Waterford - Their summer workouts significantly differed from their Waterford High School soccer teammates.

No soccer ball needed.

Sophomores Daniel Castelpoggi and Cory Conderino invested all their energy into playing baseball, helping fuel Waterford's magical run all the way to the Babe Ruth 15-year-old World Series in Longview, Wash.

Soccer had to wait.

"It was awesome," Conderino said. "It was a lot of fun."

In the age of specialization, Castelpoggi and Conderino are devoting time, effort and energy to juggle two sports. They're having too much fun just to focus on one.

Coach Joe Mendonca, Jr. introduced them this way the other day after practice: "These are my soccer players that play a little baseball."

Or are they baseball players that play a little soccer?

The simple answer is they're athletes that can compete at a high level in two sports.

Conderino played second base in Babe Ruth and earned some time with the varsity soccer team last season on defense, seeing some productive minutes in the postseason.

Castelpoggi, a centerfielder, was one of Waterford's best all-around players, tying a World Series record with five hits in one game. He developed into a scoring threat at forward during his freshman season on the varsity soccer team.

"They're good kids," Mendonca said. "They're very athletic."

They also possess another important trait - a winning attitude. They've played and produced in their share of big games in both sports.

Those experiences are invaluable.

"It's more of a mentality," Mendonca said. "Having that pride and having that mentality of wanting to win and knowing how to compete.

"I see that a lot with those two in particular and a few others on the team. It's a good mentality to have. At the end of the day, you don't teach mentality like that. That's got to come from within."

Mendonca made sure his two players took a break between sports after returning from the World Series on Aug. 28. They needed the rest considering they'd been playing baseball on almost a daily basis since spring.

They gradually rejoined their soccer teammates and were back on the field fulltime by the end of last week.

They're still trying to get their soccer legs back.

"I missed it," Castelpoggi said. "I'm glad I'm back."

The Lancers are eager to begin the season, with nine returning players from a team that went 15-1 during the regular season, won the Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium Division and earned a No. 2 seed in the CIAC Class M tournament. They suffered a disappointing end, losing to 3-2 to Lyman Hall on penalty kicks in the second round.

The goal is to continue to build on their success and advance deeper into postseason. Since Mendonca became coach, the Lancers have gone from five to 12 to 15 wins.

"There is a lot of hunger," Mendonca said. "This is definitely a work in progress. We had a great season last year. … Now they're kind of developing that we're a force to be reckoned with. I can see the program going in the right direction."

Waterford opens the regular season against East Lyme, its fiercest rival, on Thursday. The Vikings are always one of the premier teams in the area.

Both Castelpoggi and Conderino will be a vital part of the rotation.

"Cory going forward is in the big plans and, obviously, Dan is, too," Mendonca said. "I'm excited to have them both back."

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe