When you are welcoming a new face at the helm for your program for the first time in over 60 years with a youthful roster, a slow opening to the campaign might be in order, though for the North Haven baseball team, it quickly got over those growing pains and has begun to get things back in order.

In 2022, the Nighthawks finished 9-11 in the regular season, qualifying for both the SCC and state tournaments. First, eighth-seeded North Haven fell in the conference tournament quarterfinals to top-ranked Xavier by a 4-1 final. As the 25th-seeded squad for the Class L State Tournament, North Haven traveled to fellow SCC school Lyman Hall in the first round and suffered a 3-1 defeat to finish 9-13 overall for the campaign.

Joseph Romanelli is at the helm this spring for the Nighthawks, succeeding longtime and legendary skipper Bob DeMayo. For his rookie slate so far, North Haven has procured a 7-7 record. Last week, North Haven first traveled to Hamden on May 1 and squeaked out a 6-5 win before hosting Sheehan two days later with another nail biter in the form of a 3-2 triumph. Finally on May 5 at home versus Law, North Haven completed a perfect week with another one-run win, 1-0.

The squad did in fact get off to a shaky start, yet the Nighthawks have begun to find their footing and are back on more solid ground towards securing a spot in states.

“The first goal for this team on the field has always been qualifying for the state tournament, and we are currently in the position to do that,” said Romanelli. “We started off 0-4 and, in those games, we hurt ourselves with errors and walks, but we have corrected those mistakes and have been playing really good baseball the past two weeks and are back in a position where we can qualify for the state tournament.”

Steven Vincent and Antonio Fusco are a pair of players who will double as outfielders and pitchers on the mound as senior captains, alongside fellow senior captain and outfielder/infielder Tyler Kornacki. Each member of the trio brings crucial veteran leadership to a younger group by being athletes who are consistent in their successes and effort on the field.

“Steven brings experience, energy, and a great attitude to a team that doesn’t have a lot of varsity playing experience. He has been great on the mound and will continue to be a key player for us for the rest of the season,” said Romanelli. “Tyler brings a lot of energy to the field everyday and keeps the team engaged on a daily basis. He has also been one of the most consistent hitters in our lineup all year. Antonio has been excellent on the mound, having two wins in three starts and giving us a chance to win every time he steps on the mound. Antonio also brings a lot of experience to this team.”

The senior stalwarts do not stop within the comfort of the captain’s helm, as North Haven sports an infielder with Luke Blasi–the team’s current leader in doubles–along with Tyler Harger behind the dish as catcher, and infielder Jack Martineau, who also is a member of the Nighthawks’ pitching staff out of the bullpen. Within the junior ranks, infielder Justin Gouin has flashed instances of prominence from both perspectives of the field.

“Luke Blasi has played solid defense at shortstop,” said Romanelli. “Tyler has done a great job behind the plate and has been getting timely hits all season long. Jack has been our closer this year and has done a really good job in the role. He has also contributed at the plate and in the field at first base. Justin has done a good job of getting big hits and playing solid defense.”

As the Nighthawks commenced the home stretch of their regular season slate with a big road matchup against Xavier at Palmer Field in Middletown on May 8, they will then travel to West Haven High School to face Notre Dame-West Haven (ND-WH) under the lights on Friday, May 12 at 6:30 p.m. before concluding the schedule with a Senior Night showdown with North Branford on Thursday, May 18 at DeMayo Field at 7 p.m.

The SCC is always a power-packed pressure cooker in terms of five-star matchups, which Romanelli believes will bode quite well for his ball club come postseason time. Additionally, he wants the boys to continue to bond while being an active presence in the local baseball commune.

“Playing in the SCC, our schedule is always tough, and it prepares us well for the state tournament. I anticipate at the end of the season, we will be where we want to be and competing in the state tournament,” said Romanelli. “Off the field, one goal as a team is to continue to come together as a team and family and to continue to be part of the community. On April 22, the team went to the Max Sinoway [Baseball League] Opening Day ceremonies and supported the players there beginning their season.”

The 2023 North Haven baseball team roster is comprised of seniors Vincent, Noah Greco, Kornacki, Blasi, Fusco, William Whitcomb, William Sullivan, Martineau, Harger; juniors Aaron Barbour, Jordan Higgins, Dominic DeSimone, John O’Neill, Marco Giaimo, James Tobin, Ryan Bauman, Gouin, Maxwell Cargan, Avery Karasinski; sophomores of Brandon Stevens, Christopher Kottage, Ryan Semple, Parker Mazzaro, Dereck Foster, Jimmy Marshall, Nathaniel Acevedo, Joey Mastroianni, Nicholas Romano, Andrew Manzo, John Slais, Jaden Wells, David Suvoski III; and freshmen with Oskar Drake, Luca Faulkner, Maxwell Rothwell, Tanner Gouin, Quinn Bergin, Philip Huntington, Nate Eggerling, Anthony Parillo, Nathan Ori, Jacob Biros, Domenico Carbone, Ralph Consiglio, Jason Huang, Bryce Mastriano, Anthony Papa, and Chase McDade.

Romanelli’s prior coaching experience includes travel ball with The Grind from 2013, plus ND-WH from 2016-2022 as an assistant coach. North Haven’s varsity assistant coaches are Chris Demorias and Mike Antonini. Demorias was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in 2014 and played a few seasons in the minor leagues. He was an assistant coach at the University of New Haven for three years. Antonini was selected in the draft by the Mets in 2007 and played professional baseball up until 2020. After that, he joined Romanelli at ND-WH as an assistant.

The Nighthawks’ JV coaches are James Manzo and Travis McHugh and the freshman coach is Angelo Romano.

2023 North Haven Baseball Team Regular Season Results and Schedule

April 3: Hand 7, North Haven 4

April 5: East Haven 7, North Haven 6

April 10: Hamden 5, North Haven 4

April 12: Sheehan 12, North Haven 6

April 14: North Haven 3, Law 0

April 15: North Haven 5, Danbury 3

April 17: Xavier 3, North Haven 0

April 19: North Haven 3, Foran 0

April 21: Notre Dame-West Haven 5, North Haven 4

April 24: North Haven 6, Branford 2

April 28: East Haven 5, North Haven 1

May 1: North Haven 6, Hamden 5

May 3: North Haven 3, Sheehan 2

May 5: North Haven 1, Law 0

Monday, May 8: at Xavier at Palmer Field at 4 p.m.

Wednesday, May 10: vs. Foran at 7 p.m.

Friday, May 12: at Notre Dame-

West Haven at West Haven at 6:30 p.m.

Monday, May 15: vs. Branford at 7 p.m.

Wednesday, May 17: at Lyman Hall at Pat Wall Field at 3:45 p.m.

Thursday, May 18: vs. North Branford at 7 p.m.