John Pericolosi
South Side Returns Strong Core Led by Reigning Conference Player of the Year
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Ryan Manno As spring approaches, the South Side Cyclones are preparing for what promises to be an exciting 2026 season. Coming off a year that ended just short of the county championship, the team is focused on turning past lessons into future success. “The biggest goal is to make a deep playoff run,” said Head Coach Tom Smith. “We want to try and get to the County Championship and be in it at the end.” Last season, the Cyclones came painfully close, falling 3-1 to Division and 2-0 to Carey in two hard fought games. Both contests showcased strong pitching and solid defense, but when it came time to deliver in the clutch, the team fell just short. One key takeaway from last year is that South Side’s...
South Side Leans on Young, Talented Core
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman In a season that started red hot, the South Side Cyclones were unable to complete their goal of winning a championship. However, head coach Tom Smith, who is entering his 12th year in charge in 2025, believes that some of that blame falls on him. “Last season was up and down.” Smith said. “We came out of the gate in league play pretty hot but then we hit a road bump. I blame myself on that one, I needed to have a procedure done and I felt disconnected. We lost some really tight games down the stretch, finished second in the conference. We managed to get ourselves in as the number four seed. But we didn’t execute in some key moments and ultimately fell short of our goal.” While last seaso...
