by Mike Anderson
Hauppauge High School varsity baseball sought out to defend their 2019 league title in 2020, but ultimately never got a shot. Taking the field as a team for the first time in nearly two years, the 2021 Hauppauge Eagles did not disappoint, making the playoffs with a 12-6 record and finishing in third place in League III, only behind West Islip (13-5) and Newfield (15-3).
Varsity head coach Josh Gutes shed light on his team in an interview with Axcess Baseball, talking about what worked for them last season and what they look like right now coming into this season. He attributed his strong core of seniors from last year as the driving force to their successful 2021 season.
“We had four sophomores on that league championship team in 2019 that got a ton of time. So, even though we missed a year in 2020, to be led by those guys last year was probably a lot more returning varsity players than other teams had,” said Gutes.
Freshman catcher Chris Leone (Hauppauge 2021) displaying his strong arm pic.twitter.com/dc6eB0V5u8
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 25, 2021
This year’s Hauppauge team will look different, as they lost their top five hitters to graduation. Chris Leone was their leadoff-hitting catcher, but he now plays Div-I baseball for the Stony Brook Seawolves. Chris Neglia was their two-hole hitter as well as the ace of their starting rotation, but he’s gone, too. All-County players Alex Oh and Alex Knopf were the three and four hitters, respectively, but have since graduated as well. Oh was their center fielder. And Knopf was not just their first baseman, but also an elite power hitter, launching six home runs for the team last year. Rounding out the list of impact players lost was second baseman Anthony Russo, who now plays Div-III football at Stevenson University as a defensive back. However, Gutes is still optimistic about the players he has returning.
Hauppauge 15, West Islip 6
Alex Knopf 2 home runs…Anthony Russo grand slam pic.twitter.com/xstzP8dlz0— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 12, 2021
“We have a ton of open spots available, but we certainly have a nice nucleus that is returning which we feel very confident and comfortable with,” said Gutes.
Gutes spoke highly of said nucleus, a nucleus that contained players such as John Margolies and Matt Neglia. Both of them are sophomores who started every game on the left side of the infield as freshmen. Margolies will play third base, while Neglia will man the shortstop position.
“Defensively, they were nothing short of tremendous as freshmen. To know that if a ball is hit to the left side that it is going to be an out, it is a very comforting feeling as a baseball coach,” said Gutes. “I think the left side is definitely our strength.” Margolies led the team in hits as a freshman, en route to earning an all-league selection.
Gutes also has three returning senior pitchers who pitched a lot of innings for the 2021 team: Anthony DeModna, Nick Neglia, and Chris Kirby. These three will be key to the team’s success in 2022, as they were last year. Both Matt and Nick Neglia are younger brothers of Chris.
Also comprising that Hauppauge core are three outfielders who rotated between the two corner outfield spots last year, as they all took turns flanking Oh in center field. Now with Oh gone, expect to see more playing time from Jon Connors, Johnny Aquilino, and Marcus Traverzo. Aquilino and Traverzo are both in their junior year, while Connors enters his final year at Hauppauge.
“They will all be right there in the mix to get a ton of playing time again,” said Gutes of his outfielders.
Though they had a good season last year, there is still room to improve. In order to do that this year, Gutes says his players have to work towards strengthening the teams as a whole.
“It’s not going to come down to one or two players, but that every piece, whether they are a starter or a reserve, really matters and needs to be in-sync in order to repeat the success that we’ve had,” said Gutes.
The team has a healthy mix of players who have been there before, with lots of underclassmen already having a year (or more) under their belt at the varsity level. Led by a coach with a championship pedigree (four league championships over the last six years), Hauppauge is in good hands to continue to win, even if they are missing some impact players from last year’s squad. But just how well will their team do with this different nucleus? Only time will tell.
Hauppauge will open their season with a road game at Bellport on March 29th.
