If there’s one thing we learned this past week, it’s that Oceanside is the powerhouse of Class AA. Not only did they sweep the defending Long Island champions, but they did it in convincing fashion, outscoring them by 20 runs on the series. An exciting week of baseball this upcoming week is headlined by Plainview vs. Calhoun and Farmingdale vs. Oceanside. Heading into the back half of the season, here are your top five teams in Class AA for this week.
5. Herricks (6-6) (Last week: Unranked)
After starting the year off 1-5, there was no telling to how this Herricks team may pan out. Fast forward to week four of the season and they’re sitting at the .500 mark with their toughest opponents behind them. With just Long Beach (4-5) and Baldwin (5-7) left on their schedule, there’s a chance Herricks will put themselves in a great position heading into playoffs. What sticks out most about their team is their explosive offense. Matt Yip, leads this Herricks offense with five home runs on the year, which is also top in the county for home run leaders. If this Herricks team can keep producing the offensive numbers they’re capable of, they’ll be a very dangerous team in May.
4. Plainview (7-2) (Last week: #3)
They suffered a disappointing loss this week, but it didn’t effect their standing at all for this season. The big question is; outside of Mark Faello and Tyler Marinaccio can this Plainview pitching staff hold up? So far, sophmore Ziv Gar has been producing solid numbers, as he tossed a complete game shutout in game three of the series. Heading into their most important series of the year against Calhoun, Plainview must have to return to the team they were just a few weeks ago if they wish to win the series. Consider Plainvew vs. Calhoun the “series to watch” this week in Class AA.
3. Farmingdale (9-3) (Last week: #3)
Even without ace Justin Rosner‘s best stuff, Farmingdale still found a way to sweep Syosset. The deeper this season gets, the better off a team Farmingdale seems to be. Standing at nine wins on the season, the Dalers have put themselves in a legitimate position to have a top four seed in the playoffs. We’ll see if they can pull a win out this week against undefeated Oceanside.
2. Calhoun (8-1) (Last week: #2)
Coming off a bye week, Calhoun is ready to rumble this week against Plainview in their most significant series of the year. The Colts will have all arms well rested, so expect them to have their best stuff this week. If Calhoun wishes to take their series, their entire lineup from top to bottom must be as good as advertised. Stay tuned.
1. Oceanside (10-0) (Last week: #1)
At this point in the season, it seems as if Oceanside has a better chance to go undefeated than lose one game. The Sailors are clearly the most talented team in Class AA, and there’s no stopping them any time soon. From top to bottom in this lineup, there’s not one barren spot. Dylan Judd, Austin Vlahakis and Jake Lazzaro have been posting ridiculous numbers all season long, as well as their pitching rotation. If Vegas had odds for nassau county varsity baseball, Oceanside would most likely have over a 50% chance to be crowned county champions. The Sailors take on Farmingdale in a highly anticipated series this week. We’ll see if Oceanside will remain undefeated on Thursday.
