Bottom 4: A grand slam by Justin Crispino and Commack opens up a 7-3 lead pic.twitter.com/Rpr7jcYEui
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2022
Commack took the field in 2022 with heavy hearts following the tragic passing of their beloved coach Bryan Bonin. He was a winner on the field and a truly respected man in the community and a loving father, husband, son and brother. The Commack community rallied behind him and honored him in the best way they knew how – continue to win.
The Cougars went 17-1 in the regular season, capturing the League Championship and they continued to win as they went 7-1 during the Suffolk County playoffs, capturing their third County Championship since 2017. They had their season end in the Long Island Championship against their new rival, Massapequa, who got retribution for the 2021 LIC.
First year Head Coach Bryan Bonin on winning the county championship pic.twitter.com/d2Ky5CtnpJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 31, 2017
Commack has established itself as the top large school baseball program in the County, as they not only have won at an incredible pace but they have routinely churned out college players year-after-year.
Last year was no different as they sent 6 more players to the next level:
- Anthony Chiappetta (FDU)
- Nick Gnardellis (Delaware State)
- Mike Pulcini (Alvernia)
- Joey Patane (Queens)
- Justin Crispino (Pace)
- Matt McGurk (LIU)
This year, they are fortunate to be returning three All-County, Division-I commits. They are Chris McHugh (VCU), Connor Schramm (Niagara) and Joey DiMotta (FDU). In typical Commack fashion, they have several other college commitments but these are the ones that had the biggest impact on last year’s team that are returning. McHugh, of course, the younger brother of Tim McHugh is among the top players on Long Island and will man the shortstop position. DiMotta, an OF with a sweet left-handed swing came out of nowhere last year and had a huge season.
Great swing by FDU-commit Joey DiMotta (Commack 2023) pic.twitter.com/zvEur9lJsi
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) December 13, 2022
“DiMotta wowed everyone last season,” said Coach Matt Salmon. “He batted .410 with about 5 HRs and seemed like he was in the mix in every big moment. Him, McHugh and Schramm will bat 1-2-3 in the lineup in some order and it’s pretty encouraging having those guys that have been there in big moments.
In terms of the pitching staff, they will return 176 of last year’s 196 innings. They return Stony Brook-commit Eric Mohr (6-1 record, 1 save, 2.62 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 45.1 IP), St. Thomas Aquinas-commit Sebby LoCurto (4-0 record, 2.44 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, 28.2 IP), Niagara-commit Connor Schramm (2-0 record, 1 save, 0.34 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 20.2 IP), Evan Kay (5-0 record, 1 save, 1.85 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 34.0 IP) and Ryan Krzemienski (2-1 record, 2 saves, 3.33 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 27.1 IP). They did graduate Joey Patane who pitched 15 innings.
Coach noted that Kay and Krzemienski were able to do that as sophomores and they performed best in big spots. They combined to pitch 5.1 innings in the LIC, allowing just one run. Kay in particular had a knack for coming up big. In one instance, he came in with the bases loaded and 1 out in the first inning and he escaped the jam and pitched the rest of the game! With his composure and his fastball up in the mid to upper 80s, he will be a tough customer to hit once again.
Their pitching staff will be in great shape, and that’s before you factor in any newcomers. Behind the dish, they will likely have Brockport-commit Matt Mayer.
Coach also mentioned senior Aidan Murphy, who is committed to SUNY Cortland as a potential impact player. He didn’t play a ton as a sophomore in 2021 and sustained an injury in 2022 so he hasn’t played a ton on varsity, but Coach said he “wouldn’t be surprised if he had a big season for us.”
Overall, the Commack baseball program has turned into a well-oiled machine that has not only won at a prodigious rate, but they have a very strong pipeline of talent that has now seen what it means to don the uniform.
The new addition last year was the beautiful, turfed field, Bryan Bonin Field, which was dedicated to him in an emotional ceremony that featured his wife, children, parents and siblings as well as former players and hundreds of people from the community. It showed the impact he truly had on people.
Bryan Bonin Field is ready for the 2023 season ! pic.twitter.com/oBEt4Aq5Lt
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 17, 2023
This season will take on extra meaning for the 4 seniors that were up on varsity in 2021 for Coach Bonin’s final season.
“They have all mentioned that this season means a lot to them because they are the last players that every played for Bryan.”
The Cougars will move up to League 1 which will feature Lindenhurst, Central Islip, Brentwood and Walt Whitman. Their opening day will be March 28 against a very talented Lindenhurst, where they will likely face Stony Brook-commit Chris Carson. Coach spoke glowingly of Carson, who he said was extremely impressive last season in which he generated double-digit Ks against Commack.
They will also have scrimmages against Chaminade, St. Anthony’s, Grand Street Campus, Stony Brook Prep and Ward Melville – some of the best teams in New York.
