(This is the fourth installment of the Fall Ball Series Powered by Baseball Lifestyle. Check them all out there.)
Final: USMMA 4, Farmingdale 3 (10 innings)
WP: Tyler Reistetter (10 IP, 2 ER, 11 Ks)Noah Herdman with a walk-off single to score Brayden O’Connell
USMMA advances to the Skyline Conference championship against winner of Farmingdale-St. Joseph’s pic.twitter.com/0ujX19FdKI
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2022
Keith Osik is not one for hyperbole. The 10-year MLB veteran has seen it all on a baseball field and in his 17-year tenure as head coach. When discussing his freshmen class he said, “it might be the best depth we’ve brought in. It’s pushed the other guys,” he added.
The Rams are coming off a 2022 season in which they finished with a 22-15 record. They entered the Skyline Conference postseason as the No. 2 seed and won a classic pitcher’s duel, 2-1, in the opening round over Mount Saint Vincent against their ace Andrew Geiger. The Rams had their ace and Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year, Stephen Clancy on the mound and he delivered a gem – firing a complete game with 11 strikeouts against a high-octane offense that featured two-time Player of the Year, Jake Blinstrub.
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They were flying high after that win but they did lose a tough extra inning game against Merchant Marine Academy before getting eliminated by the eventual champs, St. Joseph’s College.
Duplicating that success in 2023 will mean replacing the impact that Stephen Clancy and Joe Marino (46.2 IP, 3.86 ERA) had at the top of the rotation. The bad news is that it will be hard to find a pitcher like Clancy to compile a 1.64 ERA with a 9-1 record and 85 Ks over 66 innings. The good news is that the Rams have routinely found someone to step up and pitch like an ace dating back to their first Skyline Conference Championship in 2008.
In regards to Clancy, who will receive an All-Long Island Award at our upcoming Awards Banquet, Osik said, “I loved that he was our sixth All-American – he developed each year. When he came in as a freshman he was just a tall kid with not much of a history. But he developed each year. He worked hard in the offseason. Usually the All-Americans are hard workers and are like that.”
They also graduated Vin Napolitano, who led the team in several offensive categories. He batted .364 with a .408 OBP and .538 SLG. He scored 31 runs, notched 48 hits and even stole 10 bases.
As far as returning players, they will undoubtedly rely on junior Jordan Lambert. He has played a lot in his first two seasons and that will continue. He batted .327 last season as the regular first baseman and also notched a 3.86 ERA over 30.1 innings. Expect a big year out of him as he is now one of the upperclassmen on the team and Osik spoke highly of the way he carries himself and how comfortable he has gotten.
They will also return SS Patrick Dallas who batted .337 as a freshman and he should be an everyday player for them. They also return 3B Nolan White, who drove in 18 runs with a healthy .391 OBP. Bobby Pollack will play RF and bat towards the top of the lineup. He led the team with a .449 OBP thanks to 25 walks and stole 13 bases.
Osik mentioned LF Justin DiMartino specifically as a player they were willing to invest time in as a freshman because they saw the value in him gaining experience. He wound up finishing at .309 AVG, .431 OBP and 13 stolen bases over 94 at bats.
Kyle Dorset did not have as fruitful of a season, but Osik stated he has a “D-1 body and runs well” and they will give him an opportunity to win a position.
Other returning position players he mentioned were Matt Flood, Daniel Molina and Louis Annunziata as well.
He was very excited about the group of freshmen and transfer position players such as catcher Brad Sakellarides (Queens), and INFs Chris McMuggart (Nassau) and Elian Pimentel (Queens). He also mentioned that he liked “the freshman from Clarke”. The roster is not available, but I believe it is Justin Rindner. They also brought in Gio Cassino from Miller Place and Ryan Wasserman from Kellenberg.
As far as the pitching, you already know about Jordan Lambert, who will likely be their stopper, but in terms of which game he will pitch – that remains up in the air due to him playing first base as well. They also have Christian Esperon who had a 3.22 ERA and 19 Ks over 22.1 IP as a freshman.
They will likely look to RHP Will Stewart to step up into a rotation role as well – he certainly has the potential to do so.
Osik stated that RHP Johnny Dougherty – a transfer from Queens College and a Kings Park graduate as someone that has looked really good so far. The hard-throwing righty is a veteran and could be someone that really steps up.
Three freshmen pitchers they brought in are RHPS T.J. Cox (Mineola), Ben Ellenport (Plainedge) and LHP Michael Camardi (Syosset).
There’s always the chance they bring in some transfers before the spring semester as well to bolster the pitching staff.
Osik noted how much stronger the conference has gotten over the years – especially since the days I was toeing the rubber for the Rams in 2010-2011.
They will open up their 2023 schedule on Saturday, February 25 against UMASS-Dartmouth.
