Friday, May 16, 2025
The Oceanside softball team has turned the page in its regular season. After a 9-2 start in Nassau Conference I, the Sailors sit in first place and look every bit like a county champion not ready to relinquish their title.
That also won’t be easy. Conference I features the six best softball teams in the county. Rivals Massapequa and Farmingdale are just behind first-place Oceanside, and Syosset has won five games in a row.
“When you come out of a county championship, you have a bullseye on your back and everyone’s gunning for you,” Oceanside coach Carlo Quagliata said. “It is a privilege. It is nice to be known. We work hard, and the girls work hard for years trying to get to where we got to last year. A lot of them came back and they had that taste, and they want to keep it.”
The story of the first half of the season has been an offense that has produced 90 runs, third behind the Chiefs and Dalers in that category. However, that responsibility for Oceanside is evenly distributed throughout the lineup.
“When we bunch our hits together, it’s nonstop,” Quagliata said. “We have the potential one through nine where everyone could hit. There really is no soft spot in our lineup.”
The most consistent at the plate have been Christina Vlahakis and Maya Levy, while sophomore Joanna Byrne, left fielder, in her first year on varsity, has been a “contact machine.”
“She just puts the ball in play every single time,” Quagliata said. “It’s line drive after line drive after line drive. Those three have really been pushing the offense.”
Third baseman Riley Brasch brings power at the plate, while Riley Moylan, all-state at the long jump and triple jump, is a lefty slap hitter who has never been caught stealing in three-and-a-half years on varsity.
Caroline Ferchland and Kate Hyland have been a strong one-two punch in the circle. Both pitchers bring different attributes, with Ferchland being more of a power pitcher while Hyland keeps hitters off balance with her secondary pitches.
Defensively, the Sailors have been solid in the middle of the infield with Levy at second base and Karley Handleman at shortstop.
The real defensive star has been freshman centerfielder Alexa Conte.
“Not only did she come to every single offseason workout, but it was just play after play after play,” Quagliata said. “She forced us to look twice, and once we did, we couldn't look back.”
Yes, there’s Emma Priest at Wantagh, an Adelphi-bound senior, and Syosset sophomore Taylor Renny. But Quagliata would put Conte up against any centerfielder in Nassau, and beyond.
“She’s just highlight reel after highlight reel,” Quagliata said.
The first half of the season, though, wasn’t without disappointment, with Quagliata highlighting a 4-2 loss to Farmingdale in early April as one he wants back.
“I just think we woke up late that day, and sometimes with teenagers, that’s what happens,” Quagliata said. “And yet, last inning we were one hit away. It was a tough loss, and in the moment, it hurt, but I think if we played them in a best-of-three series, we’re the better team.”
