Photo Credit: Adelphi Athletics
(Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring the season preview series.)
When you graduate 5 starting position players that all have All-Conference or All-Region pedigree, it is always a challenge.
Adelphi had the luxury of penciling in 5 players into the lineup last season (Cooper Johnson, Tim Feliz, Kyle Olson, Antony Cipri and Mike Draskin) that were all fourth and fifth year players that had great success at the collegiate level.
Sheesh 🔥 Mike Draskin crushes his 10th HR of the season to tie the game 5-5 in the fifth for Adelphi pic.twitter.com/hbJ0gn4Cm8
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 16, 2022
“We have to replace five of the eight starting spots in the lineup. Those positions are wide open,” said Head Coach Bill Ianniciello.
Fortunately for the Panthers, they are not devoid of talent in the slightest. “Our returners are solid,” he added.
At the top of that list are the players that have already had plenty of playing time and have put up numbers. Behind the plate, they have Alec Maag and Jose Matos. Maag was named to our All-Axcess team after leading the Panthers in AVG (.380), OPS (1.084), doubles (14), and towards the top in every other category.
Alec Maag was named to the All-Axcess team after batting .380 with a 1.084 OPS
Both of them can also play other positions, which allows them positional flexibility that most teams don’t have with their backstops. Matos threw out 18 of 42 attempted base steals.
He also put 3B Albert Ramos and SS Jack Wishner in that mix. They both started 43+ games and have established themselves. Wishner is a .323 hitter in his career over 88 games. In the case of Ramos, who was a standout player at St. Dominic, he has the type of potential that already has scouts interested in him.
“We have a couple guys that have had some success with a decent body of work. They’ve been working hard for two or three years waiting their turn.”
In that category are players like Alex Rende and Joe Pellegrino. Rende will likely play second base, while Pellegrino has been working at 1B. Rende batted .315 with an .865 OPS over 54 at bats. Pellegrino batted .306 with a 1.032 OPS and some insane power numbers – 6 HRs and 26 RBIs over just 72 at bats. The Commack-native possesses some elite bat-to-ball skills and he will be receiving regular at bats this year.
Coach added that they have several players that are a notch below that. “They all have talent and are working hard,” he said.
In that bucket of players is 1B/OF Greyson Pizzonia, infielder Nick Lopez, RF C.J. Picone, LF Phil D’Aguanno, OF L.J. Bohne – who can play any of the three OF positions. D’Aguanno is a player that came in as a two-way guy out of Bethpage HS but has put himself in the mix with his bat due to a standout fall season. Pizzonia batted over .300 and coach cited his speed and power as his strengths.
In regards to Bohne, coach said, “He batted .286 over 21 at bats, he’s capable, he’s working very hard, he’s a left-handed hitter and he’s gotten stronger. He has high baseball acumen.”
They also have Johnny Catuosco, who batted .313 with 18 RBIs last season but is rehabbing an injury sustained last summer and trying his best to get back out there.
“This is a year where we have a very talented freshman class and we want to get those kids on the field as well. In previous years, we had established All-Region players. This team is a little more balanced, a little more deep. And there’s more competition for sure. If they play the way they competed in the fall – it will be a healthy competitive environment.”
In regards to the freshman class of position players, coach was really excited about this group.
They have two catchers, Bryan McCleary and Evan Carway.
Regarding McCleary: “He had a great fall. He is a leadership guy, strong catch & throw. He had a good fall with the bat but he suffered an injury and is rehabbing now. He could see some playing some.”
Infielder Erick Duignan, a 6’3 infielder out of Connetquot HS. “He has huge upside. He played SS and third. He can be big time. He’s still growing into his body but he has big tools.”
1B Justin Wilkinson, also a Connetquot grad, opened some eyes in the fall with his defensive prowess. Coach Ianniciello certainly noticed.
“He might be our best defensive first baseman. There’s no pressure on him to play right away. He made some diving backhanded plays in the fall. He’s great with his scoops. He’s a natural barrel to ball guy. He’s making some adjustments at the plate.”
CF is wide open, said coach. They have two freshmen that both are performing well – James Eden (MacArthur) and Anthony Rigogliosi (East Islip).
“Eden has premium speed, he has big upside as an athlete. He had a good fall and was one of our more productive hitters.” Coach said that Rigogliosi is “polished defensively.”
“Both will get time,” he said.
Rounding out the positional group of freshman is Michael Robinson.
“He’s a left-handed hitter, his swing is advanced. He’s been at third and second and he’s caught everything. He’s got some pop.”
The pitching staff faced some unexpected turnover with the loss of their top two starters and top reliever from last season. Fortunately, the team has the talent and depth to move forward as they look to weather that storm and navigate through the challenges of a Division-II baseball season in the northeast.
There are a number of talented arms. Coach stated that while nobody is going complete games in the early going, they are working on getting a number of guys stretched out. The starting rotation is wide open.
We’ll start off with RHP Brendan Kenneally.
“He pitched better than his numbers would indicate,” said Ianniciello. He had an outing against New Haven in Florida in which he was tagged for 11 runs, but when they faced each other again, he fired five shutout innings in the re-match. “He won five games. He has great command. He was low 80s last year, he’s mid 80s now and he knows how to compete. He’s a strong kid and he works hard.” He should be in the mix to be a conference starter.
Another interesting arm is Coleton Reitan. He is a 6’2 RHP that spent 3 years at Wesleyan University but Coach Ianniciello was familiar with him from coaching him in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. He pitched for the Panthers last season, appearing in 15 games with 27 innings and 41 strikeouts with a 5.67 ERA.
“Coleton is a high-end student with a 4.0 GPA. He has great stuff with nasty movement.”
Dawson Montesa is a freshman from Queens Metropolitan HS that coach spoke very highly of.
“He’s a mid 80s guy, he was 84-87 in the fall. He had a very good fall. He’s another high-end academic student. He pitched in the PSAL Championship at Yankee Stadium. During the season I ask the recruits to send me their stats and it seemed like every week he was 10 innings, 0 runs, 28 strikeouts,” coach said, jokingly. “He has a good breaking ball and changeup. He has a live arm, works in the bottom of the zone. Sharp kid, good presence on the mound and great acumen.”
Moving on to some other arms on the staff, coach mentioned Carlos Acosta.
“He’s another kid that took a big step forward,” said coach. “He started six games last year. He’s gotten incredibly strong. He’s been working hard in the weight room for 2 years. He’s another guy we’ve been getting stretched out.”
Coach also spoke highly of 6’4 RHP Gavin Graff who came across country from beautiful La Jolla, Calif.
“He had an excellent fall. He’s finally healthy – he will get a serious look. He will throw meaningful innings.”
Freshman RHP Jake Sekinski is coming back from Thoracic Outlet Surgery and recently was cleared to throw. He’s a strike thrower with 5 pitches, and he has been lauded for his pitchability. His return date is still questionable but his future is bright.
Three other pitchers that will have key roles are all returners – junior John Carver, senior Stevie Proko and grad student Jacob Dannenberg. Coach categorized them in a similar bucket, saying “they all have had injuries, they are all heathy, and they are all throwing the back well and have huge upside. They have great stuff and superior tools.”
Adelphi RHP John Carver (Lynbrook 2021) was up to 95 MPH in his bullpen this week pic.twitter.com/OijcwCmpQ1
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 16, 2024
Junior RHP Zach Rovner compiled 16 innings across 5 appearances. Coach said he’s another pitcher that has improved and and he’ll be in the mix as well. His older brother, Josh, was a mainstay in the Panthers’ rotation for five years before graduating after the 2022 season.
They suffered a big blow when RHP Jack Carr required Tommy John Surgery after making 1 start last season. He was primed for a huge season. It’s unclear if/when he will return. He has ace potential.
Jack Carr transferred from Stony Brook University and should be a big part of the Adelphi rotation. FB 88-90 T91 with a sharp slider pic.twitter.com/4GPHXz2YK5
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 27, 2022
A key for the pitching staff will certainly be strike throwing as they walked 229 batters across 389 innings and a 7.33 ERA.
There is a massive reason for optimism for this program and it is their 2024 recruiting class. They did an outstanding job of bringing in a mix of position players and pitchers. They have 7 pitchers and 3 position players. All of them look like immediate impact players at the collegiate level.
Tyler Bonsignore (MacArthur), Ari Gluck (Hills East), CJ Forman (Longwood), Matthew Curto (Lindenhurst), Will Celentano (Kellenberg), Colin Richardson (Mechanicville), Matt Ryan (North Shore), Tommy Rizzuto (Oyster Bay), Giancarlo Rengifo (Clarke) and Jack Tate (Wantagh).
CJ Forman was lights-out in a critical game for Longwood as they defeated Sachem East 7-1 to get even in the standings. Forman went the distance and struck out six batters. He’s our Player of the Game @GCsports pic.twitter.com/6nkSaWWGIj
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 17, 2023
When you combine them with the 2023 class – that also features RHP Billy Kind who is recovering from Tommy John – Coach mentioned that there’s 6 pitchers that all have outstanding pitchability. That has the makings of a championship-caliber staff. There’s also 3 position players that all have pop and all play for winning programs.
They will open up the season on the weekend of February 23-25 in Myrtle Beach, SC against Post University, Mercy University, University of Bridgeport and the College of Staten Island.
“It was a good experience in Myrtle Beach. Most coaches are choosing to do 4-5 game weekends now. Then we have a really competitive series against Molloy. I really love our schedule,” he added.
The Panthers will look to bounce back from last year’s under .500 season and return to their typical playoff ways.
