by Andy Smith
Wantagh had a down year by their standards The consistently successful program missed the playoffs for the first time since 1994. Head Coach Keith Sachs, who has been the head coach of the baseball team for over 28 years reflected on the 2022 campaign. “It was the perfect storm. A very tough league, a lot of tough losses. We learned a lot.”
Sachs, a former collegiate athlete at Hofstra elaborated, “We do not have to be a championship caliber team to have a good experience. The kids still grew and enjoyed themselves. They still cried during the last game.”
Wantagh finished the season on a high note defeating Clarke during the final game of the year.
Wantagh will be without Andrew Bonanno, who played a major role throughout his time on the team. The recent graduate started five games on the mound, and he went the distance in two of them. Bonanno put up strong numbers throughout his time at Wantagh. A few highlights were a .319 AVG as a junior and two home runs during his senior campaign.
Two two-time All-County players are returning and will be important pieces in 2023. Senior Tim Hennig will serve as the ace of the rotation. The Binghamton commit threw a no-hitter his sophomore year. Hennig is also versatile in the lineup and will potentially see time at third base, second base, shortstop, and the outfield. As a hitter, Hennig registered a .373 AVG, .484 OBP, and a 1.013 OPS in 2022.
‘23 Tim Hennig (NY) landing a firmer SL in the upper 70’s with Ave horizontal action. FB up to 91 worked in the upper 80’s mostly #Binghamton commit @PGMidAtlantic #PGElite pic.twitter.com/5UmwzkOKkq
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 24, 2022
Joining him, junior AJ Bardi was an All-County player during his first two seasons on the team. Bardi, a middle infielder, backstop, and pitcher was described as someone who “does everything.” Last season, Bardi tallied two home runs, a .508 AVG, and a 1.260 OPS.
This special duo was highlighted by the Sachs. “They are great kids who work really hard.”
Aidan Bardi (Wantagh 2024) put himself on the map with 18 home runs in a single week in Cooperstown. Last year he was the only freshman to be named All-County. Div-I prospect pic.twitter.com/tmPVk4YPyl
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 17, 2022
Senior Colin Crispyn will make an impact on both sides of the ball at shortstop and as a starting pitcher. Returning second baseman Vincent McCartney and left fielder Joseph Legovich will also play important roles as seniors on the team.
When looking at the roster as a whole, Sachs explained, “All other positions are open. There may be guys getting called up. This will be a wait and see approach.”
Wantagh will be in a league this season with Clarke, Plainedge, Island Trees, North Shore, Lynbrook, and Mineola. “We are in a stacked league filled with perennial baseball powerhouses. Five teams can win this league and one will not even qualify for the playoffs.”
Wantagh takes the field at Mineola to open the season. They will be looking to regain their form previous seasons in which they set the bar high for success and captured back-to-back-to-back Class A Long Island Championships (2016-2018) including a NYS Title in 2016.
