by Vinny Messana
In many ways, 2015 was a banner year for Hauppauge. They easily ran through League V with 17 regular season wins in 18 games.
Nick Fanti took Suffolk county by storm with a ridiculous year on the mound (7-1, 0.67 ERA in 52 IP) and at the plate (.541/.571/.689 27 RBI at the plate), that culminated in becoming the first player in school history to be awarded the coveted Carl Yastrzemski Award.
The team consisted of much more than him, though.
P.J. Contreras won the Golden Glove Award for best defensive catcher and was named All-County for the second time. He is now leading New Haven in hitting through the first two weeks of the season.
Those two players had a tremendous impact on the Hauppauge program during their high school careers.
“On top of the fact that they were two of the best players on Long Island, their leadership skills were incredible,” said third-year Head Coach Josh Gutes. “They commanded the locker room and were so well-respected that I never had to worry about anything going on. They were good players and even better people,” he added.
If there is a silver lining, every other starter from last year will be back as they hope to protect the League V crown.
In the infield, the team will be returning All-County third baseman Tyler Sanderson, who will be going to St. Joseph’s in the fall. He smacked three HR last season and hit .429, which probably would’ve led most teams in hitting.
Shortstop Billy Huber, a three-year starter and lead off man for the Eagles, was named All-League last season and will be heading to New Haven to play in the fall. He is coming off a year in which he hit .330 with 8 stolen bases.
Second baseman Kyle Wood was also named All-League last year and he will be their Thursday starter this season to protect his arm for the field. He was 5-1 last year and compiled a 1.69 ERA over 33 IP.
First baseman Devin Jenny is also a three-year starter and hit .313 last season with four doubles and two triples.
Outfielders Matt Overton and catcher Blake Adamo are both getting looks from Div-I programs and will be key cogs in the offensive attack.
The rotation will be led by ace Mike Lazos, who will pitch for LIU Post in the fall. He was second on the team with five wins last season.
Behind him in the rotation will be senior Tim Woodford, who pitched zero innings last season, but Gutes noted he has the best stuff on the staff and will be the No. 2 starter.
The biggest obstacle for the Eagles will probably be Bellport. Gutes admitted they are the most talented team in the league. They lost only one player from last year, and most of their players have been on varsity for at least three seasons. Head Coach Bill Batewell called up some of the program’s best players as seventh graders, which gives them more experience than just about any team on the island.
The Eagles open up at home on March 28 against Kings Park.
“It’s a tough league,” said Gutes. “Anybody can beat anybody”.
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