Spring is upon us and with that, a new varsity sports season is as well. The Harrison Varsity baseball team is geared up and ready to go to make a big run this Spring. The team has already played 8 games and is 6-2. The Herald spoke with Head Coach Marco DiRuocco both before and during the season to keep up with the group’s outings and overall season so far.

One of the main factors contributing to the success of Harrison High School’s baseball program is its dedicated coaching staff. Head coach Marco DiRuocco has been with the program for over two decades and has built a strong culture of hard work, discipline, and teamwork. He has led the team to numerous playoff appearances, and his experience and leadership are essential to the team’s success. Just this Wednesday, April 12th, Coach DiRuocco celebrated his 200th career win in a 5-2 triumph over Pelham. Coach DiRuocco feels that Harrison is constantly faced with tough matchups that push the group to work their hardest and he says it will be no different this year, “The only way you get better is playing against tough competition.” He went on to explain his confidence in the Huskies, “I feel we have a lot of depth in our pitching and our defense should be able to come back and play really good ‘D.” He then commented, “I believe our biggest strength this year is our pitching depth, especially due to the number of games we play a week. When you’re playing 3-4 games a week, you need a lot of guys that can step on the mound.”

The lineup heavily benefits from a number of notable return players. These kids play extremely important roles in the offense and defense as well as providing leadership for the younger members on both varsity and JV. Standouts include, senior pitcher, and Northwestern commit, Luke Burden; senior pitcher, Anthony Engongoro (both of whom made the 2023 Lohud “Nine Who Shine” watchlist); senior second-baseman, Jared Summer; senior catcher, Alex Schwartz; senior right-fielder, Raffaele Greco; junior pitcher, Marco Citro, and many more juniors and seniors. All of whom have contributed greatly to the team’s success, especially in a key 3-2 victory over a solid Tappan Zee team this past Monday, April 10th. 

Any Harrison sports season would not be complete without the Harrison vs. Rye rivalry game which will take place on April 26th at Rye. Just three days later, the Huskies will once again take on the Garnets; on this day, the baseball team and Harrison as a whole will be honoring the memory of former player and Harrison student, Andrew Gurgitano. Andrew was only 16 years old and tragically died of a stroke in 2014. Since then, every year, a game is played in his memory. The “Gurg” game will be played at Silver Lake Field and Harrison will be considered the home team.

In addition to the talent on the field, the team’s success also stems from a strong sense of camaraderie and team unity. This brotherhood comes from the Spring break trip that the group makes every year. The squad played 3 games, going 2-1 and according to Coach DiRuocco, “had some fun in the sun at the beach and mini golf and attended a minor league game.” This team chemistry is essential in the high-pressure environment of high school sports, where one bad game or mistake can be the difference between victory and defeat. Coach DiRuocco believes this bond has been strengthened by an attitude he has imparted upon the players, “our big thing is the ‘energy bus.’ We don’t want any energy vampires, we want everybody on the bus.” So far it has led our Huskies to having a very successful record.

The Huskies will face Pelham again, tomorrow, Friday April 14th at 4:30 PM at Pelham

The Harrison High School baseball team has set their sights on making a deep run in the playoffs and winning the league and possibly even section championship. They know that it will take a lot of hard work and dedication to achieve their goals, but they are up for the challenge and with their winning ways so far, the dream doesn’t seem so far off. With a talented roster, experienced coaching staff, and a tight-knit bond, the team is well-positioned to achieve success on the field and continue the proud tradition of good Harrison High School baseball teams.

Photo from: TechCrunch