by Andy Smith
Comsewogue 3, East Islip 1
WP: Carson McCaffrey (CG, 1-hitter). He has allowed 3 hits through 3 startsMatt Nowlan: 2 solo home runs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 13, 2022
Last season, Comsewogue finished just two games under .500, and two games out of a playoff berth despite sporting a young roster. Head Coach Joe Caltagirone reflected on the difficulties his team faced, and how his team responded and grew. “Last season we were a very young but a very competitive team. The players grew as the season went on and we won our last series, taking 2 out of 3 from Hills West, knocking them out of the playoffs.”
Caltagirone, who played college baseball for St. Joseph University LI was a varsity assistant and middle school coach before being named head coach of the Warriors in 2016. He believes that the final series of last season served as a great way for this team to finish on a high note, and use that late season success to build upon for this year.
Being a young team does have an advantage. The experience that these players earned, and the large number of returning players will be a key for Comsewogue this season.
The Warriors will be returning eight players who started over ten games each last season. That experience and game action is so important for a young team. Coach Caltagirone highlighted the strength that having this pitching depth provides. Caltagirone expressed, “All of our pitchers return from last season’s team: senior James Genovese and juniors Carson McCaffrey, Nick Zampieron, Matt Nowlan, Anthony Manetta, Jake Sokolowski, and Joe Virga all saw some meaningful innings.”
Matt Nowlan (Comsewogue 2024) sitting 78-79. Batted .360 with 3 HRs this season pic.twitter.com/YuaNM6EV6F
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 22, 2022
McCaffrey threw 40 innings with a minuscule ERA of 1.23.
These players also contribute at other positions, and this flexibility is another potential strength for Coach Caltagirone’s club. For example, Zampieron is also a shortstop, and has received All-League recognition two times. Zampieron had an average of .406 and .916 OPS and swiped twenty bags.
Kevin Schnupp Jr (Comsewogue 2024) pic.twitter.com/nDQvSrZum9
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 5, 2022
The two backstops this season will be junior catcher Kevin Schnupp, a three-year varsity starter and an All-League qualifier, and sophomore Joe Perri. Perri will also see time in the infield when he isn’t behind the plate. Schnupp, an excellent defender behind the plate, had a .989 fielding percentage and a 50 percent success rate in throwing out base stealers.
Other position players such as Matt Nowlan (a .340 average with an OPS of .991 last season), Carson McCaffrey, Anthony Manetta, and James Genovese will look to continue their improvement from the previous season. This group will look to make an impact both on the mound and in the batter’s box.
While the team has many returning players, the Warriors will be entering the 2023 season without recent graduate and All-League player, Chris Velazquez. Velazquez played first base and in the outfield during his time at Comsewogue. Velazquez had a very high OPS of .996 and 17 RBIs.
Caltagirone also reflected on that state of the team in comparison to other teams in their league. “We should be very competitive as I look at the experience gained on varsity last season and desire to be a playoff team to be our catalyst this season.”
Coach Caltagirone highlighted second base and the outfield as potential locations where position battles will take place. However, he added that he is not looking to call up any freshmen during this season.
Comsewogue opens their season on March 27th against Sayville.
