With just a week until the official opening day, all teams will have a chance to compete in non-league action within the next few days. This year will be an interesting year in Class AA, as there are only 12 teams. Massapequa comes into the season looking to defend their back-to-back county championships, but will have their hands full in a tough conference AA1. With that being said, here are the top eight teams in Class AA.
8. Freeport
After a 5-2 victory over Bellmore JFK in non-league action to begin their season, Freeport seems to be on the right track as far as competing. Not only can everyone in their lineup work the count, but they can hit to all sides of the field. On the mound, Ronny Vicente will anchor the rotation. Viandy Abreu, Roberto Lizardo and Nelson Lozano will lead their strong lineup that can compete against tough pitching if they play to their full potential. They hope to make some noise this season in conference AA1.
7. Syosset
Opening up their season 1-1 in non-league play, Syosset looks to be in good hands for the upcoming season. The only problem is they will be competing in an extremely tough conference AA1, which might hinder their chances of getting the playoff seed they deserve. On the mound, they will be led by Tufts-commit Cameron Mayer, who threw four hit-less innings in his season debut. PJ Daniels and Dillon Banks consist of a dangerous 1-2 punch at the top of their lineup. This team plays with a ton of energy, so don’t be surprised if they walk away with some upset victories against class AA powerhouses.
6. East Meadow
After being defeated in the quarterfinals by Massapequa, East Meadow enters the season confident they can turn it around. Fortunate for them, they return nine seniors. Once again, Molloy-commit Charlie Cucchiara will be their ace. In 2018, he was a Diamond Award finalist. Expect him to be a factor at the plate as well. Dominican-commit Tyler Patterson, Sean Kennedy and Danny Molina will once again be key factors towards their teams success at the plate. Expect them to compete for a conference AA2 title.
5. Port Washington
Building off last year’s 13 inning, two-day playoff defeat, it’s evident Port Washington enters the season hungrier than ever to compete in conference AA2. Not to mention, their chance at revenge comes in the first week of the season, as they play Plainview. Although they lost a few of their top players, they have plenty of players who are ready to take over as leaders. Trinity-commit Alex Chang will be the ace of the pitching staff, along with a consistent bat in the middle of the lineup. He will be accompanied by Derek Livingston and Chris O’Donnell in the rotation. Jackson Trenaman and Aaron Klug will lead their lineup offensively. Port Washington enters the season with a ton of firepower.
4. Plainview
The main story for Plainview this season will be having to fill the void of previous Diamond Award winner Mark Faello. Although they graduated four of their top players, Coach Givargidze consistently has his players ready with the “next man up” mentality. Fortunately for them, they return Michael Rothstein and Ethan Schorr to the middle of their lineup, both who made an impact in 2018. Ziv Gar will be the ace of this young pitching staff. Regardless of what their roster looks like, Plainview will be competing for a conference title for the third year in a row. They open up against Port Washington a week from today.
3. Farmingdale
One of the most dangerous teams in class AA this season is Farmingdale for various reasons. After falling to Oceanside in the semifinals last season, it’s safe to say the Dalers have their eyes set towards a county championship appearance this year. They have quite the talent to fulfill this goal. Junior Justin Rosner will once again be their ace on the mound. Rosner is far from their only talented pitcher, as they return Queens-commit Dante Interlandi, Anthony Quatromani and Kyle Stamm to the pitching staff. They also bring in transfer Will McCarthy. St. Joseph’s-commit Phil Krpata and Jacob Taormina will be their leaders offensively. If they play to their full potential, the sky is the limit for Farmingdale.
2. Oceanside
Just like every year, Oceanside enters the season as one of the top teams in the county. However, they have yet to overcome the task of defeating Massapequa in the playoffs. On paper, Oceanside has the talent to make this goal come true, but it all comes down to execution. At the plate, the Sailors lineup is one of the most complete in Nassau County. St.John’s-commit Jake Lazzaro returns to their lineup, as he’s undoubtedly an early favorite to take home the Diamond Award in 2019. Last season, he was named All-State. They also return Chris Siklas, Noah Eisel, Leo Alvarez and Austin Vlahakis to the lineup. All four key players collected postseason awards in 2018. Although they lost the top two arms in their rotation, they still have plenty of hard throwing arms on the pitching staff. Oceanside hopes to take the final step towards achieving their lifelong goal of becoming county champions.
1. Massapequa
This comes as a surprise to nobody. The reigning NYS champions are back and with a very similar roster. They have their eyes set towards becoming apart of the three-peat club. All-around, this lineup is unbelievably talented and extremely deep. Not to mention they have the postseason experience that no other team does. They return three Division-I commits, two Division-II commits, and a few uncommitted players that possess Division-1 talent. The face of their lineup will be North Carolina-commit Johnny Castagnozzi. This will be his third consecutive year in the middle of the Massapequa lineup. Boston College-commit Travis Honeyman, Adelphi-commit Alex Rende, Wade Kelly and Rob Romeo will all make significant steps towards this team’s destiny. Head Coach Tom Sheedy believes St. John’s-commit Nick Schwartz is one of the best catchers in the county. On the mound, they are loaded as well. Bobby Conlon, Dan Meaney and Adelphi-commit Chris Prystupa will lead the experienced Massapequa pitching staff. The Chiefs are once again the early favorites to win it all.
