by Andy Smith
Final: Smithtown West 2, Centereach 0
WP: Ryan Conk (CG shutout)Dom Crema sac fly and DiBlanda RBI single
Smithtown West will play Smithtown East in the Conference II Finals tomorrow pic.twitter.com/BwVAWgWL4O
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2022
The Smithtown West Bulls had a very successful season last year. 18th year head coach Al Nucci reflected on the 2022 campaign.
“We had a very nice start beginning the year with a 9-3 record. We then went into a funk losing five of our next six games. That tough stretch forced us to soul search and refocus. Our team had to show that it could deal with the adversity of a very rough two week stretch. We answered the bell and won our last two league games to finish 12-8 overall and 12 and 6 in league play. We earned a 5 seed in the playoffs and instantly fell into the loser’s bracket, suffering a tough loss to Smithtown East. With our backs against the wall and our season on the line, we rolled off five wins in a row beating Bellport, Newfield, Connetquot, Centereach, and Smithtown East. Unfortunately, we ended up losing to Smithtown East in the conference final, which ended our season with a record of 17-10.”
Smithtown West graduated several “high quality and high character” players. Dom Crema, now playing at St. Thomas Aquinas College, held down second base for the Bulls. Crema posted an impressive stat line with a .409 AVG, 29 hits, 22 RBIs, 20 runs, and 14 stolen bases. First baseman Josh DiBlanda hit for an average of .452, with 33 hits and 20 runs. DiBlanda, who is now a St. Joseph’s Golden Eagle, also tallied 17 walks last season. Adam Ginsberg, who is now playing at Marywood University played the hot corner as a Bull. The third baseman hit .325 with 25 hits in 2022.
Titan Lifer! Freshman, Dom Crema, his first college hit! A Bomb!! @axcessbaseball #TitanNation pic.twitter.com/xlLzctaK0d
— Titans (@LITitanbaseball) March 4, 2023
Other graduates Jack Flood, Ryan Setter and Sean Jost were also integral to the success Smithtown West enjoyed last season. Flood was dominant on the mound with a 2.52 ERA and 6-2 record, and also tallied a save. Setter was the primary shortstop and scored 30 runs with a .320 AVG. Jost, now a freshman at John Jay, defeated Connetquot in the postseason.
Smithtown West 6, Bellport 0
WP: Sean Jost (CG, 4-hitter, 5 Ks, 1 BB) pic.twitter.com/KHvDKahlhg— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 12, 2022
“Dom Crema, Adam Ginsberg, Josh DiBlanda, and Jack Flood were 2 and 3 year starters and really did a nice job providing not only statistics, but leadership. Those guys will all be missed and their positions need to be filled.”
Despite the losses, Smithtown West is returning a strong cast who will look to carry on the success of the program. Senior Jack LaPrarie will be the defensive anchor in center field. “He is a fantastic centerfielder that catches anything in the air from gap to gap, and will be hitting in the 3 or 4 spot this season.” LaPrarie tallied 28 hits with a .341 AVG last season.
Fellow senior Ryan Conk will be a key piece in the rotation. Conk finished with a 6-2 record and two wins in the playoffs against Bellport and Centereach. During the two game stretch Cook was dominant, throwing 13 innings while not surrendering a run, recording sixteen punch outs and only five walks. “Ryan got better as the year progressed and showed the most composure the more intense the situation is.”
Another player highlighted by Nucci was sophomore Brady Austin. Austin played in every game during his freshman year and will be batting near the top of the order this season. As a defender, he committed zero errors in right field and has a “plus range and arm.” Also, “as a strong left handed pitcher, who commands the strike zone, we are looking to have him step into our starting rotation.”
Speaking about the rotation, “Our pitching staff this season should be strong and deep. Of the guys that we anticipate making the squad, 11 guys have the ability to pitch. Conk and Austin should be two guys that can expect to be in our rotation. The third spot is open and any of these guys can make a case for it; senior Kyan Zamaniyan, and juniors Brian Hope, Connor Catania, Zack Marsh and Vin Fallacaro.”
Nucci added that with only a small returning cast who have had significant playing time, many positions are up for grabs.
“I believe we have plenty of players that are capable to fill our needs in those spots, but it will be learned on-the-fly by guys that are underclassmen, without varsity experience. I am sure our team will have to deal with the ups-and-downs of a typical varsity season. We will have to be mentally tough and execute the basics as close to perfect as possible. These guys all have played summer ball and have had success on every team they have played on. Putting on that varsity uniform and stepping onto a varsity diamond is a different animal, but I have faith in our guys.”
Nucci noted that there are many talented underclassmen in the program. “As far as underclassmen being called up, we have talented players in 9th and 10th grades. We obviously have to give them a good look during our workouts and tryouts. There will be a bunch that are in the mix to make our varsity club.”
Smithtown West will be in a league with North Babylon, West Islip, Copiague, HHH East, Huntington, and Northport.
“You never know what you are going to get with a high school baseball season and league matchups. I believe in the players we have and feel that, come May, we should be competitive and hopefully in the mix for a league title.”
The Bulls begin their quest for a league title on March 28th at Copiague.
