by Daniel Lopes
And the floodgates are open early for Plainedge, Pat Reyes hits a homer over the left field wall to push the lead to 4-0! pic.twitter.com/lEJrFNP8cw
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 16, 2021
Heading into the 2021 season, Plainedge entered a new era of baseball after losing 14 graduating seniors. Despite the losses, head coach Colin Fratrik’s team had a very successful season, going 13-3 and making it all the way to the county finals before losing in a game three to Bethpage.
“The game came down to basically the last inning in the top of the seventh. We had the tying run on second base and we just were unable to get the big hit to get the game tied in that position,” said Fratrik. “We played some really good baseball and I was very proud of the team and the season we had last year.”
Once again, the team will be experiencing some roster turnover, as 13 players from that 2021 team have since graduated. Some include shortstop Joe Leone (Queens College), pitcher Dom Tuozzo, and pitcher/second baseman Tim Purack.
One of the incoming seniors looking to replace some of the production lost is utility player Troy Emmanuel (SUNY Old Westbury). Emmanuel played all over the diamond, including pitching and playing designated hitter. At the plate, he hit .270 with 10 stolen bases, and only allowed two hits in nine innings of relief. Fratrik expects to use Emmanuel more as a middle infielder and a pitcher this year.
RBI single by Patrick Reyes (Plainedge 2022) to give LI Elite Prospects an early 1-0 lead over Tri State pic.twitter.com/8c6tCg8gIv
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 22, 2021
He joins a senior class that includes outfielder Pat Reyes (SUNY Purchase), who hit .300 and won the team’s Gold Glove award, as well as Ben Ellenport, who will be competing for playing time.
Ben Ellenport (Plainedge 2022) max exit velocity of 89.5 pic.twitter.com/SGMR8t277e
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 17, 2022
On the mound, Plainedge will be led by Tyler Kregeloh, who made the All-County team. He tossed 43.2 innings in 2021, with a 1.28 ERA and 48 strikeouts. He provided longevity for the team, pitching deep into games almost every time out. He also plays third base, hitting .275 with 2 home runs.
“He’s obviously someone that’s hopefully going to have a huge impact on our success this year,” said Fratrik. “We expect him to be a top player in Nassau County this year.”
Another returning member of the pitching staff that will be competing for a spot in the rotation is Joe Hagmaier. Hagmaier pitched 16.2 innings out of the bullpen for Plainedge, appearing in multiple high-leverage spots and striking out 16 batters.
Another returning player who will be competing for a starting position is sophomore catcher Zach Rosenzweig. The catcher started in multiple games for Plainedge last season, boasting a solid bat and a strong arm.
Uncommitted catcher Zach Rosenzweig (Plainedge 2024) up to 97.4 pic.twitter.com/EN5M6cziNs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 17, 2022
Due to the roster turnover from all of the graduating seniors, Fratrik expects some players from the junior varsity team to make the leap and contribute to the varsity squad. Some of those players include Anthony DiChiara, Dom Pannitti, and Nick Andersen, who all had solid seasons at the junior varsity level in 2021.
The team resumed their offseason workouts this winter, including pitchers beginning throwing programs in December and full varsity and junior varsity workouts in January. Fratrik also believes that the offseason practices have helped this group come together as a team.
“Any type of thing where we can get together, work hard, and continue to work on getting better as individuals and as a team, that stuff just completely brings us together.” Fratrik said.
Plainedge will play their season in a highly competitive conference that saw six teams make the playoffs last season. The conference includes Wantagh, Clarke, Island Trees, Seaford, North Shore and Mineola.
“We’re going to be playing playoff baseball every single day, so that’s one of the things I’m looking forward to, and I know a lot of the guys are looking forward to that as well,” said Fratrik “Hopefully, [we can] make the playoffs in order to make a playoff run.”
They will begin the season on March 28th against Mineola High School.
