Sean Welsh again ! This time a grand slam opens up a 7-0 lead for Clarke in the second inning 😧 pic.twitter.com/f3F3H3hWid
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2021
It was a typically strong season for the Clarke Rams who finished with a record of 16-4 and a share of their 37th league championship and 19th final four appearance. They also added another Diamond Award winner to their growing list.
In a way, though, the season was not quite satisfying. They began with throwing no-hitters in three of their first five games of the season thanks in large part to the aforementioned Diamond Award winner, Tyler Cox. They were head & shoulders above their competition for most of the season.
Just prior to the postseason, it was announced that Nassau Conference V would have their own playoff between the top three seeds – Clarke, Island Trees and Seaford. The rest of the league would essentially form a Conference VI among the Class B schools. This did not sit well with longtime Clarke coach Tom Abruscato.
“The county changed the system the day before the playoffs and that will never sit well with me,” he said. He went onto add, “It was a fake championship that was created for whoever won. That’s what left a bad taste in my mouth. Not so much that it was unfinished business for us. Look, Island Trees won it and they’re a great program – they’ve been in our league for years. But to have adults scam an entire system, that’ll never be forgotten. What was done to kids, on purpose, by adults.”
Clarke won their first playoff game against Island Trees, 17-0, and appeared to be a lock to win the County Championship. But they were then defeated by them in the next two games in surprising fashion.
Following the season, Cox was named the recipient of the Diamond Award for his remarkable numbers. He batted a program-best .604 with 9 HRs and 37 RBI. On the mound, he went 9-2 with a sub 1.00 ERA. Cox is currently at West Virginia. He was also the recipient of the Axcess Silver Slugger Award Powered by Famous Swing.
Tyler Cox is throwing gas. Second strikeout of the afternoon.
End of 2: Clarke 8, Island Trees 0 pic.twitter.com/8nzohSEXZz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2021
“Tyler’s a great kid and a great player. He’s going to be missed,” said Abruscato.
They also graduated two other impact players in 1B/LHP Lucas Rubenstein who batted .481 with 6 HRS and 29 RBIs and OF Matt DeStefano, who batted .340 with 19 RBIs and is now at Stony Brook.
Abruscato mentioned that Rubenstein’s season was a surprise considering he was strictly a pitcher before he got to varsity but they let him hit and he thrived.
“Hopefully we can do that with someone else,” said coach. “There’s always someone like that that can surprise everyone.”
Fortunately, the program is not barren. They return All-County infielder/RHP Sean Welsh who started the Mike Leiderman Cup for Long Island. He also cemented his legacy with a three HR game in the playoffs against Island Trees. He is committed to Molloy. The flame-thrower should assume Cox’s role of ace on the team. He batted .442 with 7 HR and 30 RBI and also went 7-1 on the mound.
They also return senior Nick Giardino. He is committed to Misericordia in Pennsylvania. He will play infield, pitch and bat leadoff. Last season he was their primary leadoff hitter and he batted .353 with 13 RBIs, 26 runs scored and 16 steals.
Corner infielder Justin Rindner is committed to Farmingdale State College and they’ll count on him as well as catcher Jacob Dandic. Abruscato raved about him, “he looks great, he’s been consistently around a 2.0 pop time.” He batted .316 for them last season.
Two exciting sophomores will be on the team. One was their starting second baseman last season, Nick Berasti. He is the type of high-end player that will turn heads. Abruscato stated that he’s been on a bunch of conference calls with colleges about him already. He’ll be their 2nd or 3rd hitter and will play one of the infield spots and pitch. We highlighted him as part of our ‘Up Next’ series this winter. In my estimation, he’s potentially a Division-I two-way player.
Last but not least, they got a transfer for Benjamin Cardozo HS in Queens. His name is Giancarlo Rengifo and he started as a freshman there last year. Coach called him a “talented 10th grader” and “we’ll give him a shot”.
He also said there was a bunch of role players last year that will make a push for starting positions.
In regards to the competition, he said, “the league is a monster from top-to-bottom, there’s 7 outstanding teams. It’s going to be a shame for whoever doesn’t make the playoffs. It’s like the AL East back in the day.”
They will open up against Island Trees in a rematch of last season’s championship.
