by Max Edelman
Rocky Point 7, Miller Place 3
WP: Dom Carbone (6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 8 Ks)AJ Aschettino: 2-for-4, HR pic.twitter.com/tJ23Jjol8b
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 3, 2023
(Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.)
Coming off a 17-6 season that included a trip to the third round of the playoffs and 5th consecutive League Championship, the Rocky Point Eagles enter the season hoping to replicate much of the success they had a season ago. Head coach Anthony Anzalone, who is entering his 6th year as the Eagles head coach, recapped what was overall a successful season, as well as the recent success the team has enjoyed over the last few years. They also won the 2022 Class A Suffolk County Championship.
“We lost in the third round of the playoffs to Mount Sinai.” Anzalone said. “We were League 7 champions, however. We’ve been very fortunate to finish five years in a row as League Champions, and hope to continue to add to that success and then some.”
Following a season as strong as the Eagles had in 2023, the goal for 2024 is not only to win the League Title but the County Title as well. For the Eagles to enjoy much of that same success, it will be on the backs of the returners that remain on the team from a season. Luckily for the Eagles, many of their key players from a year ago are back this season.
Rocky Point 17, Comsewogue 7
WP: LoughlinAJ Aschettino: 3-R HR, 4 RBIs
Dom Viggiano: 4 RBIs
Tyler Maggio: 2 hits, 3 Runs, 2 RBIs
Anthony Viggiano: 2 hits, 3 runs, 2 RBIs pic.twitter.com/zJEFO7PfZH— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 13, 2023
AJ Aschettino, a senior and Northeastern commit, is the reigning League 7 MVP. Aschettino was also a finalist for the Carl Yastrzemski Award, which is given to the top baseball player in Suffolk County. Last season, Aschettino had an insane .522 average. Aschettino also hit five home runs to go along with 27 RBIs and 10 stolen bases.
He became the fifth consecutive Rocky Point player to win the League MVP – which dates back to 2018 and lasted through the pandemic-cancelled season:
- 2018: Joe Grillo
- 2019: Mike Gunning
- 2021: Dominick Carbone
- 2022: Cody Miller
- 2023: AJ Aschettino
Senior infielder/pitcher and Hudson Valley Community College commit Jeremy Graham is also someone who could provide big-time versatility for the Eagles this year. Not only will he spend time playing on the left side of the infield, but Anzalone also touted Graham as the team’s projected number-one pitcher in 2024.
“[Graham] had a great year for us last year.” Anzalone said. “He will be out number one on the mound in addition to working in at third base and shortstop.”
Jonny Bohlman, a Staten Island commit, was the team’s DH last year and is also entering his senior season. Last year with the Eagles, Bolman had an impressive .358 average with a homer and 17 RBIs. Junior Tyler Maggio, the team’s second baseman last season, will also be remaining in his position for Rocky Point this year.
Dom Carbone struck out 10 and allowed just 2 hits and an unearned run in Rocky Point’s 5-1 win over Comsewogue. He was the Axcess Preseason Player of the Year and today’s Player of the Game Powered by @GCsports pic.twitter.com/38gtY96o3a
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 10, 2023
The Eagles will be going into the 2024 season without Dominick Carbone, who graduated last year and is now playing at Coastal Carolina. Carbone dominated for the Eagles both at the plate, but also on the mound. Last season, Carbone was 6-0 in seven starts. Carbone also carried a microscopic ERA of 0.67.
“That’s obviously a big loss for us this year.” Anzalone said. “But we have a bunch of younger guys on the pitching staff that will hopefully get the job done.”
The loss of Carbone creates a void in the Eagle’s pitching staff. However, the Eagles plan to rely on several old and new faces to the rotation to fill that void. Anzalone plans to use Jeremy Graham, as well as juniors Vito Spadafina and Ryan Loughlin as the team’s starters this year.
“They’ve all seen an uptick in velocity since last year.” Anzalone said. “It speaks to how their offseason and summer went. So the velo is definitely up and our pitching coach Brian Glen does a great job during the offseason preparing these guys to be able to execute any pitch in any count.”
Out of the bullpen, Anzalone touted Jack Hopkins as a player who could be effective. Last season, Hopkins recorded a 2.77 ERA in 10 appearances. In the field, Anzalone also has high hopes for junior Jackson Marte to make an impact on the team.
Going into the season, coach Anzalone praised the experience of his pitching staff as the strength of his team.
“Our strength is definitely the experience of our pitching staff.” Anzalone said. “Last year, we were young. There are guys that got a lot of experience last year that we’re comfortable putting in big games this year.”
The Rocky Point Eagles will open their season on March. 25 against Hauppauge.
