by Andy Smith
Babylon had major bumps in the road to begin their 2022 campaign. The Panthers suffered two crucial injuries to players that head coach Michael Birnbaum deemed “hard to replace,” early in the season. The center fielder did not recover from his injury and the third baseman was only able to return to the mound at the end of the season and was not allowed to field or swing a bat. Going into the year defense was going to be a major strength, but losing these players put a damper on those expectations. Despite these early bumps in the road Babylon stayed the course and qualified as the top seed in the B school division and made the playoffs.
Head Coach Michael Birnbaum is entering his fourth season as skipper. Birnbaum gave a shout out to an assistant coach he will be working with this season. Rick Punzone, who has over thirty years of coaching experience in multiple sports will bring a “wealth of knowledge” to the staff.
Babylon will be without major pieces who were integral to last season’s success. At the top of this group is leadoff hitter John King. The backstop hit for a strong average and swiped twenty bags. On the defensive side of the ball, King threw out more than thirty percent of base stealers.
Starting pitcher Joe Young is now playing football at Cortland. In his senior season, Young threw to the tune of a strong 2.90 ERA. Another graduate, Joe Connell was a starter on the mound and finished with 2 wins.
Babylon is entering 2023 with a senior heavy group, and many have been on the team for multiple seasons. Leading this pack is the ace of the rotation, Daniel Madsen. The current senior will also see time at the corner infield positions and is described as someone who, while on the mound, “pounds the zone.” Madsen finished the 2022 campaign with an impressive 6-2 record and many of those wins were against top teams. Madsen is the headliner of a rotation with “a lot of innings on the table.”
Daniel Madsen (Babylon 2023) FB T81 with 3 pitches pic.twitter.com/Gcjp8KK3XE
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 22, 2022
George Washington University commit Cristino Tufano will be a feature in this lineup. The dynamic shortstop swiped fourteen bases and has some real pop. Tufano is also just as dominant on the defensive side of the game. The current senior only made two errors on 111 fielding chances last season.
Cristino Tufano (Babylon 2023) first varsity HR pic.twitter.com/xwxmVO8HOe
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2021
Mattingly Goldstein will see time at the hot corner and on the mound. The current senior did not play last season due to injury. The third baseman is committed to Felician University. Another player returning from injury is senior Andrew DiPalma. The center fielder will be an impact player for the Panthers. Senior Rohan Brown, a steller defender who had zero errors last season will see time in the outfield. They also have senior second baseman Tyler Molinaro who performed well in summer ball last year with a .340 AVG in PG events.
Mattingley Goldstein (Babylon 2023) pic.twitter.com/U3PLJoMoPN
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 22, 2022
Current sophomore John Harkins made a major impact in his freshman year. Harkins was called up to the varsity team following an injury. The All-League player did not disappoint and hit .311 while seeing time at both second and third base.
Another name to note is a transfer from Chaminade. Entering his sophomore year, Aidan Kistner brings a lefty bat to the lineup and will make appearances on the bump, and in the outfield and at first base.
Birnbaum reflected on the roster construction and how it currently stands. “We are pretty deep across the board. We have 19-20 guys on the team. Many of the guys can play multiple positions.”
Birnbaum added about the athleticism his squad possesses. “We are a team of athletes. Last season we stole 120 bases. That should be our identity again.”
Babylon will be in the mixed BCD bracket this season. This league consists of teams such as; Pierson, Port Jefferson, Amityville, Mattituck, Southampton, Bridgehampton, Center Moriches, Greenport, and Southold.
The Panthers begin their quest against the Whalers of Pierson on March 29th.
