Injuries were especially cruel to the Old Westbury Panthers‘ pitching staff last season, resulting in a 9-8 loss in the first round of the Skyline Conference playoffs against Mount St. Mary’s. Despite falling down 4-0 after three innings, their relentless offense fought back before ultimately stranding the bases loaded with the go-ahead run on second base.
It was a microcosm of their season, as the team was led by a .331 AVG, .402 OBP and .444 SLG. They averaged 7.08 runs/game and eclipsed double digits on eight occasions.
Unfortunately, they lost ace Adam Heidenfelder, who had transferred from Hofstra University and won their first two games of the season, to a season-ending shoulder injury. His absence reverberated through a pitching staff that lacked an answer, resulting in a team ERA of 5.83. Chris Tessitore, who was coming back from Tommy John Surgery, was on a strict pitch count and was only able to throw 18.2 IP, albeit with a 3.38 ERA.
Both of those pitchers will be back, anchoring the rotation. They will likely be joined by junior LHP Steven Tellerias, a hard-thrower that improved as the season went on last year, finishing with a record of 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA over 24.0 IP. His walk total, 13, was elevated but coach Rod Stephan was confident that he’s turned a corner.
LHP Steven Tellerias was 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA over 24.0 IP pic.twitter.com/yIZ27h9J1i
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 3, 2018
Another major addition is Queens-transfer Brandon O’Brien. For those following us for the past couple years, you may remember the name. O’Brien is a 2017 graduate of Division HS. He enjoyed a highly-decorated high school career for coach Tom Tuttle, compiling a ridiculous record of 22-1 during his four years; including a victory over rival MacArthur in his final outing. Known for his knuckle-drop, O’Brien could be the perfect pitcher to step in and fill a void that Old Westbury has needed since 2015.
“With the guys we have at the top of the rotation,” said Stephan, “I don’t know if anyone can match that,” he went on to add.
Stephan is also confident in his bullpen arms. Josh Cruz saved 7 games with a 2.62 ERA. Matt Bohenek, Joe Sarni, Vinny Negri, Alipia Teburcio, Billy Amendola, Eddie Guzman and Jalen Bertie represent depth in the bullpen that is always needed during conference play.
The offense took a hit with the graduation of Jesse Russo (.386 AVG, .582 SLG), Liam Slattery (.390 AVG), John Fogarty (.354 AVG, 38 RBI, .542 SLG) and David Hawley (.385 OBP). Those are big losses, without a doubt, losing four of their six leading hitters. Russo was especially a big loss, a player that had hit .399 and .399 his previous two seasons for the Panthers. He is now playing professional baseball in the Piekos League
Fortunately, they return their top leading hitter from last year in John Condon. He had an incredible season, batting .398 with 38 RBI, .444 OBP and .508 SLG. He will likely play first base, but will certainly hit in the middle of the order. Another key component of the offense will be SS Mike Manetta. The Farmingdale HS grad came out of nowhere, batting .370 as a freshman, scoring 27 runs with a .421 OBP and 11 stolen bases. He will hit atop the order and look to set the tone for the rest of the offense.
Mike Manetta will be the starting shortstop. As a freshman last season, he batted .370 with a .521 SLG and 27 runs scored pic.twitter.com/RLaWBx9yJb
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 3, 2018
Several times Stephan mentioned Peter Capel, a power-hitting sophomore from Hicksville. He batted .280 over 100 at bats, but will likely see more at bats as a DH this year with the spot freed up. He noted that he has put on some displays during BP hitting the ball onto the softball field. He expects big things from him this year.
Another factor that could benefit this team is the presence of catcher Michael Borsch. Although he batted a respectable .275 last season, his true impact is behind the plate. The Holy Cross product will likely see a bulk of the time behind the plate. He certainly represents a defensive upgrade over previous catchers.
Two transfers that can have an immediate impact are Brandon Wilson, an infielder from the College of St. Rose and Sean Paprocki, a CF from Felician. Both are electric players on the base paths and come from winning high school programs. Wilson, from Ward Melville, and Paprocki, from Division, both have cut their teeth at the highest levels of Long Island baseball. They could both have similar impacts than John Fogarty had for them last season.
Sean Paprocki is a Division HS grad and a transfer from Felician. He will be a starting outfielder for the Panthers pic.twitter.com/dGHmYrVN90
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 3, 2018
Dom Kriegel (.293 AVG) will likely move to left field from 3B to accommodate his bat, and Shaun Kaminski (.303 AVG) will start at 3B to round out the positional players.
They will open up, as they typically do, at Steven Institute on Monday, February 18. This is a young team, but one had experienced a lot of playing time last season. They will be starting just one senior–John Condon.
Coach Stephan is excited and ready to return to the pinnacle of the Skyline Conference for the first time since 2015.
