by Tony Genualdo
Bayport-Blue Point has had a ton of success in the last decade. The accolades include two New York State Class A titles and a 27-0 season. Last year was another postseason berth. Coming out of an outbracket game and going on to knock off the top seed, Miller Place, in the tournament. They ultimately finished with a record of 15-9, but lost to the eventual champs in Sayville.
As for this year, Coach Jim Moccio is looking to keep the success going. And that starts with the offseason preparation.
“Preparation has been the same as what we’ve done in previous years,” Moccio said. “We have a style of play that we try to reinforce in the winter months and try to peak around the postseason.”
The seniors returning have quite the resume. Dan Hoffman (Utica College) is an All-League player who will pitch and play RF. Rich Cimpric (Franklin Pierce) will join him on the mound and will also play first base. Infielder Francesco Geraci (Queens College) will be entering his fourth year on the varsity team. Catcher Viktor Sandor is an All-League Honorable Mention player.
A junior with All-County mentions is two-way player Luke Schartner. He will play CF and round out the starting rotation.
“We return a lot of guys who have varsity at-bats last year and that’s exciting,” said Moccio.
There are new teams in the league this year, so it’s hard to say how Bayport-Blue Point will fair, but with their track record there’s no reason to pick against them. With their pitching rotation being almost entirely new, it’ll be interesting to see how they perform on the mound. They hope that their offense can carry the load.
They will open up league play on March 30 at Southampton for the first of a three-game set. Other series include John Glenn, Mount Sinai, Center Moriches, Hampton Bays and Babylon.
