Chris Batuyios strikes out 3 batters to end the game. Mount Sinai wins the Conference V Long Island Championship pic.twitter.com/ZmZmwIGRbW
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 20, 2021
“I told these guys it’s hard to get to the top, but it’s even harder to stay there,” Mount Sinai head coach Eric Reichenbach said in regards to defending their Long Island Championship which was the first in program history. They defeated Island Trees in a wild one, 8-6, at St. Joseph’s College as ace Chris Batuyios struck out the final hitter to seal the deal.
One could make the case that Mount Sinai was expected to compete for a championship in 2022, yet found a way to win it last season. Reichenbach agreed with that statement.
“I thought we were a year away, so it was definitely a surprise considering most of our impact guys were sophomores. But our pitching staff was just really good,” he added.
St. John’s-commit Chris Batuyios (Mount Sinai 2023) pic.twitter.com/V0GLaJtYe2
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 27, 2022
The aforementioned Batuyios was an absolute stud on the mound. He compiled an unblemished record of 8-0 with a 0.98 ERA as a sophomore. He was named to our All-Axcess team and he committed to St. John’s following the season. He has since improved and will enter the season as one of the best pitchers on LI. They will pencil him into the top of the rotation.
They had another undefeated pitcher and that was Eric’s son, Max Reichenbach, who went 6-0 with a 2.29 ERA. He is committed to George Washington University and he was named All-League.
Their third starting pitcher was senior Danny Kellachan, who was also terrific, went 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA and is currently pitching at Ithaca College. He was their one senior from last season that was an impact player.
Two of those three are back, but we are just scratching the surface with their talent. If you are followers of Axcess Baseball, you certainly know J.T. Caruso by now. He is Miami-commit, a hard-throwing lefty that did not pitch a whole bunch last year but was still named All-League for his bat. He hit .452, and should’ve been named All-County. Coach noted he will start the midweek game and will play right field when he’s not pitching.
They also have Franklin Pierce-commit Kyle Salvati, who recently touched 93 MPH in a bullpen session and was originally slated to play the field in college but his recent explosion in velocity may have them rethinking that. He has been on varsity since 8th grade, where he recorded a save against Shoreham-Wading River on the road. He has grown to 6’5 and is an imposing figure on the mound. He will certainly contribute on the mound and at the plate. Reichenbach noted he is hoping that he has a bounce back year with the bat.
Matt Galli is another hard-throwing pitcher that was up to 91-92 MPH this summer in Georgia. He was named All-County last year after he batted .414. He is still uncommitted, but Reichenbach noted that it won’t be for long. He will start at 3B and pitch.
Joining Caruso in the OF is Adelphi-commit LJ Bohne who was named All-League last year, batting .377. He had a big two-out RBI single in the Long Island Championship to give the Mustangs some cushion.
Senior SS Matt Carrera somehow didn’t receive All-League or All-County despite hitting .340 and playing a superb defense. He is committed to Sacred Heart.
Senior OF Joe Valenti was named All-League as well. He had a huge throw home in the LIC to gun down a runner in the second inning. He also had a walk-off hit in the 10th inning against John Glenn earlier in the season.
Last but not least is the catcher. You’re probably wondering with a hard-throwing staff that features several prominent pitchers, who’s going to handle it?
Derek Mennechino hits a clutch go ahead double in the 5th inning. 6-5 Sinai leads pic.twitter.com/TOHHvIduFr
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 20, 2021
Well Mount Sinai was wondering that too, so they decided to convert Derek Mennechino to behind the plate. He also had a huge clutch hit in the LIC to give the Mustangs a 6-5 lead. Here’s what coach had to say about him:
“He’s coming along. He was always a duel player for us but was thrust into the starting catcher role. Since he plays high-level travel ball he can handle those high-level arms we have. He can handle velocity. He’s put a lot of time in and he worked with Kyle Strovink last year to improve.”
When asked whether the team has been complacent following the success of the past year, Reichenbach immediately shot that notion down.
“I would say a lot of them have worked harder. Everyone is gunning for them. They know they have to work hard – as soon as they don’t, they’ll be knocked down. They’ll be well-prepared. The leadership on the team is really good. There’s been no immature mentality. They are gung-ho to repeat.”
They open up their title defense on Monday, March 28 against Sayville.
