Gianni Macchio walks it off with a 2RBI double and Mepham eliminates Wantagh!!!!!!
FINAL: Mepham 3 Wantagh 2
WP: Tyler O’Neill (CG)
Gianni Macchio: Walk off pic.twitter.com/KWbKBq1QJ9— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2019
Knocking off the three-time defending Class A Long Island Champions is no small task. Mepham was able to accomplish that back in 2019 in large part to sophomore starting pitcher Tyler O’Neill. Head Coach Eric Passman was optimistic that 2020 would be a great year for his team, as they were set to return their entire infield, 2/3 of their outfield and their entire pitching staff. That plan, of course, was thwarted with the cancellation of the season.
“We were going to have a real solid team top-to-bottom,” said Passman, who is entering his fifth year at the helm after a long tenure at Bellmore JFK. They graduated several of their impact players most notably star SS Kenny Franquiz, who is now at New Haven. They also graduated Rocco Law and Matt Hegi, a supremely athletic player that was All-Conference in baseball, All-County in football and All-Long Island in wrestling. Passman said they were “all impact players.”
On the flip side, they still do have plenty of players with varsity experience, especially at some critical spots.
Ace RHP Tyler O’Neill who defeated Wantagh will anchor the rotation once again. He is a hard-thrower that will sit in the upper 80s and touch 90. Passman said the Bucknell-commit has “three or four pitches he will throw for strikes and his curveball is devastating and slider is off-the-charts.” He was All-League as a sophomore but Passman said he expects him to compete for the Diamond Award. “He’s probably one of the five best pitchers in the county.”
Solo HR Billy Kender gets Oil City on the board in the first inning pic.twitter.com/55ffSQcs3v
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 26, 2020
They have another Bucknell-commit and it’s SS Billy Kender. So two premium spots are accounted for up the middle and atop the rotation. Kender is another elite athlete that is also the starting QB of the football team.
“He’s a leader – a real leader. He’s the QB, that tells you all you need to know,” said Passman. “He’ll probably hit second. I don’t want him to be walked every time up,” he added. Kender will also contribute on the mound. Passman noted they are trying to figure out how to best utilize him – either in relief or third in the rotation to preserve his arm for shortstop. It will depend on how the rest of the pitching staff shakes out.
Senior catcher Jack Helleran is another player with varsity experience. He can pitch as well. Passman noted he’s been getting some offers to play at the next level. Senior Jack Davila is a left handed pitcher that was up on varsity in 10th grade. Passman stated he’s “looked very good in bullpens” and he throws in the upper 70s with a good curveball. He also mentioned Aidan Amato, a junior infielder and pitcher as a player that he watched performed well in the summer and has been “very impressive so far.”
The team has been able to practice for the past two weeks. They have thrown bullpens, taken batting practice as well as infield/outfield. Passman noted that they hadn’t been able to practice at all prior to that. Also, half of their team plays either football or volleyball, so those players haven’t been able to join them for workouts.
“Our pitchers will be ready,” he said. “I’m just happy to be out there, but this is not how we usually prepare. We would usually be preparing in January. But they’re good kids. They understand the risks,” he added. Passman also coaches football and he said that games have routinely been cancelled due to procedures but due to the nature of moderate-risk sports, he’s hopeful that they can get a full season in.
They will open up on May 4 against MacArthur, which will feature a premium pitching match up right off the bat.
