Christian Central Academy
Baseball teams stepping up to the plate

Christian Central Academy hopes its seventh-eighth grade modified baseball team will eventually lead to a high school junior varsity and varsity team. Pictured is the seventh-eighth grade team, front row, from left - Daniel Wrigglesworth, Mark Goszewski, Nathaniel Jacobs, Peter Kazmierczak, Joel Lattimer, Nathan Warnock; back row - Austin Tom, coach Joseph Lauto, Andrew Lauto, Rotimi Owolabi, Gabe Chen, Jonathan Whited, Jack Ranallo, coach Tom Ranallo, and coach Paul Kazmierczak.

The idea of a baseball program at Christian Central Academy, 39 Academy St., Williamsville, started four years ago over a cup of coffee at The Original Pancake House in Williamsville.

The schools' attendance was increasing steadily for years and it was becoming evident that the athletic program needed to grow with the school.

In the summer of 2004, a fifth grade baseball team was assembled and competed in the Catholic Diocesan fall baseball league. After two consecutive successful seasons on the little league diamond, the CCA Crusaders launched a middle school team that competed in the fall of 2006 on the big diamond.

"I am excited about the direction of the sports program," said Board President Robert Zima. "It's great to see that CCA is using its sports field and the new Emmanuel Athletic Facility to our students' benefit."

"We have started the baseball program at CCA from the ground up," added manager and board member Tom Ranallo. "Because of the increased enrollment at CCA, the athletic department has grown. We took the temperature of the community and found that there was an overwhelming interest in baseball at CCA. We have slowly cultured, developed, and gradually grown the baseball program from birth."

A modified seventh and eighth grade spring team is the next step in creating a high school junior varsity and varsity team at CCA. The schedule this spring includes schools such as Nichols, Elmwood Franklin, Grand Island, Starpoint, JFK, Cheektowaga, Tonawanda, and Depew.

In preparation, the CCA players will be practicing on their own athletic field and bringing in a pitching mound, batting cage and pitching machines.