It’s hard not to be optimistic about the direction of Bellmore JFK baseball following an incredible finish to their 2023 season in which they recorded their highest win total (13-7-1) since their Nassau Class A County Finals appearance in 2016 under coach Eric Passman.
Mike Gattus, who took over in the Spring of 2019, has built the program back up to being a contender. After getting swept in their first series last year against Garden City, they showed resilience – first taking two of three against a strong South Side team, before rattling off 9 conference wins in a row.
Ultimately, they finished with a playoff loss against Bethpage which ended their season, but they did have a taste of postseason success as they defeated Long Beach.
They graduated 8 seniors from last year’s team, including two All-League players; pitcher Alex Goldstein and 2B Anthony Firriolo. Coach noted that they both had an impact on the program and they will be missed.
The story of the 2023 season was the emergence of twins brothers Ryan and Derek Yormack. They are both committed to Duke University and they are among the top players in the nation in the 2027 class. Simply put, they are both dudes. Derek was named All-County – one of the rare 8th graders to go All-County in Long Island history.
He batted .420 with a .547 OBP, 22 runs scored, 22 hits, 25 RBIs, 2 HRs, 1 triple, 5 doubles and also won 2 games on the mound with 32 strikeouts, 2.15 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
Ryan was named All-Conference and was named the 1st Annual Coach Eric Passman Playoffs MVP after hitting a HR against Long Beach. He batted .402 with a .542 OBP, 25 hits, 29 runs scored, 28 RBIs, 4 HRs, he also won a game on the mound, notched two saves and struck out 18 batters. They mainly split games on the mound in order to limit their innings as 8th graders.
Coach Gattus noted that Derek and Ryan became the first JFK athletes in over 30 years to earn postseason awards as 8th graders.
Pretty cool moment yesterday as 8th grade twins Ryan and Derek Yormack each homered in Bellmore JFK’s varsity game. It was Ryan’s second of the season. Very high ceiling players pic.twitter.com/T61dbgINKo
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 4, 2023
“They both hit home runs in the same game against South Side – which was sort of their coming out part,” said Gattus. We took two of three from them and that really set the tone for the season. The following game, they both pitched and led us to the win. That’s when other kids looked around and realized they belong. They earned the respect of everyone from the way they played and carried themselves. We had good senior leadership that took them under their wing. Now they are stepping up in leadership roles.”
Not to be overlooked is junior Jack Finkelstein, who was also named All-Conference. Jack notched 3 wins on the bump with 42 strikeouts and a 1.68 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 29 innings. He also recorded a robust .459 OBP with 20 RBIs.
SS Eli Lowenstein, who is now a junior, was a mainstay in the lineup and was All-League as a sophomore. He was a sparkplug for them in the lineup as he scored 27 runs, had 20 hits, drew 20 walks with a very strong .513 OBP. He became the first sophomore since Jason Coules in 2016 to earn a postseason award. Coules went on to play four seasons at Fordham University.
An absolute moon shoot for Fordham RF Jason Coules (Bellmore JFK 2018) pic.twitter.com/osTiCbJlra
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 16, 2020
Coach Gattus mentioned junior lefty Aaron Zacharia, who also played outfield when he wasn’t pitching. He pitched a scoreless inning in their playoff game against Bethpage when he entered in a tight spot.
“He had his best at bats later in the season to the point he was in the lineup everyday for us. Super athletic, multi-spot athlete but focusing on baseball. He played JV for me last year.”
Junior Jake Wexler was mentioned by Coach Gattus as well.
“He played a great defensive outfield for us as a sophomore. He helped us get a lot of wins with his play. He’s a multi-sport guy, he’s playing well in basketball.”
The seniors on the team are Jack Finkelstein, Lucas Linn, Josh Migdal, Josh Polinsky and Ethan Grossman.
The team has been working really hard. They started indoors in December once per week, now they are twice per week and they started up in the weight room in November twice per week. Coach said they have a great strength and conditioning program that they follow Eric Cressey’s methods on.
“We had an influx of talent and with their great work ethic it is a good combination.”
Coach Gattus brought in Steve Centorani to work with the pitchers, he played at Herkimer CC and SUNY Cortland. Dylan Clifford will be coaching the JV team.
They will open up league play against Hewlett. Other league opponents are Bethpage, South Side, Manhasset and Glen Cove.
