College baseball is seven weeks in, while high school baseball is about one week in. Plenty of storylines have evolved already and it’s never too early to dive into them.
Here’s what has jumped out at me so far:
- D1 Shakeup
For the past decade, it’s been St. John’s and Stony Brook atop the local “power rankings”. Not that it’s official, but those teams had clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. With Ed Blankmeyer at the helm for the Johnnies and Matt Senk for the Seawolves, they were competing for the top players in the area and also bringing in the occasional out-of-state superstar that would get drafted. Through the early going in 2022, are we seeing maybe a changing of the guards? Both teams got off to sluggish starts this season, while Hofstra – with Frank Catalanotto at the helm – has matured quicker than anyone could’ve realistically expected. Might we see some high-end players choosing Hofstra over those two schools? Here’s another X-Factor – could Binghamton’s new state-of-the-art facility trump all of them? It will probably take 3 years to answer definitively, but I think it could happen. To be fair, St. John’s has a track record dating back to WWII of baseball excellence and Stony Brook is one decade removed from the College World Series so they command a certain level of respect.
2. Adelphi & Molloy Raking
Two of the top offenses in the country residing essentially in their own backyards. Here’s how they stack up:
Adelphi: 21 games (16-5)/.349 AVG/8.1 runs per game/.349 AVG/.440 OBP/.540 SLG/.980 OPS/24 HR/18-25 SB
Molloy: 26 games (19-7)/.326 AVG/8.8 runs per game/.326 AVG/.432 OBP/.468 SLG/.900 OPS/16 HR/54/71 SB
As you can see, both are high-octane offenses. Molloy relies a bit more on speed, although they do have 5 HRs a piece from Matt Overton and Chris Peralta. They have 7 regulars hitting over .300. I was a bit surprised that they haven’t relied much on Matt Yip, Garrett Scavelli and Jacob McCarthy, three guys who started on opening weekend. But they have gotten huge jumps in performances from guys like Chris Einemann and Robby Keane. For Adelphi, they have an unprecedented three-headed attack of Matt Alifano (1.292 OPS), Kyle Olson (1.315 OPS) and Michael Draskin (1.292). I’ll be honest – I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team with three players approaching that level of offensive production. Not to be scoffed at is Cooper Johnson and Jack Wishner who have been done well – hitting .338 each. Just outrageous – and they’ve already face SNHU who is the best team they’ll likely face.
3. Batting Average Party
Who says offense is dead? Here are some local batting averages:
John Lynch .654
Jake Blinstrub .489
Kyle Olson .470
Lou Antos .453
Joey Zanetti .452
Matt DiNorcia .427
Freddy Forgione .426
I mean, St. Joseph’s is hitting .369 as a team through 13 games! I think this is what MLB had in mind with cracking down on the sticky stuff. More offense like this, please.
4. Michael Zeis En Fuego
12-for-13 with 4 HRs, 3 doubles and 2 triples. I don’t care if you’re playing tee-ball, that’s insane. Entering the season, he was known for his defense but clearly he put in the work this offseason. Even if he cools down tremendously and hits one or two homers with a modest AVG, he’s probably already done enough to warrant an All-Axcess selection.
5. Reigning Champ Hangover
Mount Sinai rode a 19-2 season on their way to the first LIC in program history last season. They started out 0-3 after a nightmare sweep at the hands of 2019 LIC winner Sayville. I was there on Friday. They let a 4-1 lead slip away and allowed 9 unanswered runs. They have the star power, but they need to turn things around. Likewise for East Islip who was swept by Rocky Point. I will give them some slack considering they graduated such a powerhouse senior class with John Rizzo, Ryan Thompson and Ryan Ferremi. It was unreasonable to expect a duplicate of last season. Rocky Point is an outstanding team and they should be the favorites to win the counties on paper.
6. Billy Steele Lights Out
Nine innings, 0 hits, 17 strikeouts for the Army-commit. This season doesn’t have the same pitching quality in the senior class like 2021 when it was led by Jacob Steinmetz, Tommy Ventimiglia, Rafe Schlesinger, Dylan Johnson, JT Raab, Tyler O’Neill, Hayden Leiderman and Tyler Cox. However, Steele is looking like arguably the best senior pitcher on Long Island, along with Kyle Chase of St. John the Baptist and the duo of JJ Gatti-John Downing at Chaminade. Against weak competition, he is on no-hitter watch every time. Against good teams, he is capable of shutting down anyone. With his low mileage, great arm action and humming fastball, I think he will get some attention come draft season.
7.Pat-Med Undefeated
It feels a little like 2008 again when Pat-Med was led by the best pitcher in the junior class and made a run at a county championship. With Josh Knoth striking out 16 over 5.2 innings the other day and Tyree Jackson proving why he’s one of the best hitters on Long Island – plus a diminished League I – it feels like Pat-Med might be in the midst of a special season. Number 2 starter Evan Balbera and third-starter Robbie Melo both have put together great outings.
