Over the past decade, West Islip has proven to be a powerhouse on Long Island. Year after year, they churn out Div-I recruits, League MVPs and, in some cases, MLB pitchers.
After coming off their second Long Island Championship in three years, one would think they will be in line for a rebuilding year.
Jake Guercio has other plans.
Mike Trout photographed for BodyArmor sports drink by Monte Isom
He’s ready to take on the role of the team leader after the departure of James Kory, Ray Weber, Nick Valenti and Lou Antos.
“The graduating class was filled with leadership,” he said. “Something I took from them was how hard they worked during practice. Guys like James Kory, Lou Antos and Nick Valenti are just a couple of teammates that truly taught me how to work and become a leader. I hope I will be able to fill their shoes as the upcoming players will now look up to me and my actions as a leader.”
Guercio added several impressive feats to his baseball resume this year, and he can now add Fordham-commit to the list.
The outfield prospect put himself squarely on the map after a terrific season which included recording a hit in all-but-one game this season. Several colleges were after the uber-talented sophomore.
“The college recruiting process was very exciting for me and my family. It was a bit of a shock considering how early it started. The recruiting process for me started the summer of 9th grade. Fordham got my attention during the spring of last season. Fordham’s coaching staff took me in and I really loved the campus along with the facilities. The academic standards of the school also put it over the top and helped narrow down my decision much easier.”
One decision that he also had to make was whether his football prowess would factor in. He just led the Lions to a 10-1 season as the QB, while accounting for 12 TDs. Very few players have the luxury of choosing which college sports to play, but his athleticism warrants such.
He noted that while football has always been a passion, he decided that baseball was too important to him and he would prefer to simply focus on the diamond.
While it was a dream season for Guercio and the Lions, they ran into some tough luck in the seminfinals against Shenendehowa and arguably the best prep pitcher in the country.
“It was unfortunate having to verse Ian Anderson in the State Championship game but it was good to compete against such a great pitcher. It took nothing away from the season we had.”
Anderson was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Atlanta Braves. It took that type of pitcher to slow down a dynamic offense that averaged 8.8 runs per game and eclipsed double digits on 14 (!) occasions.
“Now my only goal is winning. Our team for this season has a ton of returning talent and we would love to make it back to Binghamton and have another successful season. With this comes great hard work and I’m sure Coach Rush is going to hold us accountable for that.”
In order to make that happen, Guercio is set on working extremely hard this off season with his hitting coach Jay Loviglio.
He noted that he attributes much of his success to him and his father, Phil, who founded the Long Island Black Diamonds travel organization.
Guercio has already made an impact on West Islip baseball but he has a chance to do something really special in June 2018, if he becomes the first player in school history to get drafted out of high school.
“Getting drafted would be an enormous opportunity,” he said. “The thought has never really crossed my mind. However, an area scout for the Mets did approach me last season so you never know where that can lead to.”
