by Joseph Langan
After two consecutive seasons with early playoff exits from Oceanside, Farmingdale High School is determined to rewrite their destiny and finally get over the hump. The Dalers are not a young team anymore but a team full of “seasoned vets who are looking to take us to the next step this year,” says Coach Frank Tassielli.
WIth his returning core of veterans, Coach Tassielli realizes that changing up his normal routines and getting his players stronger and building more team character will propel them forwards in 2020.
“This year we have switched up our strength and conditioning program in the hopes of seeing some gains on the field. Our pitchers did not begin to throw until January. We have always had great camaraderie during our winter workouts and that is where it all begins with our team.” Also implementing “practice principles that put our boys through high stress drills during practice throughout the season. We try to make it as realistic as possible during practice sessions so they become accustomed to the pressures during the game.”
Each year, Coach Tassielli looks within the division to gauge how Dalers will stack up against the rest of the competition. With Farmingdale only graduating three impact seniors, pitcher Dante Interlandi (Queens College), All-County center fielder Philip Krpata (St. Joseph’s), and All-League second baseman Jacob Taormina (Old Westbury). This puts them in a better position than many other teams in the division in regard to returners.
Coach Tassielli is relying on his core group of senior pitchers to lead the team to a championship in 2020. Fourth year starting pitcher Justin Rosner (Binghamton) will lead the way for his team this season, the 5’10” right hander hopes to post an ERA similar to his 2019 season (.52). He enters the season as the favorite for the Diamond Award. Considering his three-year run of success and ability to tame the top offenses, they feel really comfortable running him out there every week. Rounding out the senior pitchers for Farmingdale in 2020 is the 6’4” righty Kyle Stamm (Alvernia) and 6’4” righty Will McCarthy (Southern Connecticut State), both coming off of very good 2019 seasons.
Justin Rosner has three K’s through the first two innings. pic.twitter.com/7wvubJZTnP
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 29, 2019
It’s equally important to have a quality catcher as it has having great arms.
Fortunately, they have Albany-commit Robbie Manetta, another player entering his fourth year at the varsity level. He has maintained the reputation of being one of the best two-way catchers on the island. From the time he smacked the game-winning three-run HR as a freshman against Port Washington, he has been an impact player. They benefit greatly from his ability to handle the staff and drive in runs.
Farmingdale has a good amount of returners that Coach Tassielli thinks can step up and fill the void of last year’s graduates. Junior utility guy, Matt DiSanti did it all for the Dales last season posting a .429 batting average and earning him an All-Conference selection. Coach Tassielli plans on moving DiSante to centerfield to fill the hole left by Krpata, opening one of the corner outfield spots for Junior Andrew Alameda. To fill the hole left by Taormina, second basemen Steve Sclafani (Utica) will man second full time base until the return of Junior Pat Quinn – who suffered a broken forearm/elbow in the fall. Matt Hynes, a junior southpaw was impressive last summer with the Junior Ducks and has command with a 79-80 MPH fastball and curve. Another potential impact player is junior Anthony Quatromani, who could be a difference maker on the mound or in the lineup.
Coach Tassielli and the Dalers are ready to dominate the 2020 season. Having arguably the best pitching staff in Class-AA and a great core of experienced hitters, Farmingdale can see themselves finally getting over the hump and making it to the county championship.
