By Michael Malaszczyk
Final: Pat-Med 11, Ward Melville 2
WP: Josh Knoth (6.2 IP, 1 H, 5 HBP, 10 Ks)Pat-Med advances to face No. 1 Sachem East tomorrow pic.twitter.com/AACXH4Xcdx
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 15, 2021
Under the guidance of Coach Anthony Frascogna, Patchogue-Medford High School is poised for a successful season in 2022.
Patchogue-Medford had a great season in 2021; Coach Frascogna was happy to share his thoughts on last season in an interview with Axcess Baseball.
“I was proud of how our team played,” he said “We advanced in the playoffs against good teams and had to battle Sachem East for a third time in the season. Our guys didn’t back down and we got great efforts from Dante Morabito and Tyree Jackson. Knoth threw a playoff one-hitter vs. Melville. Pretty big accomplishment, especially as a sophomore.”
Patchogue-Medford is in a good position for 2022; in 2021 much of their team was young. “We had a lot of lowerclassmen get great experience last season,” said Frascogna.
Having made it to the playoffs with a young team, Patchogue-Medford will be even stronger this season with a roster full of varsity-experienced players.
That being said, Patchogue-Medford did see a number of good players graduate last year. Those players are Dante Morabito (St. Joseph’s), Matt Schlanger (Clark State College), Anthony Logiacco (Cazenovia), Patrick Dallas (Farmingdale) and Zach Rovner (Adelphi).
While those players will be greatly missed, Patchogue-Medford’s roster this year now has the experience of having played alongside them. Coach Frascogna was eager to name pitcher Josh Knoth (‘23), pitcher/first baseman Rob Melo (‘24), Bryan Frascogna (‘24), Jack Costello (‘23), Nick Barbieri (‘23), and Kris Tessa (‘23).
Coach Frascogna gave a special mention to center fielder Tyree Jackson (‘22), saying “Tyree Jackson is the best center fielder I’ve ever had”.
There are a number of college commitments on Patchogue-Medford’s current roster. These include Josh Knoth (College of Charleston) Evan Balbera (SUNY Cobleskill), Tyree Jackson (Coppin State University), Rob Melo (West Point), and Tyler Lockwood (Suffolk Community College).
When it comes to his team’s biggest strength, Coach Frascogna is very confident in his team’s defense, specifically pitching.
“We have pretty good depth at pitching,” said Frascogna. “We have a bonafide ace in Josh Knoth. Evan Balbera, Costello, Melo, Tyler Lockwood, Jackson will all be called upon.”
In addition to a stacked lineup of experienced players, Coach Frascogna himself is a 22-year veteran of the sport of baseball. “Minus one counting COVID,” he added. “Baseball is just a way of life.”
When asked who is toughest opponent this year would be, Coach Frascogna joked that it would be “Mother Nature and the bus situation”, before adding that “in every game we are up against our strongest opponent.”
They will compete in League 1 against Brentwood, Longwood, William Floyd, Central Islip, Riverhead and Sachem East.
Patchogue-Medford’s opening day is set for March 28th. They will be playing against Brentwood.
