Niagara Falls had its eyes set on competing for a sectional title. But a couple bad bounces ended its journey sooner than it expected.
For a third consecutive year, the Wolverines’ road ended in the Section VI Class AA semifinal, this time a 4-3 defeat against Lancaster. The loss to the Legends didn’t sting just because it was in walk-off fashion. The defeat shattered the yellow-and-blue’s dream of going for the city’s first sectional championship since 1999 after averaging 6.3 runs at the plate and 8.9 strikeouts on the mound in a 14-4-1 season.
And after graduating 11 seniors, the Wolverines are still preparing for the end in mind and that is competing for a sectional title in Class AAA. Niagara Falls is aiming to be the No. 1 seed in the three-team bracket, including Jamestown and Lancaster.
The winner of the play-in game would then face the No. 1 seed in a best of three-game championship series for the sectional title. Centering an approach for what happens at sectionals is still the target for the Wolverines, who reached the AA semifinal five times total since 2017.
“I don’t care if we’re 4-0 or 0-4 when we start the season,” Niagara Falls head coach Rob Augustino said. “I care how we are at the end of the season going into sectionals. So, that’s our mindset, as a whole, coaching staff and team, is to understand this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. We’re going to get better as the year goes on and hopefully be at our best when sectionals hit.”
Compared to recent years, Augustino and the Wolverines have a primarily younger roster, specifically on the mound. Of the 13-man rotation, eight are juniors and four are sophomores, with sophomore Anthony Littere and juniors Anthony Savino and Andre Borges having logged varsity innings last season.
In the offseason, the Wolverines added Joe Rizzo Jr. to its coaching staff as its new pitching coach. The 1986 Niagara Falls Power-Cats alum later played at Niagara University, and last season, was the pitching coach for Lewiston-Porter.
Since Rizzo’s arrival, the Wolverines have worked with their pitchers on at-bat count awareness and how to execute pitches with men on base. Communication between the pitchers and sophomore catcher Dominic Puleo has remained a key, too, with Rizzo.
“We’re just basically talking to the kids about just small things,” Augustino said. “Don’t just get up there. Just take a deep breath. Think what your points are that we’ve talked about, what you know that you need to do on that type of pitch, and then execute. Don’t just rush into it. Small stuff like that can help you to be calmer on the mound, more confident on the mound.”
Along with the play on the mound, Niagara Falls looks to rely on its own mental toughness for a deep postseason run. What Littere learned the most during his freshman season was the importance of moving onto the next play.
In his first varsity game, Littere allowed an extra-base hit off the centerfield wall against Roy-Hart and now-Canisius University pitcher Thomas Russo III. Littere learned how to stay collected against older batters by honing in on the metal aspect of his game, finishing with a 3.73 ERA and 25 strikeouts.
“I think, this year, it’s definitely needed because we’re mostly younger guys,” Littere said. “… I think it’ll lead to a big mental game this year. Or, yeah, we might be young but we’re still going to be the team that you’re going to have to come out and beat.”
After a season-opening 12-0 loss to Clarence on March 26, Niagara Falls bounced back with a 7-3 win against Williamsville North two days later. Savino, Trevor Meidenbauer and Johnathan Touma combined for a one-hitter in the win.
Following a home contest with Lancaster Tuesday, Niagara Falls (1-1) faces Roy-Hart at noon Friday at Niagara Falls High School. The Wolverines then begin Niagara Frontier League play at Kenmore West at 5 p.m. April 12 in Buffalo.