Two Monarchs made their senior season special Riverhead News-Review (subscription)
FARMINGDALE -- Even though the names on the roster didn't change much, this wasn't nearly the same Bishop McGann-Mercy High School baseball team as last year. A team that didn't make it to the playoffs in 2009 reached the Southeast Region Class C semifinals in 2010. Perhaps the best explanation for how the Monarchs did it can be found in two seniors, who over the course of one off-season turned themselves from role players into everyday players.
Through off-season training, Iain Traynor and Al Yakabowski have both transformed their senior seasons into something special. The two traded in limited roles on last year's team for more enhanced positions on this year's squad; they have both played virtually every game in helping the Monarchs capture their second Suffolk County Class C championship in four years.
Traynor walked into the first day of practice in 2009 in competition for the starting catcher job. The position went to Rocco Pascale. Traynor didn't get much playing time, providing backup at third base and catcher, and pinch hitting every now and then.
