Mattituck 2
John Glenn 1 (8 innings)
WP-Garrett Grathwohl 2 innings 3 K’s
Burke Evers 2-3 rbi
Brady Mahon 1-3 2 runs scored
Michael Mowdy walks it off in the 8th with bases loaded single pic.twitter.com/zSiZChi9Yq— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 15, 2021
Mattituck has been one of the most consistent baseball programs in Suffolk County. They have reached the playoffs each year since 2010. Last season was no different as they reached the Suffolk County Class B Finals where they lost a best-of-three against Center Moriches. Earlier in the playoffs, they had beaten Center Moriches and Babylon before they ran out of steam.
There’s no question that Mattituck will have a challenge in replacing their group of 11 seniors from last season. Of that group, three of them were stalwarts for several seasons.
“We definitely have some big shoes to fill,” said Head Coach Danny O’Sullivan who is entering his fourth year at the helm.
They were led by Brady Mahon, a five-year starter who played shortstop and was their ace pitcher. He was a two-time All-League player. Last season, he batted .275 with 20 runs scored and he pitched 49 innings to a 3.12 ERA with a record of 5-3 and 1 save. Coach said that he was a workhorse for them, as he pitched in 13 games.
GameChanger by DICK’S Sporting Goods
They also graduated Garrett Grathwohl who is now playing at SUNY New Paltz. He played corner infield and pitched. At the plate, he had a .328 AVG, he crushed 2 HRs and drove in 16 runs. He also pitched 16 innings on the mound. His older brother, Bryce, was a 2019 graduate of the program. Garrett was a four-year starter.
Bryce Hansen, now at Keene State in New Hampshire, was a corner infielder and closer. He was also a four-year starter for the program and two-time All-League player. He batted .292 with 3 HRs, 14 RBIs and he also pitched 20 innings with 2 saves.
“We definitely lost a lot with those three seniors,” said Coach O’Sullivan.
Fortunately, they do return plenty of talent.
Leading the charge is Mike Mowdy, a “Gold Glove caliber CF”, according to coach who described him as a “lockdown outfielder.”
He also was no slouch with the bat, as he batted .333 with 19 runs scored and 8 doubles. He was named All-League. He pitched 3 innings last year but will step into a larger role as a reliever this season.
They also return Andrew Berman, who is a senior that will play corner infield and pitch. His defining moment last year was when he came into pitch in the first inning due to an injury to the starting pitcher and all he did was fire a no-hitter for the rest of the game against John Glenn. He suffered a bit from “Jacob deGrom syndrome” as he notched a 1.90 ERA over 36 innings but was 2-3.
They also return a talented junior RHP James Reidy who has been up to 86 MPH recent and sits in the low 80s. Coach said he was “dynamite last season.” He proved his mettle holding down Shoreham-Wading River through four innings as a sophomore. He will be their left fielder and #2 pitcher as they are hoping for big things from him.
Uncommitted James Reidy (Mattituck 2024) getting some bullpen work in. Fastball is up to 85 MPH and has good movement on his offspeed pitches pic.twitter.com/KDIgVQAg79
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2023
Rounding out the rotation is Ben Vogel, a talented sophomore who will slot into the rotation.
Handling the pitching staff is senior catcher Ryan Janis. Coach noted that they are confident in him, considering “he is solid defensively, he calls his own game and he’s a 3rd year starter for us.” He batted .258, hit 2 HRs and drove in 13 runs as a junior last season.
He mentioned two younger players that will contribute and that’s Tyler Brown and Trey Hansen, younger brother of Bryce.
At small schools like Mattituck, talented underclassmen typically get called up and thrown into the fire. In many cases, it works out if they are good enough, as both of these players appear to be.
The JV program is in great hands as well. It is coached by Joe Tardif, who is a 2016 graduate and was a member of the New York State Championship winning team. He went onto play 4 years at SUNY Cortland. He also helped the Mattituck team win a soccer championship.
Mattituck will open up with a mandatory non-league game against Southold as they hope to continue their winning tradition.
