In life there are three guarantees; death, taxes and Division contending every year.
In Head Coach Tom Tuttle‘s 11 years at Division, they have six County Championship appearances, four County Championships, two Long Island Championships and three Diamond Award winners. The numbers speak for themselves.
Somehow, the Blue Dragons have been constantly overlooked in recent years. Regardless of what their roster looks like at the beginning of the season, they always find a way to compete and usually come out on top.
Last year, they finished the regular season at 15-3 and a conference title. Although they lost in the Class A County Championship to Wantagh, they certainly exceeded everyone else’s expectations. Speaking for themselves, they fell short of their ultimate goal, which is to win a championship.
“Our expectations at Division is always the same, to win the Class A State Championship,” said Coach Tuttle. “Last year, nobody on social media picked our team to do anything. We ended up winning our league and playing in county finals. The lack of respect our players have received in the preseason the last couple of years has motivated them,” he added.
If we’ve learned one thing, it’s not to sleep on Division. Although they will be competing in the toughest conference in Class A this season, they will be contenders. Their conference consists of Wantagh, North Shore, Valley Stream North, Lynbrook and Floral Park.
On the mound, they return 2018 All-County pitcher Robert Bradley, who will be their obvious ace. Last season, he finished with a 7-2 record, posting a 0.80 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and struck out 48 batters over 52 innings. Although they have to replace All-County pitchers Nick Fressle and Jake Thomas, the Blue Dragons always do a fantastic job of producing elite pitchers, so expect a ‘next man up’ mentality from Coach Tuttle.
Offensively and defensively, Division expects to be steady as usual. They return five experienced seniors to their lineup who will be the leaders of the team.
Queens-commit Colin Diez will be a feared bat at the top of their lineup. In 2018, he was named All-League while batting .311 with 25 runs and 17 stolen bases. He also allowed no earned runs in 13 innings pitched last season. Considering his proven success on the mound, he has the potential to be in the rotation this year. Another top of the lineup threat is Matt Cavanagh. Coming off a season where he batted .333 with a .503 OBP, he seeks to do even more damage this year. Diez and Cavanagh make up one of the most dangerous 1-2 punches on the island.
Three-year starter Hunter Traenkle will again be the anchor in the middle of their lineup. Last year, he was named All-League, posting a .365 average with 21 RBI.
Once again, Ryan Spreckels will handle the Division pitching staff. He has improved his strength tremendously from last season, and expects to be more of a threat offensively. Showcasing fantastic blocking skills and a 1.9 pop time, Coach Tuttle believes Spreckels is one of the best defensive catchers in the county.
Although their competition is fierce, Division has their eyes set on another county championship. The Blue Dragons open up their season against a sneaky Valley Stream North team on April 8th.
“This will be a dog fight in our league and the Class A playoffs are brutal to navigate. But that’s why you play and coach to go against the best,” said Coach Tuttle.
