by Andy Smith
Hunter Colagrande (Kings Park 2024) threw a no-hitter (1 walk) in the Elite 8 @ PG WWBA Upperclass Nationals. Pitching against players two years older pic.twitter.com/DyOMR26vkz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 11, 2021
Kings Park made major improvements in 2022. The Kingsmen finished with a 9-10 overall record, which is a major improvement from winning just four games in 2021. Entering his fourth season as the head coach, Andrew Abreu reflected, “We put an emphasis on the ball in play, hard contact in offensive counts and team swings in 2 strike counts, as well as being aggressive on the bases to force defenses to make plays.”
The Kingsmen saw their batting average jump by .55 points, scored 35 more runs and swiped 15 more bags in comparison to 2021.
Abreu, a graduate of Centereach High School, went on to play college baseball at Dowling College under Chris Celano and Tom Caputo from 2010-2014.
Abreu added about how last season ended and what improvements can be made. “We fell one game short of qualifying for the playoffs, losing the last two games of the season against ESM. At the time, it was devastating to fall just short of our goal of reaching the playoffs. However, we challenged our guys to embrace the difficult things. So, as time moved on, it became fuel for us as a program. Goals don’t happen just because you want them to, they are earned in the work that’s put in. Our guys ran with that challenge and have worked extremely hard this offseason. Many of them put more time into their game this offseason to take their skill set to the next level.”
Kings Park is entering 2023 without a very talented group of recent graduates. Seven of these graduates are now playing at the collegiate level. “They were all great teammates, who were selfless, dedicated, and determined. They brought it day in and day out.”
Five of the seven were major contributors on the mound. Two-time All-League starting pitcher AJ Petraitis has taken his talents to Le Moyne College. Aidan Colagrande (All-League), now a Fairfield Stag, tallied 65 punchouts in 38 innings. Starting pitcher Ryan Callaghan is now pitching at St. Thomas Aquinas College.
In addition to the three above starters, the Kingsmen also lost two options out of the bullpen. Jason Sacks (Palm Beach) tallied two wins and a save and coming back from Tommy John surgery, John Moeller is pitching at SUNY Old Westbury.
Two impactful bats have also graduated. John Tardino led the Kingsmen in RBI and had a batting average of .340, and is now playing at SUNY Old Westbury with his former teammate. Joe Streng (Suffolk Community College) led the team in OBP with .450 in 2022.
King Park is entering 2023 with a very strong cast of returning players. The Kingsmen are returning 8 starting position players from last year’s team, and it is headlined by four seniors.
Senior EJ Ettinger started all 19 games last year at shortstop. The New Haven commit is described as “a glue guy. He’s developed an extremely high baseball IQ and is the hardest working person on the field at all times”, according to Abreu.
All-League and Ramapo College-commit TJ Scannevin will be a feature in the outfield. The four year varsity player has hit over .300 the last two seasons and plays “with a great energy that is contagious.”
Two Staten Island commits, Anthony Agostinelli and Owen Weber, will also be featured in the lineup. Agostinelli was second on the team in RBI’s last season and Weber will be featured in both the outfield and corner infield.
Three juniors will play a major role in the team’s potential success as well. The headliner of the rotation, Hunter Colagrande, and his “wipe-out breaking ball” should get batters to swing all season. The Stony Brook commit is “a true student of the game who has developed into an excellent leader for us.”
Middle infielder Anthony Altobelli is entering his third season on the varsity team. Altobelli hit over .300 as a freshman and is expected to see time on the bump.
Michael Cooper hit .333 last season and has continued to work hard in the offseason to reach the next step. Abreu noted, “He’s gotten significantly stronger in the weightroom and has made adjustments to his swing and approach.”
Brandon Hauk will be a force on both sides of the ball. Hauk was impressive on the basepaths by leading the Kingsmen in stolen bases last season. As a pitcher, Hauk has shown noticeable gains in velocity as well.
Another name to watch is sophomore catcher Vincenzo Buffolino. The backstop started eleven games as a freshman hitting .355 and registering an OBP of .555. “As the season progressed, his confidence began to grow. He became rock solid behind the plate catching a staff who all moved on to pitch at the collegiate level”, said Abreu.
As mentioned before, Colagrande will headline the rotation. Graduating three starting pitchers is always challenging but Abreu is confident in the pieces he has and believes they will step up. Potentially filling these roles this upcoming season are Juniors Anthony Altobelli, Justin Nustad, Matt Callaghan, Brandon Hauk and senior Owen Weber.
“We’re excited and confident about the group we have. We believe if we play our best baseball, we believe we can play with anyone,” Abreu added.
Kings Park League 6 opponents are; Harborfields, Islip, and Elwood J Glenn. Kings Park conference opponents are; Hills West, West Babylon, East Islip, Hauppauge, and Deer Park.
Kings Park begins their 2023 campaign against Deer Park on March 27th.
