Almost at the midway point in the season, it seems as if nobody is as dominant this year in Class A. Last week featured a ton of upsets, including a series win for Bellmore JFK over Plainedge and Division over North Shore. Those were just two of many surprises. This week in Class A, we’ll take a look at teams that are trending upwards, and teams that are trending downwards. In perhaps the most exciting week of regular season baseball in recent history, let’s take a look at the teams that stood out this week, followed by the top ten teams in the county.
TRENDING UP:
Division (2-1)
In every sport, there’s always specific organizations that always find a way to succeed no matter how talented their team is. After losing key players such as Brandon O’Brien and Sean Paprocki, there was no telling how this year’s Division team may pan out. So far, so good. Taking two out of three games against an extremely talented North Shore team is what was needed out of Division to come out with a bang, and that’s exactly what they did. Mopping the floor with North Shore in game three by a score of 13-2, it’s easy to see what these Blue Dragons are capable of doing when their whole lineup hits. Colin Diez, Steve Horodecki, Hunter Traenkle and Jayson Melgar make up one of the most dangerous lineups in the county. Two-way stud Nick Fressle was the star of Division this week, throwing a complete game, one-hitter in game one of the series, and went 5-6 at the plate with 2 RBI. The Blue Dragons will seek to continue their winning ways next week against Floral Park (2-4).
Valley Stream North (5-1)
Entering the year in perhaps the toughest conference in the county, it seemed as if Valley Stream North stood little chance of winning their conference. Fast forward two weeks and they’re in the driver’s seat in first place. The reason this team stands out so much, is because they’re winning against talented teams. The Spartans are coming off of an extremely impressive series win against Bethpage, who isn’t a pushover by any means. Joe Gisonda stood out last week, going 6-for-9 at the plate with three doubles and 4 RBI. Methodist-commit Thomas Graziano continued to show why he’s the leader of the team, striking out five in two innings of work in game three of the series to give his team the series win. Although they will have a tough schedule from here on out, this team is a force to be reckoned with. The Spartans will have a bye this week.
Mineola (6-0)
If someone was to guess who the last undefeated team standing in Class A would be at the start of the season, virtually nobody would’ve guessed Mineola. Coming off of back-to-back sweeps to start off the season, they can easily be considered the hottest team in Class A. The aspect that really stands out for Mineola is their pitching. In the first two games of the series, Mineola held the experienced Seaford lineup to just two runs. If the one-two punch of Chris Wiercinski and Justin Bestler can continue their success for the rest of the season, Mineola will easily be considered the favorites to win their conference. They take on Valley Stream South (2-1) this upcoming week.
TRENDING DOWN:
North Shore (4-2)
Entering the week, North Shore showed signs of being the top team in Nassau County. However, Division proved that they were a better team last week. Dan Livoti struggled on the mound in game three of the series, resulting in a blowout loss of 13-2. Although they didn’t finish the week as they wished, they still avoided being swept which can be considered a plus. After struggling against Division, North Shore will get a chance at redemption against Bethpage (2-4) this week.
Plainedge (3-2-1)
After opening the season up tying a mediocre Hewlett team in game two of the series, Plainedge knew they had to win the series against Bellmore JFK in order to redeem themselves. Unfortunately for them, they lost the series only winning one game. Their bats struggled significantly, scoring just two runs in the first two games of the series. On the bright side, Nick Incalcaterra continued to impress in his second career varsity start, giving the Red Devils a win in game three of the series. Plainedge needs to take the series this week against Glen Cove (2-1) if they wish to have a shot at a conference championship.
POWER RANKINGS
10. Bellmore JFK (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
3rd Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Jericho (0-3)
9. Carey (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
T-1st Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: BYE
8. Locust Valley (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
2nd Place in Conference A4
Next week’s opponent: BYE
7. North Shore (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: #1
3rd Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Bethpage (2-4)
6. MacArthur (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: #3
T-1st in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: Mepham (2-0)
5. Valley Stream North (5-1)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
1st Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: BYE
4. Mineola (6-0)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
1st Place in Conference A4
Next week’s opponent: Valley Stream South (2-1)
3. Division (2-1)
Last week’s ranking: Unranked
2nd Place in Conference A3
Next week’s opponent: Floral Park (2-4)
2. Garden City (4-2)
Last week’s ranking: #4
T-1st Place in Conference A1
Next week’s opponent: New Hyde Park (1-2)
1. Wantagh (5-1)
Last week’s ranking: #2
1st Place in Conference A2
Next week’s opponent: Hewlett (2-3-1)
