The Hills East Thunderbirds know what it’s like to have success in their league. After all, they have made the playoffs the last four years in a row. While that is an accomplishment in its own right, the Thunderbirds are looking to advance further in the playoffs this year. To do so, they’re going to have to replace a few big names from last years roster. Starting with Matt Hogan (now at Vanderbilt), who won the Carl Yastrzemski award, which goes to the top player in Suffolk County. Also gone from the team is first baseman, Joe Litchhult (now at Cortland).
The good news for the Thunderbirds is that they return plenty of players to this year’s team. Fourteen to be exact, including nine seniors. That kind of experience could be helpful for a team looking to make a deeper run in the playoffs.
One of those players is senior, Nick Gavilla (Adelphi commit) who is an outfielder and pitcher, who hit .390 for the Thunderbirds last year and was an all-league player. Reis Henderson is another returning senior. He is a pitcher and shortstop, who had a 7-1 record last year, and a .350 average.
Another returning senior is John Son (Utica commit). He is looking to step into a bigger role for the team in his final season. For catcher, the Thunderbirds return another senior to be their starter with Matt Kanyuck While he split his time last year between starting and catching, the team values him as their starting catcher. He’s coming off a season last year, where he hit .330.
The Thunderbirds are going to look for shortstop and hard-throwing pitcher, Steve Mariani to be their ace this season. The team is very excited for what strides he can make on the mound this year.
The team is expecting a few other players to take a step this season. Junior, Zach Simon, was a big part of last year’s team as a DH and pinch-hitter. The team expects even more out of his bat this year. Senior, Mike Deflipo, has been a starter for three years as a third baseman. Unfortunately, injuries have popped up the last two seasons, cutting them short. The team expects major things from him as he has proven he could be a very good hitter as long as the injury bug stays away from him.
The Thunderbirds success has been consistent the last few years. Part of that is their ability to replace impact players without missing a beat. They expect more of the same this year, with even more success in the playoffs.
