Bellport coach Joe Murphy was the recipient of the Man of the Year which is presented to the coach that displays professionalism on-and-off the field and sportsmanship towards opponents and umpires pic.twitter.com/NzQaprO25F
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 14, 2022
Bellport proved they could play with anyone in 2022 as they finished the regular season with a record of 10-8 before losing to Connetquot and Smithtown West in the playoffs. In their first round loss, they led Connetquot 7-2 before losing to 8-7.
“We had a bittersweet ending,” said third year Head Coach Joe Murphy, who was the longtime assistant under legendary coach Bill Batewell. “We let Connetquot come back and lost a tough one to Smithtown West. If we win that one, who knows what happens,” he added.
Bellport had a very talented team. They graduated six seniors – led by All League Will Caroli (SUNY Cortland), Dylan Gronenthal (Herkimer CC), Evan Virno (Muhlenberg), Jacob Repper (who batted close to .400 but is playing golf in college) and Marc Promutico (playing football at Salve Regina).
This year’s team has 10 seniors – 9 of which are returning. The one exception is pitcher Jake Orlando who had dealt with arm injuries for some time and underwent Tommy John surgery and wound up missing his freshman, sophomore and junior season. He is now healthy and Coach Murphy is “hoping for good things from him.”
The other nine are all potential impact players considering there are no juniors on the team. They are all third-year varsity players.
The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the roster is the last names. There are three Russo’s. Luke Russo is the ace of the pitching staff and is committed to Bridgeport. He sits in the low to mid 80s and was their workhorse last season. He made 9 appearances on the bump, compiling 38 innings with a 3-3 record and 3 saves. He notched a 3.32 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and held the opposition to a measly .139 AG. Coach noted that throwing strikes will be the key for him as he walked 18 and struck out 36 batters.
Luke Russo (Bellport 2023) sitting low 80s pic.twitter.com/P2xaRGm9gL
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 6, 2022
“We are expecting him to be the #1 pitcher. We also expect him to fill in as a position player when he’s not pitching and be a 2-way guy for us,” he added.
His brother and battery mate, Jake Russo, will also be a Division-II player as he’s committed to New Haven. He was named All-County as he batted .426 with 16 RBIs, .647 SLG and an insane 1.160 OPS.
The third Russo is infielder Jack Russo who is committed to St. Joseph’s-LI. He is an incredible defensive player that was in considering for the Suffolk County Gold Glove Award as a third baseman but will be moving to second base this season, according to coach. He was an on-base machine as he compiled a .465 OBP thanks to a great eye at the plate.
Another key player is Logan Alberto. The Manhattanville-commit played first base, outfield and pitched in relief last season. This season, he will play first base and will either be a starting pitcher or reliever once again. He batted .319 and made 5 appearances on the mound.
Danny Rubin is another returning senior that will be a 2-way guy. He batted .344 with a great .532 OBP. He made 4 appearances on the mound in the regular season, going 2-0, with a 3.71 ERA.
Other seniors are Brandon Maler, Shawn Johnston, Charlie Maragiolia and Austin Sullivan.
Murphy noted that the team had no JV program in 2021 so all of the seniors have been with him for three years.
“We have a great group of kids. I’ve had them for three years. You would love them. It’s great to be around these guys; win, lose or draw.
They are in League 4 with “three powerhouses”, said Murphy. Those teams are Connetquot, Ward Melville, Smithtown East, Centereach and Newfield. They played Newfield in a non-league game last season and Connetquot in the playoff lose.
They will open up on March 27 against Centereach.
