two-thirds of a set of triplets. Their brother Jesse is a starting outfielder on the baseball team.
Carbonara said those four players will help determine the success of the team. He says they’re great kids and good athletes and are a pleasure to work with.
“These are the most experienced kids I’ve got. We’re looking to build for the future,” said Carbonara.
One thing that has caught Carbonara’s eye is his outfielders. Not much experience, but they can run and get to the ball and Carbonara said their overall fundamentals are better than last year. Those outfielders are Lynn Hamborsky in center, Jessica Wolfe in right and Piper Scarry in left.
Carbonara is focusing on getting the Lady Gators to learn how to make routine plays because there is a lot of youth on the team. Freshman Haley Riggin will be at first and another freshman, Sarah Erhardt, will be at third.
“Both are new to playing softball, but they are fine athletes and have a lot of potential,” said Carbonara.
Carbonara said getting that win to start the season was a confidence builder.
“That game was very important for the newer kids,” he said. “Everybody got to play and contributed in their own way.”
Carbonara also attributes the win to getting the chance to put some time in with the team. He got hired late last year and felt they lost some games because they didn’t know how to win. He thinks the girls are ready to take the next step and win some games this year.
He knows Section 2-A will be competitive with Frazier being the team to beat. Monessen, Greensburg Central Catholic, California and Jeanette will also be in the mix.
“We’ve had a good conditioning program and have been able to get on the field for some good workouts,” Carbonara said. “I think we’re going to be more competitive this year. I just hope it equals more wins.”