by Ben Diamond
Bethpage head coach Rob Fisher has a lot of talent on his roster this coming season. This is after losing many of his top players to graduation after the cancelled last season. Players like pitcher and first baseman Lucas Seely, who Fisher stated would have been their number one starter last season had it been played, and shortstop Brian O’Boyle who plays at LIU this year, would have been their three hitter in the lineup. Other big losses include infielder and outfielder combo player Alex Purchick, and middle infielder Chris McGuggart. But even with these losses, Fisher still has a very talented team headlined by Adelphi-commit Phil D’Aguanno and Cortland-commit Pat Dalton who are both expected to be top starters for them as well as key hitters in the lineup.
“I think you’re going to see two guys that could both be number one starters,” Fisher said. “They are also both infielders that are All-County caliber players, and I expect them to be at the top of the county.”
Phil D’Aguanno (Bethpage 2021) commits to Adelphi University pic.twitter.com/FGsnIdz3qz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 26, 2020
Fisher also lost senior Brandon Lombardo to an injury he sustained at the end of the summer, which will cause him to miss this season. This is a big blow to Fisher’s lineup as Lombardo would have been at the heart of the order, and a major contributor for the team.
With the craziness that has come with the past year, it has been difficult for coaches and players to get their work in to prepare for the upcoming season. In Bethpage, the school district has allowed their sports teams to do intramural type practices with anyone who was willing to go. Over time the baseball team was able to do more and more to get ready for the season.
“In the fall I was allowed to hold batting practice and kids could come down a few times a week and they would do BP and take ground balls,” Fisher said. “Then in November, they actually allowed us to use our twenty-first century programs to do intramurals for spring sports.”
Fisher has high expectations for his team going into the 2021 season. He knows his players are excited to get back out on the field and into games and that his team is very talented and can play with anyone. Fisher believes that his team is going to have a lot of fun finally playing games after a long hiatus. There is a lot to look forward to with this year’s Bethpage team.
“I think I’m going to see a bunch of kids that are going to go out there and have fun and play hard,” Fisher said. “I think we are going to be a talented team that is just happy to be out there playing.”
They will open up against Lynbrook on May 4. The rest of the teams in their League are Plainedge, North Shore, Wantagh, Valley Stream North, Floral Park, Mineola and Valley Stream South.
