Although there was not postseason run, it was a season to be proud of for Huntington in 2019. And it could’ve been even better.
They won nine games – just missing out on a playoff berth – which was their most in 15 seasons. Despite that, Bill Harris (fifth year head coach) came away a bit disappointed considering they lost six one-run games including their last game of the season, 2-1, against West Islip.
“We got hit by the injury bug in the beginning of the year and the end and we missed the playoff by two games,” said Harris. It was a major step in the right direction, following a 2-18 season.
They certainly have the makings of a playoff team in League III this year. Despite having no seniors, they are an experienced team since Harris called up nine guys in 2018 so many juniors already have a year or two of varsity under their belt.
The strength of their team is their two All-League players, Kyle Colleluori and Chris Segreti.
Segreti, a junior SS/RHP, “is a five-tool player,” according to Harris. He bated .324 over 68 at bats, he slugged .515 with a robust .955 OPS. He will also contribute on the mound this season.
Colleluori, a CF/RHP was snubbed out of All-County last season after hitting .406 with 28 hits and just one strikeout. He will be in their rotation this season.
Leading the rotation will be Palmer O’Bierne. The sophomore won four games last season and Harris noted that he is very underrated. “He has a good fastball and he mixes in good off-speed pitches. He struck out 35 batters last season.
Another critical piece to their success is junior RHP Aidan Bender. Harris noted he was hurt last year, but was their workhorse as a freshman in 2018. “He’s had a bit of the injury bug but we are hopeful to have him for the full year,” he said.
While they are a young team in age, they can be called experienced. In addition to enduring their growing pains in the two-win season of 2018, they experienced winning games last year.
Working in their favor is Smithtown East dropping down to League IV, while they moved up to League III, which means only one team (Smithtown West) made the playoffs last year. They will open up with non-league games against Cold Spring Harbor and Great Neck South before kicking off league play against Hills East.
