Spring Sports Preview
by Walter Sharon
This season for LCA athletics sees a lot of new coaching additions to the programs and even more snow. As of now, according to resident newspaper weatherman Drew Pelusi, “the snow will never melt, in fact, we are in store for more snow, and we will never see grass again.” So as the spring athletes wait patiently in the gym for the end of time, they can reflect on how their seasons would look if they ever happened.
Baseball
This year, after the departure of 3 year coach and LCA alum Mo Christmas, new athletic Director Ryan Patrie went to searching for a new replacement. His searchings turned fruitful as Jordan McCarthy turned up, previously the assistant baseball coach at Lincoln-Sudbury High School. McCarthy played his high school ball there at LSHS, winning two state championships as a pitcher and outfielder for the warriors. “Every day our goal is to get better every single day,” says coach McCarthy. Coach McCarthy will bring a new energy to the team, and right off the bat he looks to improve. The baseball team has set themselves up for a solid season this year, with the return of senior Captain Thomas Segreve (‘15), Junior Captain Ryan Ahern (‘16), and a set of sophomores returning from starting roles as freshmen, including Captain Walter Sharon (‘17), Edmond DeAngelis (‘17), Dillon Koster (‘17), and Jesse Welch (‘17). The incoming freshman class holds its own as well, as Matt Greco (‘18) assumes a starting spot in right field.
Softball
Following the departure of coach and alum Melissa Christmas, the softball team got a great new addition to the program in coach Brian LaHair. Coach LaHair is entering his first season as head coach at LCA following coaching stints at Quinsigamond Community College and Ashland High School. LaHair’s coaching mentality is based on strong fundamentals and a team first mentality. The Lady Lions look to dominate the League this year, with new addition of power pitcher Sam Gibson (‘16), as well as returning stars in Victoria Cusanello (‘17), Shae Roys (‘16), and seniors Emma Sharon, Avi Perez and Kesha Porter. With a new coach, new mentality, and new year, the sky's the limit for LCA softball.
Girl’s Lacrosse
Coach Murphy is in her first season as head coach of the Lady Lions Lacrosse program. A graduate of Colby-Sawyer College, Coach Murphy was a 4-year women's lacrosse player and holds the single season and career goals and points records at Colby-Sawyer. In 2013 and 2014, Coach Murphy was the assistant varsity head coach at Woburn Memorial High School where she helped lead the team to the MIAA Division 1 tournament in 2014. Coach Murphy is also an assistant coach on LCA's Girls' Varsity Basketball team. Murphy is also Assisted by Coach McSherry is in her second season with the Lady Lions lacrosse program. She is a graduate of Gordon College and played soccer for the Fighting Scots. She has also been the head coach of the girls JV basketball team at LCA for the past three seasons. The Girls Lacrosse team is headed by Seniors Madi Stevens, Lexi Madrid, and Olivia Chen, and they look to see immediate success against league foes with their opener against Concord Academy, on 4/15.
Boys Lacrosse
The Spring 2015 season will be Coach Patrie’s 6th season as Head Coach of Boys Varsity Lacrosse, his sixth overall after serving as assistant in 2009. Coach Patrie ’03 captained the team during his senior season before attending Liberty University (Lynchburg, VA) where he captained the Men’s Club Lacrosse Team. In addition to his Lacrosse coaching, Patrie works as Head Coach of the Varsity Girls Soccer team at LCA in addition to his role as LCA's Athletic Director. The boys look to get off to a good start with games against out of league foes Worcester Academy, Arlington Catholic, and St. Andrews. Led by Seniors Peter Cusanello and Mario Beauzile, the boys should have a strong season with a competitive EIL schedule this spring, starting against Landmark on 4/15.