In the two years that we’ve done our Awards Banquet, Old Westbury has quietly led the Long Island programs with eight players represented on the All-Long Island team.
Coach Rod Stephan has done a commendable job building up the program, and has now averaged 25.1 wins per year since he took over in 2011. He has also had three pitchers drafted during his tenure–the only three players the Skyline Conference has had drafted during that time.
With that being the case, it is certainly time to take them seriously.
Despite a disappointing exit in the 2016 season–an extra-innings loss to rival Farmingdale State–the Panthers look ready to compete for the Skyline Conference crown yet again.
While watching their practice the other day, the team showed off their top arms during a live BP session.
Their rotation will consist of Adam Heidenfelder (Hofstra-transfer), Chris Tessitore (Dowling-transfer), Danny Aguilo (Nassau-transfer), Trey Pizzutello (Westchester CC-transfer) and Preston Zanon (Westchester CC-transfer).
Aguilo is coming off a great season with the Panthers, in which he went 6-3 with a 3.59 ERA, 57.2 IP with 55 Ks. Pizzutello compiled a 4.66 ERA but a stellar 32:6 K:BB ratio. The other three are new to the team.
Three of them are 6’5″ or taller and they all sit in the mid-to-high 80s with their fastball.
“I will put my top five guys against anyone in the conference,” said Coach Stephan.
They will be looking to replace the terrific season of Jeremy Charles (6-3, 3.04 ERA, 71.0 IP, 81 K, 9 BB), who is now pitching in independent ball. Charles filled in for Tim Ingram the previous year, who was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
The bullpen could be a strength as well. Hard-throwing Ryan Mordecai was clocked at 91 MPH during the summer league All-Star game at Baseball Heaven. James English (Flagler CC-transfer) may only be 5’9″ but Stephan has really liked what he has seen from him–comparing his 12-6 curveball to that off Rob Whitenack, who was drafted out of Old Westbury in 2009 by the Chicago Cubs in the eighth round.
The offense could be special as well.
They hit .334 as a team, with a .406 OBP and .481 SLG. Returning from that group will be a handful of All-Long Island and All-Region players, including Tommy Ziegen, Dean Sheridan, Jesse Russo and Mike Cardino in the infield and Kevin Lao in the outfield.
Coming out of HS, Stephan stated that Ziegen was the best defensive SS he saw that year–high school or college. He was pleasantly surprised that he went unnoticed by Div-I programs. Since that time, he has developed into a feared hitter and base runner–leading the nation in triples last year with 10 and notching 26 stolen bases in 28 attempts.
Russo will be attempting to switch-hit this season, after hitting .399 in 2016. Lao led the Skyline Conference with seven home runs and a .698 slugging percentage.
They also added David Hawley from Nassau CC–who runs a 6.5 60-yard dash. Stephan stated that the combination of him, Russo and Ziegen could wreak havoc on pitchers looking to contain the running game, which will, in turn, lead to more fastballs for his middle-of-the-order hitters.
They will also be counting on production from outfielder Paul Rapoli and catcher Louis Sileno. Coach Stephan is high on both of these players. The former hit .336 last season with a .513 SLG percentage. Sileno is a transfer from University at Albany and a graduate of Hills East HS, where he was the catcher for Stephen Woods at both stops. He was All-County in 2013. Despite not having a great year with the bat last year, Stephan stated he is “built like a monster” and has “tremendous bat speed”.
The one X-Factor could be the one player none of the conference rivals have seen yet.
Giovanni Carbone, 6’6″ 266 lbs, is built like an ox and “hits the ball a country mile”. He transferred from Dutchess CC after sitting out in 2016 to work on his game. He will begin the season as the cleanup hitter, and Stephan will be hoping he can be an impact player off the bat.
On paper, this team looks fearsome.
They will open up Sunday, Feb. 19 at Stevens Institute of Technology with Heidenfelder most likely getting the call.
If the pitching performs as they can, this could be a special season for the Panthers. They will be hoping to knock St. Joseph’s off the pedestal as reigning Skyline Conference champs–a spot the Panthers occupied in 2015.
