With the 2014 campaign officially underway, many teams are still looking to find their groove as the season heats up. For the NY Beers and Baisley Pirates however, strong starts have manifested themselves in early divisional leads and could be a sign of things to come for the AA division.

With sweeps last weekend, both the Beers and Pirates currently lead their respective conferences with stellar 5-1 records, a testament to their strong all-around play this April.

The Pirates led the Brooklyn/Queens Division with 19 regular season wins last year and seem to be picking up right where they left off. In 2013, the Pirates' lineup was among the most feared in the league, with 10 everyday players posting batting averages of .300 or better. This year, however, Baisley’s pitching staff is making a name for itself as well.

After a slugfest split with the defending NYCMBL Champion NY Storm on opening weekend, Pirate hurlers have had great success, allowing just three total runs in the past three games. With veterans like Tony Zagoras and Melvin Cortorreal – and newcomers like Alex Gounaris (2-0, 0.87 ERA)- keeping opposing offenses at bay, pitching could be a strength for Baisley in 2014.

“Keeping the arms fresh and keeping batters off balance by throwing different arms has helped us to get off to a good run,” said Pirates’ outfielder David Payero. “Although it’s early in the season, the addition of some new arms and solid defense has helped.”

In the Bronx/Manhattan division, the Beers have employed a similar approach. In the offseason, the longtime NYCMBL squad picked up some talented hurlers in Dan Ternowcheck and Bobby Steinsdoerfer to compliment reigning Cy Young winner Ryan Smith. So far, Ternowcheck and Smith each have two wins, while Steinsdoerfer is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA and 13Ks in just seven innings of work.

“When you have a true ace, the quality of the number two and three guys is really going to dictate your season,” said co-manager Mike Darling.

“Both [Steinsdoerfer and Ternowcheck] have already proven to be great assets on the mound,” added Pete Darling. “I think this is the deepest rotation we’ve had as a team and among the deepest in the league.”

Both the Beers and the Pirates will look to continue their winning ways this season, but should face a stiff challenge in their upcoming games. On April 26, the Pirates will host a talented Rainmakers (1-3) squad at Baisley Park. The Beers have an off-week but return to action on May 3 with a doubleheader against that same Rainmakers team at Red Hook.