Last year was certainly a transitional year for the Hicksville Comets who struggled in a loaded Nassau AA-1 to a record of 1-16. Diving deeper, they did lose three one-run games, and if the ball had bounced a little differently the season’s win-loss record would look much different.
This season, they will move down to AA-2 with Plainview, Baldwin, East Meadow and Long Beach.
Leading the charge is senior Connor O’Keefe. Last season, he batted .359. Coach Frank Ciaranitaro noted that he has good power and speed combination and an above-average base runner.
Junior and returning All-League C Anthony Pandolfi batted .350 and is known to be good defensively with a “high baseball IQ”, according to coach.
Senior Nick Pathmanathan is a three-year starter at third base and coach is hoping he is the ace of the team.
In their lone win last season against Farmingdale, 7-5, senior Anthony Gambino hit the game-winning home run. He also has the ability to be a reliever or start some games as well.
The promising news is that the JV team compiled a record of 14-3 last season. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that JV success is always a great indicator of future success.
Nick Kozerski was the ace of the JV team as a sophomore. Ciaranitaro described him as having a good fastball/curveball combination and has the “capability to be a frontline starter.”
Junior Ryan Casper is a defensive wizard that was called up to play varsity for the last three series of the season and coach described his defensive as “outstanding.”
Sean Giordano led the JV team in batting average and RBI as a sophomore. He was named MVP of the team and played well defensively.
A wild card for this season is freshman Joe Paulino.
“Joe is a rare five-tool player,” said Ciaranitaro. “He’s mature beyond his years as an eighth grader. He started on the JV and led the team in on-base percentage and stolen bases. He will challenge for a starting position on the varsity team.”
There is no question that they will have to significantly improve from last year’s team but with a 14-3 JV record and a handful of high-ceiling players entering the varsity level, the Comets trajectory is shooting upwards.
