by Nick Cipolla
Last year was a memorable one for the Raiders as they continued their winning ways, finishing 13-5 in League I and clinching another playoff berth in the process. Pat-Med looked like a contender to win the County Championship, but unfortunately they were bounced from the playoffs by Floyd, ending one of their best seasons in recent memory. We were able to talk with head coach Anthony Frascogna about the season and the upcoming season.
“Solid season with a disappointing ending”, said Frascogna, “We have to make fielding the ball a priority this season. Have to be able to overcome some of the external forces that weigh in on the game sometimes.. making errors didn’t allow us to do that”.
The Raiders will only be losing two guys from their core in 2022, Outfielder Tyree Jackson (‘22) is now at Hofstra. He had a record-breaking season as he batted .420 with 6 HRs, 33 runs scored and program-record 30 stolen bases.
RHP Evan Balbera (‘22) will be someone that they look to replace in the pitching rotation. He pitched 40 innings, which was second on the team. He went 5-2 with a 2.80 ERA. Balbera is at SUNY Cobleskill.
For the returners, Pat-Med has plenty of returning talent. They are headlined by Yastrzemski Award winner and Ole-Miss signee Josh Knoth (‘23). Knoth had an all-time season last year, setting a school record with 107 strikeouts while posting a K/BB ratio of 107/6. Even more mind boggling is he only allowed 13 hits all year and he finished with a 0.86 ERA during the regular season. He has touched 96 MPH with his fastball and has a really good feel for all his pitches including one of the top sliders in the country. He also contributed with the bat in 2022 as he added 3 HRs and batted .380. Coach Frascogna described Knoth as “a coach’s dream to have in the rotation”. Plenty of eyes will be on Knoth throughout the season as he has built a strong case to get drafted early in the 2023 MLB Draft.
Reigning Carl Yastrzemski Award winner and Ole Miss Commit Josh Knoth (2023) pic.twitter.com/VB9sekJhKr
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2023
There is no shortage in talent and star power behind Knoth, as junior Army-commit Robbie Melo (‘24) has been a big time lefty bat in the middle of the Raider lineup since he was a freshman. They will be relying on him to step it up on the mound as well to fill a hole left by the graduation of Balbera. Melo pitched 30 innings, went 3-1 with a 3.92 ERA. OF/LHP Jack Costello will be a third-year starter for the Raiders. He pitched 23 innings last season and notched a 1.53 ERA.
Army-commit Robbie Melo (Pat-Med 2024) goes deep at the 16u PG Elite National Championship pic.twitter.com/Df1UqLA45x
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 2, 2022
“(Costello) is scrappy at the plate and competes on the mound,” coach Frascogna said. Junior Bryan Frascogna (‘24) and Senior Zach Papanikolotus (‘23) both have varsity experience behind the dish and will be expected to be the platoon behind the plate for the upcoming season. “Bryan does a great job catching Knoth and Zach will also play outfield for us” said coach Frascogna. The Raiders will also look to infielder/RHP David Granucci (‘24), RHP Jeremey Schelmety (‘23), and OF Jacob Oakley (‘25) to have big seasons as well.
Uncommitted Jeremy Schelmety (Pat-Med 2023) up to 85 pic.twitter.com/MDlEW4zacE
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 20, 2022
The Raiders will lean on their pitching this year, along with a strong returning class paired with Knoth, Coach Frascogna feels very confident in his team’s experience. “Team has a lot of varsity experience. I’m confident they’ll work hard to compete every game.
The Patchogue Medford Raiders open up their 2023 campaign on March 27th against Riverhead. “We have a lot of goals this season”, said Frascogna. “Long term, win the state tournament. But really it comes down to playing to win every day. Suffolk AA is a grind so you have to stay focused or you could find yourself out of the playoffs. This year in the East/West Land of Oz you have to be above .500 to make the playoffs. So that has to be what we’re focused on first”.
