Demarest hangs hat on experience

By Jonathan Cheung
Staff Writer
Published March 19, 2008

With only one graduated player, the Norsewomen are relying on their
togetherness and experience to achieve a goal that hasn't been accomplished
in years.

"Our goal is to make counties, Demarest hasn't done that in a while," said
senior Jessica Iuliano. "It motivates us more than adds pressure because we
all want to be known for our success. Before we graduate, we want to leave
that legacy behind."

Third-year coach Keith Johnson expects the previously developed skills of
the returning players to drive the team.

"Everyone has at least one year of varsity exposure and we just have to work
off that," said Johnson. "Hopefully we'll be able to feed off the last leg
of the previous season. We all know this is the year and the time is now." 
 
Johnson is talking about the team's determination to finish strong, as they
did last year, ending the season with a record of 6-6.

"The difference was not making mental errors," said senior Cody Kugler. "In
the second half [of the season] we were more positive and started to get
used to each other's style of play."

The Demarest coach also feels that last year's group of girls wasn't game
ready until the midpoint of the season. In order to remedy that, Johnson has
scheduled scrimmages on 11 of the last 12 days of the preseason and the
theme around camp is live hitting. 

"The key to a successful season will be our start," said Johnson. "We have
to limit the opposition's runs, since we are in a league where there will be
a lot of close games. Hitting is tough in our league for anybody."

The Norsewomen will rely on seniors Kugler and Stephanie Manella. Last year
both received all-league recognition from the NBIL. In addition, Iuliano and
junior Lauren Giannetti are proven varsity pitchers with several years of
service.

"We definitely have a lot of team togetherness because we've played with
each other for so long," said Iuliano. "We've gotten to the point where we
feed off each other. We're very enthusiastic and high energy."

Kugler agrees that the team is close knit, but also believes that this added
dimension is the intangible factor that will transfer onto the field, making
the Norsewomen a more cohesive unit.

"We hang out off the field and on the field we have a feel for each other,"
said Kulger. "We have that edge over teams."   

With preseason going as expected, the girls are setting the foundation for
what looks to be a promising year.

"At the end of a disappointing season you always wish you could have another
chance to play all together," said Iuliano. "We're fortunate to have that
opportunity and now is the time."

Last season's record: 9-16
Key players: P Jessica Iuliano, CF Cody Kulger, OF/C Stephanie Manella,
seniors; P Lauren Giannetti, junior
Outlook: Losing only one player to graduation can only help, and with a
positive spin of the season, the Norsewomen have the skill set and are more
than capable of qualifying for the county tournament. 
E-mail: cheung@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6709