‘21 RHP John Carver (Lynbrook) has a prototypical build at 6-2 / 190 lbs & possesses an intimidating presence on the bump. Holding 83-85 out of H 3/4 T86 w/ this two seam FB for the K 🥊 ⬇️. Landed a few tight 71-72 mph SL for strikes as well. #NYStateGames pic.twitter.com/H92OhvMP4X
— Ted Williams (@T_Wills1) July 8, 2020
Lynbrook will be playing in a competitive league in 2021 which will feature perennial powerhouse Wantagh, rising programs like Bethpage, North Shore, Plainedge as well as Valley Stream North, Valley Stream South, Floral Park and Mineola. Longtime head coach Al Marrazzo said “it’s a very good league, but we expect to be competitive.”
Last year, their league was set to feature Division as well, but they were switched into another league. Lynbrook’s 2020 team graduated 8 seniors – most notably LHP Phil Piro who went to Concordia and CF Nick Focarazzo – who was the captain of the team and is now at Stevens Tech. Both of those players were named All-League in 2019. Marrazzo noted that they were realistic that it would’ve been an uphill climb to win that league with such strong opponents but he liked his team’s ability to compete.
They have one senior on this year’s team that has any varsity experience and it’s SS Dan Beck – who started for them in 2019.
“He started for us as a sophomore in ’19,” said Marrazzo. “He batted down in the order and didn’t hit much but he played a solid shortstop,” he added that he has improved over that time and they expect him to hit this season.
The pitching staff is going to be anchored by Adelphi-commit John Carver. Marrazzo spoke glowingly about the senior:
“He’s a kid that hasn’t pitched on varsity yet because he was hurt during his sophomore year and came back with two games left in the season so I told him to just play on JV. But entering last year, he looked great indoors. We went outside in March and he looked really good throwing batting practice. He would’ve been my number two behind Piro. Covid shut it down but over the summer he just blew up – he grew three inches and gained 25 lbs. He hit 87 at PBR and a couple coaches inquired about him. He had a really good summer with LI Elite. He’s matured beyond belief. He’s worked so hard and I’m very proud of him. Adelphi is getting a worker.”
Behind the dish, they have a promising junior named Gabe Sultana. Marrazzo stated that he would’ve started for them last year on varsity. As a freshman playing JV in 2019, he batted .450. He said that he has a chance to play at the next level.
Another quality arm in the rotation is Sean Mylan. The RHP/1b/3B never played travel ball until last year but now plays with Dodgers Nation. Marrazzo called him a “big, strog kid” and he’s been throwing 80-81 MPH and will likely slot in behind Carver in the rotation.
Marrazzo added that “we are excited about your young players, but they just haven’t been tested. The younger players that we have are solid- but the question is how do they match up against North Shore and Wantagh?”
The program has been on a “downslide the past few years”, said Marrazzo, since their postseason run in 2017. That team was loaded with talented including Justin Baeyens (STAC), Paul Scibelli, Ryan Mueller (Franklin Pierce), Nick Sinopoli and Nick Tuzzio. That team wound up losing to Mepham in the postseason.
Marrazzo stated that the district has been good with allowing them to practice together – provided that they remain masked up and socially distant. They have been able to get 18-20 kids at each of their workouts and players are practicing with their summer teams as well.
They will open up against Bethpage, and Marrazzo acknowledged the challenge stating that “it’s probably their best team in 20 years.”
