Final: Wheatley 8, Oyster Bay 5
WP: Stephen McClearyWill Feil: 3-for-4, 3 RBI pic.twitter.com/aW2J5hV5hP
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2017
Winning is nothing new to Wheatley. Under Head Coach Paul Paino, they have won seven Nassau County Class B title–including five of the past six. He has won 392 games, meaning he will likely achieve that feat this season.
They finished 25-5 last season, before having their season ended in the Long Island Championship by Center Moriches–the eventual Class B New York State Champs. The game was played in absolutely deplorable conditions at SUNY Old Westbury and it caused Wheatley to make some costly defensive miscues.
“The game was a mess on our end–not their end,” said Paino. “They were able to manage it, we weren’t. On a sunny day we would play with them and might beat them. They were a good team, though, Liam Pulsipher is a great pitcher,” he added.
His team graduated several impact players; none bigger than Albany freshman Will Feil, who transcended their lineup the past three seasons. They also graduated their entire outfield and catcher Mike Cunney, who is now a freshman at St. Thomas Aquinas.
Despite those losses, they should yet again be in strong position to repeat as Champs and that starts with the pitching staff.
They will be returning their best three pitchers from last season; Francis Cappi, Joe Martello and Nick Papageorge. Cappi, their No. 1 starter went 5-2 with a 2.70 ERA. He struck out 42 batters over 37 IP.
“He could’ve easily been undefeated,” said Paino. “He didn’t get the defensive or run support,” he added.
Martello did, though.
He went 6-0 with a 3.46 ERA. Paino noted he is more of a ‘pitch to contact’ pitcher that was the beneficiary of good defense and run support.
That brings us to Papageorge, who Paino gushed about. As a sophomore, he came up and pitched 27 innings out of the bullpen. He notched a ridiculous ERA of 0.77, striking out 45 batters. Paino called him ‘unhittable’ and he put that on display in the Long Island Championship, unfortunately, it was after the game was already out of reach.
6’3 Nick Papageorge (Wheatley 2020) crushes one into the trees pic.twitter.com/oD4jmTpN2u
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 14, 2018
Despite his success on the mound, the junior is a much higher-ceiling prospect as a SS.
“When you watch this kid walk around the field, he just looks like a big leaguer,” said Paino. “He is one of the best players I’ve ever coached. I could see him being in the Major Leagues one day,” he added. His numbers were pretty mind-boggling. He batted .492 with 10 doubles and 6 HR. He will bat third or fourth in the lineup.
Joining him is fellow classmates Nick Sampogna and Matt McCleary. Like Papageorge, Sampogna had an incredible impact on the lineup. Although he doesn’t possess the 6’3 height like Papageorge, he is a great hitter. Over 20 at bats, he hit .600 and was huge for them in the postseason.
“He helped us win quite a few games,” said Paino.
McCleary is the rare player that plays every position. Not just every infield and outfield position but also pitcher and catcher. He batted .350 over his three weeks with varsity as a sophomore.
With a team like this, they will likely compete for the Class B title yet again. Paino noted that their non-league schedule will prepare them for the season due to how challenging it is. They will face Wantagh, North Shore and Island Trees before opening up on April 8 at Oyster Bay. They will also face them on April 12 at Bethpage Ballpark (Ducks Stadium).
With 392 wins, it is likely Paino accomplishes the incredible feat of 400 wins.
“I hope I get it,” he said. “I’ve had seasons with way less than eight wins,” he said with a chuckle.
