By Michael Malaszczyk
Coach Casey McKay of St. John the Baptist’s baseball team sees only good things for his team this upcoming season.
After what was a difficult start for all teams as a result of losing their 2020 season to the coronavirus pandemic, St. John the Baptist had a strong season in 2021, finishing third in the Catholic League. St. John the Baptist came up just short in the semi-finals, losing 2-1 to Chaminade in a pitcher’s duel between ace Kyle Chase (‘22) and Seton Hall-commit John Downing (‘22).
McKay is in no way discouraged by this event and instead feels the experience gained from last season will lead the team to great places this season.
“While we were disappointed with the result, the coaching staff was extremely proud of the way our players competed during the season,” said McKay. “The Catholic League is the most competitive League on Long Island and it requires an extremely high competition level. The experience our players had last year as sophomores and juniors will greatly benefit us moving forward.”
St. John the Baptist saw a number of players graduate in 2021 who will be playing in college this year, including Tom Wilkie (Drew University), Frankie Colletta (Russell Sage College), Tom DiGirolomo (SUNY Brockport), Anthony Gelebart (Marywood University), Matt Argentino (Mount Saint Vincent), and Joe Reale (Suffolk Community College).
McKay is extremely confident in his team’s lineup this year, going as far as to say that this is a stronger team than St. John the Baptist’s 2018 team, which currently has an alumnus playing professionally (Logan O’Hoppe) and another one likely to be drafted this year (EJ Exposito).
St. John the Baptist’s pitching staff will be led by Kyle Chase (‘22). Chase allowed only one earned run in the 2021 season, and it was during his first start. Chase spent the offseason training with pitching coaches Bobby Demichael and Anthony Papa, and McKay is confident Chase will come back even stronger this year.
“Chase is an absolute bulldog,” said McKay. “While there are a ton of talented arms on Long Island, there is no one else I’d want leading our staff.”
Another starter for St. John the Baptist will be Maine-commit Braden Davis (‘23), who spent his summer with the East Coast Lumberjacks. “Davis had a tremendous summer and is garnering interest from many D1 schools,” McKay said. “We are excited to get to watch him compete this year.” (Editor’s Note: Davis announced his commitment after the interview was conducted)
Among other returning players is shortstop Aedan Forde (‘22), who had a great campaign in 2021, hitting .412 with an OBP of .571. Forde will be joined by outfielder Nick Petrelli (‘22), catcher Christian Alicea (‘24), and first baseman Jason Campo (‘22).
Here’s the go-ahead single by freshman Christian Alicea to propel SJB to 5-2 win pic.twitter.com/XIW13VhsnJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 7, 2021
“He [Aedan Forde] will set the tone at the top of the lineup,” McKay stated. “Nick Petrelli, Christian Alicea, Kyle Chase, and Jason Campo are all coming off 2021 seasons that saw each of them have over a .400 OBP. Campo is one of the best defensive first basemen around. His dedication to improving in this area is one of the reasons we are so excited for this upcoming season.”
As stated, Christian Alicea (‘24) will be playing as a catcher. Alicea will be joined by Jayden Asencio (‘22). McKay is confident in Alicea and Ascencio’s intelligence on the field and sees them both as huge assets to the team.
St. John’s-commit Kyle Chase (SJB 2022) pic.twitter.com/RK8O5WOasO
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 17, 2021
St. John the Baptist will be welcoming two newcomers this season in Rocco Cimino (‘23) and RJ Azarieh (‘23).
“Cimino is a tremendous defender who can play any position on the infield,” McKay stated. “Azarieh will be a staple in the middle of our lineup and will be relied upon in key situations.”
St. John the Baptist has a number of college commitments in its 2022 graduating class: Kyle Chase (St. John’s University), Aedan Forde (University of New Haven), Jason Campo (Stony Brook University), Jayden Asencio (St. Peter’s University), and Nick Petrelli (Lynn University).
McKay feels his team’s strengths lie in two things: experience and athleticism.
The experience comes largely from the senior players. Of his senior players, McKay said “I have had the pleasure of getting to watch our senior class grow and develop into not only outstanding players, but even better young men. They hold each and everyone one of their teammates accountable and lead by example.”
Of his team’s athleticism, McKay said “This is the most physical team that we have had in a while and it is a credit to how hard our players have worked to improve in this area. I credit a tremendous amount of our success in this area to Adam Belding and Belding Fitness. We are not as successful as a program without his work with our players.”
As stated earlier in this article, McKay feels that the talent pool of the Catholic League is extremely deep.
“I truly believe that in five years from now you will see at least five professional baseball players from the 2022 Catholic League,” said McKay. “The talent level from this league in 2022 is higher than it has been in nearly a decade.”
McKay looks forward to playing Chaminade, whom he feels is the best in the league currently. “Until someone beats them, they should be considered the favorite. Our guys didn’t forget how last year ended,” said McKay.
Casey McKay has been Head Varsity Baseball Coach for seven years, and when it comes to the rich tradition of baseball feels that the most important thing in the sport is, rather than wins or losses, relationships and impacts on others. With regard to the spirit of baseball, McKay gave a special shout out to the late Bryan Bonin.
“Success in youth sports should be measured by the positive impact you have on others. There isn’t anyone who embodied this more than Bryan ‘Brybo’ Bonin,” said McKay. “Just this past week, the Long Island Baseball Community lost a terrific person. My friend and college teammate, Bryan Bonin lost his battle to cancer. I have not met anyone who had more of a positive impact on the people around him than Brybo had. Everyone who was lucky enough to know Brybo, was a better person because of him. The way he lived his life and the positive impact he had on others, embodies what the sport of baseball is all about.”
St. John the Baptist’s opening day is set for March 29th. They will be playing Chaminade.
