East Islip 2, Sayville 1
WP: John Rizzo (CG)Ryan Ferremi: go-ahead HR in fifth inning
East Islip advances to Conference IV Finals pic.twitter.com/x7gxliUSTD
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 16, 2021
East Islip had every piece needed for a championship run in 2021 and they did not waste the opportunity. Assistant Coach Chris Padgur spoke to Axcess Baseball about capturing the team’s first county championship since 2006 and first Long Island Championship since 1991.
The Redmen rattled off 10 wins in a row to end the season – as they peaked at the exact right time. They cruised past Harborfields in the Suffolk County Conference IV Finals by the score of 14-3 behind sophomore LHP Nick Rizzo. To reach that game, it was his older brother, John, who was lights out against Sayville in a 2-1 win to reach the finals.
In the Long Island Championship against Bethpage, who entered with a 19-2 record, they were able to send John back to the mound. Padgur stated that the team was fortunate that the schedule worked out in a way where they could have John throw two of the three biggest games, whereas Bethpage needed to win six players games to reach that point. He stated that they were probably running on fumes at that point.
Early in the game, East Islip’s star catcher Ryan Thompson threw out Patrick Dalton attempting to steal. Dalton was a dynamic player that helped lead Bethpage to their first County Championship since 1983. Padgur noted that it changed the dynamic of the game, as Dalton had rarely been thrown out in his high school career. Thompson threw out 60 percent of base stealers last year while also batting .447 with 22 RBIs.
Regarding Thompson, Padgur had nothing but great things to say: “we were spoiled to have him for four years, he started as a freshman and has been our No. 2 or 3 hitter since. He’s just an unbelievable receiver and thrower. He’s very intelligent, I could see him being a millionaire by 25 years old,” he added. Thompson is currently a freshman at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania where he has a chance to start right away.
From that point on it was all Redmen, as they cruised to a 14-2 victory. Nick Rizzo led the way with 5 RBIs and John fired a CG with 13 strikeouts. Their father, John Sr, was on 1991 LIC winning team.
Padgur stated that the Rizzo family is “all baseball, all the time” and when you look at their stats from last year it’s not hard to see why the team was so successful. John went 7-1 with a 0.75 ERA and one save. He struck out 90 batters over 55.1 innings. His defining moment was his first start of the season against Hills West when he struck out 20 in a one-hitter with no walks. He had a strong case for the coveted Paul Gibson Award, but it went to Rafe Schlesinger of Sachem East. John is now at Adelphi University, where he has a chance to be a weekend starter for a team that nearly reached the Super Regionals in 2021. His fastball is sitting in the upper 80s, touching 91 with his outstanding slider and command.
Nick was just as good. He compiled a 0.67 ERA with a record of 5-1. He walked only 3 batters on the season. He is committed to Stony Brook. Since last year, his velocity has also jumped and he should be a contender for the Paul Gibson Award.
Stony Brook-commit Nick Rizzo (East Islip 2023) pounding the zone, T86. Command of CH and 11-5 breaking ball. Pro potential pic.twitter.com/UM76wEV7Sv
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022
They also got great pitching from Jayson Torres and Nick Parrillo. The latter of which is back for 2022 and he is a SUNY Cortland-commit – and Padgur said he pitched the game of the year last year against Rocky Point when they needed it most. He fired 6.2 innings, with John Rizzo recording the final out for the save. Parrillo, Rizzo and Bobby Finn will form an all-southpaw rotation for the Redmen.
In addition to John Rizzo and Ryan Thompson graduating, they also have to replace Ryan Ferremi. He was terrific at the top of the lineup and playing SS. Padgur noted that he played SS “out of team-need”. He smacked 8 HRs while batting over .400 and Padgur stated “most of those came at East Islip, which is a big park.” He added that he has a chance to start right away at Albany, perhaps at first base.
They return CF Derek Burrell. If you follow high school sports, you are undoubtedly familiar with his name from the gridiron. He led East Islip to the county championship over Sayville and was named the recipient of the Hansen Award – accounting for 33 TDs and 2,952 all-purpose yards. He is a freak athlete and Padgur said “nobody covers more ground than him – he is ‘foul line-to-foul line.” He recalled Burrell turning a hit down the line into a triple during the LIC in which he recalled the left fielder only needing to move about 60 feet to retrieve the ball and the first baseman told him ‘I’ve never seen that before.” He also recalled him making a “Willie Mays-esque” over-the-shoulder catch at Islip in which he ran from right-center to left-center to track it down. They feel that whatever he can provide offensively is a bonus being that he is a plus-defender in center.
They return catcher Nick Winegard who is committed to Lander University and infielder Anthony DeSane who is committed to Bridgeport.
One newcomer is SS Alex Johnston who they anticipate will replace Ferremi at short. He has the ability to pitch, but they are not planning for that this season.
For East Islip, last year’s moment had been a long-time coming. They nearly defeated Massapequa in the 2006 Long Island Championship, when a controversial call allowed the Chiefs to tie the game and ultimately win it in extra innings. The Chiefs wound up going undefeated that season.
They got their ring and they will enter 2022 as the favorites to repeat. They open up with a big test right away – a three-game set against Rocky Point which could result in a scout’s dream of a matchup between Nick Rizzo and Dom Carbone (the reigning League MVP).
