by Andy Smith
Port Washington 10, Syosset 5
WP: Michael Andrew. 4IP 2ER 6K
Will Chu 3IP, 0ER, 2H, 4K
Jake Spiryda 3 for 3, 2B, 2RBI
Dylan Trenaman 2 for 5, 2RBI pic.twitter.com/p6DiuJUOf3— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2021
Port Washington took a step forward in 2022. The Vikings qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed, a feat they did not accomplish the year before. In order to earn that seed, the Vikings had to play a tiebreaker series against Oceanside for the final playoff seed. However, Port Washington fell to a dominant Plainview JFK squad in the first round of the playoffs. Thirteen year Head Coach Matt Holzer reflected on how last season shaped his vision of building a championship team.
“The season was a step in the right direction for us”, he stated. “Our inexperienced roster was an obstacle last year as well as an injury to a senior pitcher who we expected to close games for us as he did the year before. This put some of our pitchers into bigger roles than we originally expected them to have. We lost 5 games in the last 2 innings and a large part of that came from having young inexperienced pitchers on the mound.” They are not far removed from their best season in program history, when they appeared in the 2019 Nassau AA Finals against Massapequa.
Holzer added, “But the positive from that is that those pitchers are now juniors who have experienced adversity and know what it takes to be successful.”
Holzer, himself a graduate of Port Washington and a member of the baseball team, commented on what positions need to be filled for the upcoming season. The Vikings will be without their ace from last season. Micheal Andrew was a unanimous All-County and Conference AA-1 Pitcher of the Year. Currently playing at Alvernia University, Andrew threw to a 0.94 ERA and struck out 60 batters in 35.2 innings last season.
In addition, Will Chu (Maritime), Dustin Noto (SUNY Farmingdale) & Tal Schulmiller (Clark University) each pitched a good number of innings for Port Washington in 2022. The Vikings will also be without Danny Alexander, a strong bat who hit in the middle of the lineup last year, who currently plays for Mount Saint Mary’s.
However, many key starters will be returning and will play a crucial role if Port Washington is going to take that next step. All-League catcher/DH Jack Robinson will be a major piece of the lineup. The current senior hit .450 with three doubles, nine RBIs and totaled six multi-hit games during the 2022 campaign.
In addition, returning seniors Ryan Gawley and Lucas Milgrim will continue to be impact bats for the Vikings. Gawley (SS) hit .313 and brought in 12 runs and Milgrim (1B) had a .605 OBP and hit a high .414.
Junior outfielder Anthony Luorio also returns, bringing his contribution on the base paths. Luorio swiped ten bags and scored twelve runs in 2022.
Returning pitchers Parker Workman, Hunter Trenaman & Jeff Radinsky all had valuable experiences last season as sophomores. Now with each entering their junior season, they look to take the next step in their development. Coach Holzer commented, “They stepped up in big spots to help win games. All of them now have the experience necessary to take that next step. These 3 guys should anchor our rotation and or bullpen throughout this season.”
Holzer discussed the importance of having position battles, stating that a few sophomores always push to make the team out of tryouts. “There will be some new varsity players that challenge some returning players for spots outside of the core group of guys. These battles will push players to be better and therefore making our team better as a whole.”
Port Washington uses the “Lead ‘Em Up” program in the development process. Coach Holzer explained, “We have helped them identify their weaknesses as a player and as a teammate, and we hope this off-the-field work will pay huge dividends for us this season. Our district has brought this program into all the high school sports this school year and we are looking forward to taking our work on the mental side of the game this season further.”
Coach Holzer shared his perspective on the state of the AA-2 Conference and how his team compares. “We feel AA-2 will be a very balanced league this year and we expect to be in the mix all season long. We know of some great players on most of the teams we will be playing. But this is the first time in several years that we will be matched up in the regular season with some of these teams.”
Holzer continued, “We really try to take the approach of one game, one inning, one at bat, one pitch at time. We don’t like to look past any opponent and we certainly don’t want to give anyone any bulletin board material.”
Lastly, Holzer explained the importance of the “Strike Out Cancer” Fundraiser, which is a very important day for the program. This is an annual fundraiser where Port Washington plays a non-league game and also gives the opportunity for the JV and eighth grade team to play as well. This year it takes place on Saturday, April 22nd, as the Vikings will be taking on Mineola. “It is a great day to raise money and awareness for a great cause.”
Holzer concluded, “Our 2023 team should be a roster full of very coachable and hungry players. We have had a great turnout at all of our offseason workouts and the guys are focused on taking that next step as a team. They buy into the team first mentality, and we are excited to push them to be better.”
