Newfield defeats South Side, 3-1, to capture the Conference III Long Island Championship! pic.twitter.com/prhnKbfnT4
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 20, 2021
2021 was a banner year in every sense of the word for the Newfield Wolverines. First, they captured their first Suffolk County Championship in program history over perennial powerhouse, West Islip. They didn’t settle for that – as they marched on to defeat South Side in the Long Island Championship by the score of 3-1. To put an icing on the cake, their ace, Dylan Johnson, captured the coveted Carl Yastrzemski Award – which is awarded to the top player in Suffolk County. For good measure, he also won the Axcess Man of the Year (top high school player on Long Island).
“For years you work, and you wonder if it’ll ever come to fruition,” said coach Eric Joyner. “The years of fall ball, the gym in December, putting in all the extra time. Winning can create apathy. So we have a different set of challenges now. That’s been a talking point this offseason – we are going to get people’s best shot. We need to be prepared to be better than we were.”
The Wolverines are still riding high off that run, albeit the team will have a slightly different look.
For starters, Dylan is now at St. John’s University, after a four-year varsity career for Newfield. He helped snap their 13-year postseason drought in 2018 and obviously completed their mission of winning the LIC as a senior.
In regards to Johnson, Coach Joyner said, “You just don’t find kids like Dylan. He truly loves the game of baseball. His mindset is correct to be a winner. He’s confident, he knows his stuff. If he doesn’t have his best stuff, he knows how to grind and he will get you out. That’s just him,” he added. Johnson finished with an unblemished record of 7-0 with a ridiculous 0.65 ERA over 51 innings. He allowed just 21 hits (.127 opponent AVG), 10 walks while striking out 78. Oh, he also saved 3 games and batted .447 with 23 RBI, 16 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. It was the best individual season in program history during the best team season in program history. He will be missed.
They also graduated #2 starter Kendall Kendrick, who is now at Adelphi University. He was the winning pitcher in the County Championship, firing the game of his life – a 1-hit shutout.
“He was good during the regular season,” said Joyner. “He had a couple roller-coaster starters but towards the end of the season, he showed signs of being more consistent. It all came to a head against West Islip where he was phenomenal.”
Additionally, they lost catcher Mike Medina, who had no small task of handling an outstanding pitching staff. He is now at St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn. Coach noted that he did not allow a passed ball all season with Dylan pitching. At the plate, he stated that “in the biggest moments, he had his biggest games.” They also graduated Shane LaFrese (Suffolk) and Shane Callahan (Utica).
As far as returning players, they still have plenty of talent. Joyner stated that in 2019 the team called up “4 or 5 freshman that are now seniors” and that will be the crux of their 2022 team.
Anchoring the staff is 4-year varsity player Jacob Galaz. He started every third game for them last year and Joyner noted his ERA was in the low 1’s, without giving a specific number. But he did say he threw a 2-hitter against a talented Eastport-South Manor team.
“He’s gotten significantly better,” he said. “He works hard – he’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s 6’3 now. He’s been up to 88-89 inside. But it could be 30-40 degrees colder than inside, plus wind so the velocity will dop 4-6 MPH from what you see indoors.” They will be counting on him to be the ace – although it would be unreasonable to expect him to duplicate Johnson’s season.
Senior CF Joe Hackal (Stevenson-commit) batted leadoff for much of the season and he will once again. He will be a critical piece of their success. “A lot of the offense went as he went,” said Joyner. “He’s got some pop, his exit velo is over 100 and he can run.”
Joining him in the middle of the order is 3B/RHP Evan Hughes. The Russell Sage-commit started most of their games at third last year and Joyner called him “a dude” which is parlance in the baseball community for an impact player. He’s 6’3 and has plenty of pop in his pop. They will be counting on the senior to provide punch in the lineup and also contribute on the mound, as he went 2-0 last season.
Pinch hitter Josh Jacobs with a bases-clearing triple to give Newfield a 3-0 lead In the bottom of the sixth – he gets thrown out at the plate but Newfield is three outs away from capturing the Suffolk III Championship pic.twitter.com/TeAOudL97R
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 18, 2021
Senior Josh Jacob, who came through with the clutch, pinch-hit two-run triple for the lone runs in the County Championship is back and will be an impact player. Joyner noted he was injured and missed most of the season last year, only returning for the final regular season game of the year. He will play outfield and catch. He is an outstanding athlete, who was also the QB of the football team and plays basketball.
Another senior is second baseman Evan Rodriguez, who batted second much of last year. They will be counting on him once again to set the tone in the top of the lineup and also play stout defense up the middle. He is committed to St. Joseph’s.
Troy Myers (Russell Sage) and Anthony Bautista are two seniors that Joyner mentioned as potential impact guys. Myers is a pitcher while Bautista is an outfielder.
LHP Logan Prisco played a key role on the team last year. Although he was primarily a reliever, Joyner stated that every appearance was during high leverage moments – especially against ESM and Bellport. “Every inning was under immense pressure,” he said. Prisco stands roughly 6’4 and is about 235 lbs. He is a start football player as well; playing middle linebacker and tight end/tackle. He compiled a record of 2-0 with 2 saves last year. Joyner stated he’s flashed a couple 89s during bullpens but should pitch in the 84-86 MPH range. He has been generating some Div-I interest as well.
They have another tall lefty – Dylan Smith. Joyner said “he’s a football player, he’s raw, but he’s very athletic and strong.” He noted he’s been 84-85 during bullpens and flashes an impressive curveball as well.
An X-Factor for them is a newcomer. JC Gamble, a transfer student, is an intriguing player. Joyner noted he started as a freshman for LuHi last year and is an exceptional athlete. He plays football as well, and he plays summer ball for Next Level. Joyner said he’s a switch-hitting SS and “he rakes.” They are very excited about his potential.
They will play in League III once again. Opening Day will be on March 28 when they host rival Centereach, and will likely see flamethrower Dom Persichilli of the Cougars.
