by Nick Cipolla
MacArthur 6, New Hyde Park 0
WP: Matt Sarni (CG, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 12 Ks)Ryan Castrillon 2-3 with 2 RBI
Sarni has yet to allow a run this year in 18 innings and has allowed only 2 hits and struck out 24. pic.twitter.com/JDNRoGIBmG
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 21, 2022
MacArthur High School baseball team is one of the models of consistencies on Long Island and they always find a way to be competitive and make a run at the Championship.
The 11-Time Nassau County Champions found themselves in the Nassau County semifinals in 2022 but were unable to finish the job against Clarke High School, losing in a three game series. They finished with an overall record of 19-6.
Despite the loss, the MacArthur Generals look to be a competitor for the Nassau County title in 2023 as they are led by legendary coach Steve Costello, who always fields a playoff team.
“We always want to win championships”, said Coach Costello, “I feel like we had a successful season. Baseball is a funny game and it’s not always gonna go your way. We got eliminated in the semi finals in a three game series. And sure I would have liked us to play better in the last couple of games of that series. But you know, just part of the game. “In my 30 years, we’ve never not been a playoff team”.
MacArthur, just like every other team, will have to deal with the loss of a few key seniors due to graduation and they are Matt Sarni (SUNY New Paltz), Chris Picarella (Post University), Finn Duffy (Western New England), Ryan Castrillon (Case Western Reserve), Justin Aramini (SUNY Old Westbury). Coach Costello is very confident in the group he currently has. “We’ve always been a good baseball town. We’ve always had a very strong baseball program. It’s just a question of which kids are gonna step up. It’almost like they’re competing with each other for jobs, for innings, and for at bats. Hopefully there’s enough good talent there that somebody will rise up like in years past.”
Final (11 innings): MacArthur 1, Seaford 0
WP: Matt Sarni (CG, 4 hits, 97 pitches)Walk-off single by James Eden
Sean Costello threw 9 shutout for Seaford
If Clarke wins, MacArthur will face Clarke. If Mepham wins, they will face the winner of Bethpage-Division pic.twitter.com/5eKg7pQDMh
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2022
The Generals will be leaning on Adelphi Commit and Conference Player of the Year James Eden (‘23) to be one of the main pieces to their core in 2023. “This is my 30th season at Macarthur and he’s definitely one of the best 10 offensive players that I’ve ever had”, Said coach Costello, “James is an excellent defensive player, good base runner, and overall a very talented kid. He also seems to raise his game in big spots and hits better against better pitching”.
MacArthur will also have a stud on the mound this spring. All-County Pitcher and James Madison-commit Tyler Bonsignore (‘24) will be the staff ace for the Generals in 2023. “Tyler is a rare kid who pitched for us as a freshman”. Coach Costello said, “He already has 11 wins under his belt going into his junior year, including three playoff wins”.
Coach Costello also feels that his team’s depth and ability to reload will be a big strength of his team heading into 2023. “When you have a program like ours which competes every year. We are always a playoff team and kids want to play for a winning team”, said Costello,“There’s always a next wave of kids and I’m sure it’ll continue that way. I have seen these guys over the winter and seen them play in summer ball and stuff. There’s definitely some talented underclassmen that can step up and then there’s also seniors who have been stuck behind guys who are gonna get shots as well”.
MacArthur will open their season on March 27th against Jericho, and they look forward to competing for both a league and county title against some of the best rosters in Nassau County.
