Over the years, many elite ballplayers have graduated from the Half Hollow Hills high schools. Some recognizable names are John Mincone, Alex Aurricchio, T.J. Pecoraro, Tommy D’Alessandro, Adam Brown and Stephen Woods.
They all played in the Half Hollow Hills little league program at one point, according to the President of the league, Steven Muraco.
The league has been home to a tremendous amount of kids in general–peaking at 1,700 in 2000, but has since leveled out around 1,000 since that time. They have spring, summer and fall leagues. Despite many kids playing other sports through out the season, they have been able to maintain their numbers in the fall when football and soccer are in-season.
A big reason for this, according to Muraco, is the league’s reputation for providing families with the finest facilities around.
“It’s one of the few places left where families can come with their kids, hang out with their adult friends and just hang out and have a good time,” he said. The league has 14 fields, including four t-ball fields and is maintained entirely by their own workers–which allows for optimal field conditions for all games.
He noted that while many talented players will ultimately move on to travel teams, they have still had success in retaining the top players in the district.
“We offer a chance to play with friends–regardless of ability,” said Muraco.
They also offer some other unique experiences for the players and their families.
Their biggest event is called the “Last game of the Year”, in which they invite all the players and their families to invite their friends and family for a massive BBQ at the field in which they will all be served food, get to meet Mr. Met, a professional athlete (last year was Ron Darling, 1986 World Series Champion), participate in carnival games and watch the live performance of School of Rock.
Their other event is an outing at Citi Field, in which all players are given free tickets to a New York Mets game, and they get to walk on the field prior to the game.
He noted that these events are what creates a unique experience for the players and their families. They typically enjoy their time so much that they will come back during their summers in high school and college looking to work or coach teams. They just try to help out in the community that helped shape them into the person they’ve become.
Additionally, the two local high school each play one home game per year at Otsego Field in Dix Hills–one of the fields they grew up playing on. It was here that Matt Hogan, who was ranked No. 1 ranked on our HS rankings last year, smacked a walk-off HR against Smithtown East.
He noted that the kids and their parents love this game each year, because it gives them an opportunity to return to the field that helped shaped their childhood experiences. In some cases, they will see their names on the banners hanging at the field. Playing under the lights is also something they don’t experience much during their high school careers.
The little league has been around for 55 years and has consistently been producing quality players but–more importantly, a safe and educational program for amateur baseball players in the Half Hollow Hills school district.
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