No Class A Suffolk County program has come close to matching the resume of Shoreham Wading-River.
In the past decade, we have seen five County Championship appearances, three County Championships and three Carl Yastrzemski Award winners (Brian Morrell twice). These are just a few of their highly prestigious accolades.
Considering they have made the postseason 33 consecutive years, there’s no reason to expect this year will be any different. Head Coach Kevin Willi has set the bar high for this program, taking over for legendary coach Sal Mignano causing their players to consistently play to their full potential.
In 2018, the Wildcats won their league title for the third year in a row, but fell short of their ultimate goal, losing to Rocky Point in the County Championship. Returning many integral pieces to their lineup, SWR will enter the season with a chip on their shoulder and a great shot to win another county championship.
The number one strength SWR returns is their defense. Often, high school baseball games come down to what team plays best in the field. This year, they return six starting position players who combined for a .951 fielding percentage in 2018.
Offensively, they also returns starters with a significant amount of varsity experience. Although they lost All-County RHP/catcher Ryan Mullahey (LIU Brooklyn), All-County shortstop Jesse Keshner (New Paltz), All-League RHP Gabe Romano (Quinnipiac), All-League catcher Ethan Baumack (Lebanon) and Penn State Altoona-commit Joey Brown, they will be in good hands. All together, their returning seniors combined for a .327 average last season
Leading their offense will be Limestone-commit Tyler Widercrantz and shortstop DJ Brown. As juniors, they were both named All-League. In 2018, Widercrantz posted a .370 average with 4 HR and a .528 OBP. Brown held a .300 average with a .500 OBP last season.
Furman-commit Mason Kelly, Limestone-commit Peter Minneci and senior Nick Bettenhauser will also be significant pieces to their offense. As juniors, they all displayed a ton of power as the three of them combined for seven home runs and 48 RBI. Not to mention, Minneci missed the first half of 2018 due to injury. Having him back at full health will pose an extremely difficult threat to opposing pitching staffs.
The Wildcats also have the privilege of adding transfer Jared Sciarrino. He started at 2B as a sophomore for Longwood in 2018 and will be an immediate contributor with his smooth left-handed swing.
The one obstacle they will have to overcome is their young pitching staff. In total, they have one senior on their pitching staff.
“We have an inexperienced pitching staff, but we’ll make them battle-hardened for April 8th” said Coach Willi.
Although they may be young on the mound, they still have plenty of hard-throwing arms, including four players who can throw over 80 MPH.
They have the privilege of returning junior Aidan Crowley to their staff. Last season, he pitched 20 innings, including a 3-1 record with 29 strikeouts and a 3.40 ERA. Junior Cullen SantaMaria is also expected to make an impact on the mound for the Wildcats.
As for their competition, Shoreham Wading-River enters the season as the favorites to win their conference for the fourth year in a row. Their 2019 opponents include John Glenn, Miller Place, Bayport Blue Point, Mount Sinai and Amityville.
Just like every year, the Wildcats have the mindset of winning a county championship. With a core of seniors consisting of talent and experience, expect them to lead the way. Their quest for another deep postseason run begins on April 8th.
