Every so often a coach will have a player that comes along that is really special. This type of player can hide the team’s deficiencies and perhaps win some games single-handedly.
If the coach is lucky, this player will come along every 10 years or so.
If he’s really lucky, he’ll have one every five years. But what Half Hollow Hills East Head Coach Tim Belz has is potentially three of these game-changers.
Matt Hogan, Mike Palazzolo and Patch Dooley are all Div-I players. They have all shown that they are capable of carrying their team and they all play for the same team–that could spell trouble for League III.
Hogan, a CF and pitcher, created tons of buzz this summer when he committed to national powerhouse Vanderbilt–as a freshman.
“Hogan is a special player,” said Coach Belz. “He came up as an eighth grader. He can flat-out play–he does everything right.” Belz even joked about his childish demeanor off the field, saying he asked him last year if he still believes in Santa Clause. When he plays, he is a completely different person. He made a name for himself as an eighth grader when he smacked two line drives off the wall against Jon Faraci and Aaron Glickstein of Hills West–two of the best pitchers in Suffolk County at the time. He hit .350, smacked three HR and led the team in triples and in RBI with 26.
Palazzolo, a shortstop with superior athleticism in the field and pop at the plate, committed to Stony Brook last season. Belz noted that he really emerged as an offensive player last year and is a pro-caliber prospect. If not for him, pitchers could pitch around Hogan. Instead, they will most likely be in scoring position for the No. 5 place hitter every time.
Dooley, although uncommitted at the time, was hitting 87 MPH as a sophomore and still has room for growth. With his advanced feel for pitching, he will almost certainly get looks from the top 50 programs.
Incredibly, they actually had two more Div-I players on their roster last year–Rich Villa (Lafayette) and Brandon Bonomo (Marist).
They ran into Connetquot in the playoffs, the eventual Long Island Champions and were knocked off 11-3.
This year they will be the hunted. With a favorable schedule that features three easy series to begin the season, they could potentially open up the season 9-0 before their first challenge.
They will be looking for big years from a couple other players. Michael Mincone, a tall lefty pitcher and brother of former Mets prospect John Mincone, will be asked to fill a rotation spot. Right in the mix will be Zach Decicco, who is coming off a tremendous summer, will also play a crucial role.
Another player to watch is James Ceparano, a talented second baseman, who is close to finalizing his college commitment.
There’s no guarantee that they will run roughshod over Class AA and win the title, but with their caliber of players, they are in as good of position to do so as anyone.
