Newfield defeats South Side, 3-1, to capture the Conference III Long Island Championship! pic.twitter.com/prhnKbfnT4
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 20, 2021
High school sports tend to be cyclical in nature. When you have a strong core, you want to capitalize and win a title. Newfield certainly did that in 2021 when they not only defeated West Islip to capture their first County Championship in program history, but they went on to defeat South Side to capture their first Long Island Championship.
They had been knocking on the door for a few seasons dating back to 2018 when they broke their 13-year postseason drought. The stars aligned in 2021, led by Carl Yastrzemski Award winner Dylan Johnson who was also named the Axcess Man of the Year.
Fast forward to 2022, Newfield had another strong season, they reached the postseason and finished with a 13-5 record but were defeated by rival Centereach and Smithtown West.
For the first time in program history, Newfield is the county champs !
Kendall Kendrick strikes out 10 in a 1-hit shutout over West Islip.
They advance to the Long Island Championship where they will face the winner of South Side-Manhasset pic.twitter.com/AEcrFCDDp4
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 18, 2021
They had 23 seniors between the 2021 and 2022 graduating classes. On top of that, they had 3 underclassmen from last season that are not returning this season. That brings the total to 26 players that they need to replace from the roster the past two seasons.
Fortunately, they are returning the talented Logan Prisco. The flame throwing LHP was 4-0 last season with an ERA around 1.00. He has been a stalwart the past two seasons and they are hoping he can match or exceed that production.
Logan Prisco (Newfield 2023) sitting 82-84. Was All-County this season pic.twitter.com/MUclXRpwnt
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 22, 2022
“With him on the bump, we know what we got,” said Head Coach Eric Joyner. “His command was good last year and it’s even better this year,” he added. He will serve as their ace, and when he’s not pitching he will play 1B or DH and bat in the middle of the order.
They also return junior Matt Hesselbirg. Coach noted that he played a little as a freshman on the 2021 team, but was a regular starter last year. He will play infield and pitch.
“He’s a real hard-working kid. He’s really motivated. He was solid last year and he had an even better summer. It’s trending in the right direction for him.”
Coach also mentioned CF Danny Bartho.
“He can really go and get it. He got some good burn last year and batted over .300. He does a lot of things well – he hits, he runs, fields. And he’s not overmatched, ever.”
Coach also mentioned Tommy Barone behind the dish. He is a junior and will be tasked with handling the pitching staff.
They will likely have a couple freshman up on varsity. Coach said that they have a very strong core at the younger ages, down to middle school.
They will open up on Monday against Smithtown East at home. They will also face Connetquot, Centereach, Ward Melville and Bellport.
“There’s three teams that can be in the Final 4 in any year.” Despite playing in the powerhouse conference, it is Newfield who has the most recent County Championship of the bunch.
