by Vinny Messana
Coming off another League-I title in which they won 21 games and came within one win of a Suffolk County championship, the Ward Melville Patriots will have to defend their crown minus two integral parts of last year’s terrific rotation. One of which was a staple of the program for four seasons.
“Joe Flynn is the type of player you can’t replace,” said Lou Petrucci, now in his 10th year at the helm. “He started from day one as a freshman, he won 15 games on the mound and he played 98 games for us,” he said. The Patriots record in those 98 games? 74-24.
“As Anthony Frascogna said–‘Having a player like him is like having a coach on the field.’ We’re going to miss him but players like him pass on more than bats and baseballs, they pass on pride, tradition and work ethic,” he said.
Additionally, they graduated Joe Barbieri, who won a school-record eight games in 2015.
Petrucci noted that while, in the past, they’ve had players who bailed out the team “like Anthony Kay getting a big hit or striking out 10 guys, these guys have to do it by themselves,” he said.
He is confident in the returning nucleus of the team.
Nick Vitale–who will be headed to NYIT in the fall, Dom Lamonica, Troy Davern and Brandon Lee were all named All-League last season.
Lamonica hit the walk-off home run in the middle game of the Suffolk County championship against Connetquot.
All of those players were key cogs in the machine that was the 2015 Ward Melville Patriots season.
The pitching staff will be counting on junior Ben Brown, who went 6-1 as a sophomore and pitched the League clinching game over Pat-Med.
“Ben will be good, he’s coming off a great year,” said Petrucci. “He need to grab the ball in game one and keep the team in the game,” he said.
He will also be counting on Frankie Merlino and Troy Daverne to round out the rotation and stave off the League-I foes.
They will open up against Commack.
“League-I is a battle,” said Petrucci. “Lots of improved teams,” he added.
