Team Preview: Moran-Meeker O'Rourke Post 66

Manager Doug Forbragd, Coach Steve Holstein, Coach Jerry Coon, Coach Anthony Gonzalez.

Losses: Pete Calandra, Travis Greenlee, Tyler Greenlee, Alex Hamblin, Mike House, Neil Lawrence, Trevor Sauer, Coady Wines, Peter Zy'ma.
Returning players: Andy Benedetto (P/C), Nate Bianchi (OF), Holden Coon (OF/C), Jaime Coriale (OF/P), Doug Forbragd (OF/P), Angelo Gonzalez (2B), Kile Metott (OF), Josh Seymore (OF/P) Dylan Smith (SS).
Newcomers: Jake Clark (2B), Joe O’Rourke (OF), Dylan Holstein (1B), Dave Stanton (3B/P), Steve Palmer (1B/P), Andrew Bonomo (OF).

I conducted a phone interview with Moran-Meeker O’Rourke coach Steve Holstein on Wednesday night. This is Holstein’s first year as a coach with Moran. He coached the Camden varsity team as an assistant to Tom Stevens for 21 years, but left when Stevens retired in 2003. Here’s what Holstein had to say about the upcoming season:

AD: This is your first year as a coach with Moran. Why did you decide to coach and what does it mean to you to be coaching again?
SH: It means a whole lot. I missed it. Besides my family, baseball is next. I love it and I missed it terribly. They’re a great bunch of kids and that’s the big part of it I guess. It comes down to the love of the game and how much I missed it. When they asked, I jumped at the jazz I guess you could say.

AD: What do you like most about your team?
SH: Their attitude is real good. They hustle a lot. They’re into it. They’re coming off a pretty hard season in varsity, but their attitudes are fantastic for going through that.

AD: What does your team need to work on the most?
SH: They definitely have to learn to win. And the defense – we’ve been working a lot on defense and it’s coming along. The pitching I think will be there. The defense we need to work on and hitting I think we’ll be okay. We just have to be patient at the plate.

AD: You have a returning all-star in Andy Benedetto (.310 BA last year). What do you expect from him this year?
It’s big time to have him back. He’s an all-star catcher and that’s one of the most important positions. He’s a hitter. He played baseball in college. He’s a good kid and the kids really respect him and you need that. He’s going to do a lot for us – pitch, catch and probably hit fourth.

AD: Tell me about the new kids joining Moran this year.
SH: They’re really young, but I think they’re hungry and they’re good ball players. Stanton will probably start at third. He’s a good player. Angelo Gonzalez is injured at second base so Jake Clark will probably start there to start the season. My son (Dylan Holstein) and Palmer are our only first basemen so they’ll both get time at first.

AD: What is this team’s ultimate goal?
SH: The playoffs.

AD: On paper, it looks like your division is the tougher of the two. What are your thoughts that?
SH: I think it is the tougher division, especially with Smith Post. They’re definitely stacked from top to bottom. I have to believe they’re going to be the team to beat.

AD: Who else do you see as being the major contenders this year?
SH: Adrean of course. They’re always there. Whitestown will be very good too. They always have good pitching. Whitestown, Smith and New Hartford will probably be the top three.

AD: So what do you expect from your team this year?
SH: I just expect them to hustle every game. We’re going to make mistakes, but I expect them to give 100 percent.