They took Ward Melville to the absolute edge before finally getting defeated by a passed ball in the eighth inning of the Suffolk County Class AA quarterfinals.
Regardless, winning 17-games is always a tremendous accomplishment for a team. They will, however, have to replace a terrific pitching staff that featured Brandon Lamanna (five wins), Rob Tamarro (four wins) and John Craft (five wins).
June 5 at Dowling
They will be looking to a group of four young promising arms to fill that void. Nick Trabacchi, Anthony Amato, Nick Grande and Mike Zito will all be counted on to lead the way.
Eleventh year Head Coach Al Nucci stated that all four of those arms are capable, but are untested because they were not needed last year, given their dominant rotation.
Grande will have a much larger role than a pitcher–he is also their best offensive player, one of the best defensive shortstops on Long Island and will be headed to Stony Brook in the fall.
He is in his fifth varsity season and will be the on-and-off the field leader for West.
Nucci noted that the team is very confident in their defense up the middle, between Grande and Trabacchi. They are hoping that catcher Paul Dolan will be able to play this season. He suffered an injury but could potentially be ready for the season. His presence behind the plate could be crucial.
They will also be in good position with their defense at third base, with Joe Iannuzzi manning the hot corner.
The skipper noted that the team does not favor experience over talent.
“We play the best nine guys,” he said. “Not everyone is going to get at bats, and they’re not always going to play,” he said.
“We’ve been getting lots of reps in practice, I’m confident they’ll be ready to play.”
The team will be faced with the obstacle of overcoming their crosstown rivals from Smithtown East. They are the reigning League III champs and will be tough once again. They will also have to deal with Half Hollow Hills East, who possess arguably the two best players on the island.
It will be a tall order, but if they can sneak into the playoffs everyone has a chance. Fortunately, they have built a winning tradition and their players tend to be prepared to play with anyone.
Grandma Jo
Enjoy,Enjoy! The game Titans. Nick Grams love ya
Grandma Jo
Sorry Smithtown West Bulls, grams is getting old. Enjoy the games.