By Michael Malaszczyk
Varsity baseball is almost here, and Coach Ryan McSherry of Longwood is gearing up for the 2022 season. Longwood is looking to be in a particularly good position to have a good season this year.
Coach McSherry was very proud of what his team was able to do in 2021, in an interview with Axcess Baseball. Longwood did have a great season last year; they finished with a 14-6 overall record; their season came to an end against Commack in a Suffolk Conference semifinal.
“Losing is never the goal, but there’s always a lesson to be learned,” said Coach McSherry. “The 2021 team was a very enjoyable and fun group to be in the presence of on a daily basis. We were happy with their attitudes and approach to everything.”
In addition to that aforementioned lesson, with regards to the 2021 season Coach McSherry gave a special shout out to a former Longwood player.
“We witnessed Tommy Ventimiglia get drafted in the 19th round by the Cleveland Guardians,” he said. “He’s the second Longwood Baseball player drafted after Bryan Hansen was taken by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 6th round of the 2001 draft. Obviously, we’re all thrilled for Tommy earning this opportunity and thankful for his dedication in the years he wore a Longwood Baseball jersey. It was a cool experience for everyone involved, so thank you Tommy and good luck!”
Tommy Ventimiglia (Longwood 2021) getting in a bullpen session at Cleveland Guardians spring training @LITitanbaseball @TVentimiglia27 pic.twitter.com/e4FuyI6oHn
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 15, 2022
In addition to Tommy Ventimiglia’s draft to the Cleveland Guardians, Longwood had some other great players graduate in 2021. These players included Joseph McDonald (Manhattanville College), Josh Dannenberg (St. Joseph’s College), Matt Dragotto (SUNY Purchase), Anthony Caracciolo, Connor Doyle, Kyle O’Neill, Kyle Jones, and John Herbst.
Despite those graduations, Longwood remains an experienced, upperclassman-heavy team in 2022; their current roster has 14 seniors, 10 juniors, and 1 sophomore.
“Our biggest strength is our depth and experience,” said Coach McSherry. “We have a very solid rotation, versatility, a deep bullpen, a strong and balanced lineup, and good defense too. It’s a well-balanced team. We expect our seniors to lead by example.”
Coach McSherry was happy to discuss his players stats. Offensively, be on the lookout for the following players from Longwood:
- Outfielder Jake Hall (‘22, .369 average, 17 RBIs and 14 runs)
- Middle Infielder Devin Montalvo (‘22, .343 average,1 HR, 13 RBIs, 19 runs)
- Outfielder Mason Mehling (‘22, .317, 13 RBIs, 9 runs)
- Catcher Rocco Hall (‘22, .297 average, 6 RBIs, 11 runs)
- Infielder Preston Gerena (‘22, .296 average, 16 RBIs, 16 runs)
- Utility player Louis Kaleb (‘23, .355, 3 HR, 20 RBIs, 20 runs)
On the pitching staff, be on the lookout for these players:
- Ryan McCann (‘22, 4-0, 26 innings, 25 K’s)
- Dylan Govin (‘22, 1-0, 11 innings, 4 K’s)
Additionally, Coach McSherry also named Brendan Mair (‘22), Liam Ryan (‘22), Sean Langan (‘22), Austin Wenz (‘22), and Kevin Monahan (‘22).
“We’re expecting big contributions from Brendan Mair offensively, defensively, and on the mound,” said McSherry. “Liam Ryan has shown great progress over the past year and we feel he can be a key contributor to our pitching staff. Sean Langan has looked great too. Austin Wenz and Kevin Monahan will contribute to a dynamic bullpen as well.”
Longwood has many college commitments on their current team, which speaks volumes about the player quality and the potential success in 2022. These players are Mason Mehling (Muhlenberg College), Liam Ryan (New Paltz), Jake Hall (Manhattanville College), Rocco Hall (Manhattanville College), Ryan McCann (Manhattanville College), Brendan Mair (Cazenovia College), Devin Montalvo (Colby-Sawyer College), and Dylan Govin (SUNY Plattsburgh).
The rare triple play executed by Longwood catcher Rocco Hall! pic.twitter.com/G45uB0uSXr
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 11, 2021
Nevertheless, despite a ton of individually talented players, Coach McSherry’s philosophy is to think collectively instead. We are fortunate to have a lot of talent and we believe we can be successful if we put the team’s success over any individual merits,” he said. “It’s something that’s often talked about, but much more difficult to implement. Championship teams only care about one statistic: the win.”
It’s perhaps this philosophy that, under Coach McSherry, took Longwood to such high heights in 2021. In all team sports but in baseball especially, teams must think collectively as opposed to individually in order to have success.
Coach McSherry is coaching for his seventh year at Longwood, so he is very familiar with Longwood’s program and all of the players on the current team. “To me, baseball is a lot of excellent memories with my dad, my friends, teammates, coaches and players. It’s also a challenge,” he said.
While McSherry knows any opponent can be dangerous, their league will consist of Sachem East, Brentwood, Patchogue-Medford, William Floyd, Central Islip, and Riverhead in 2022. “Winning is never a given,” he said. “We’re looking forward to playing 3-game series again this year.”
With a team full of experienced players who have bright futures in baseball ahead of them and an experienced coach with a “we’re all in this together” kind of philosophy, Longwood will be a real contender for a County Championship in 2022.
Longwood’s opening day is set for March 28th. They will hit the ground running, as they will be playing against Sachem East.
