by Mike Merolle
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.
Riverhead 2, Longwood 1
Mark Gajowski threw a complete game 2 hitter. He brought a no hitter into the 7th inning. 0 earned runs, 6 K’s, 2 walks. Senior Luke Pilon went 2-3 at the plate with a key RBI. pic.twitter.com/ek1ThaNPXc
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 27, 2023
The 2023 season did not go as planned for Riverhead. The team finished with a record of 1-19. It was head coach Kevin Kerman’s first season taking over the role but he sees the positives in a season of negatives.
“In an extremely competitive league, we had a disappointing season last year. We are going to use that season as motivation to push this group forward to improve. We have to work extremely hard at doing the little things well. Throwing and catching, putting balls in play, moving runners over, and getting pitches over the plate. These fundamentals are the keys to this game. If we improve in those areas, we will see improvements to our record,” said Kerman.
Riverhead will “heavily rely” on LHP Mark Gajowski (2024) who is committed to SUNY Albany. Kerman praises Gajowski for being a big piece in the rotation and a role model for the team on-and-off the field. More senior leadership will come from Tyler Dick (2024), John Lennon III (2024), Brandon Carter (2024), and Jack Simon (2024). All four will have increased roles in their final season in Riverhead. Kerman is not only looking for leadership from the seniors but from the younger players as well.
“We are preaching leadership to all of our players, not just our seniors. We will look to our juniors to be vocal leaders on the field this year as well. Leadership needs to come from the team as a whole,” Kerman said.
Riverhead will see a young lineup offensively and defensively this season as Kerman is satisfied with some players’ development. RHP/INF Camden Wallace (2025) will be an important piece this season. Wallace makes a perfect fit on this Riverhead roster as he plays multiple positions which will be useful in Kerman’s small roster. “Camden is a leader for us and another role model for our program,” said Kerman.
Brady Hubbard (2025) had a big bat for Riverhead last season and is expected to be a force in the middle of the lineup this season. LHP Bryce Mackie (2025) pitched as both a starter and a reliever last season. He will be looked upon to do more of the same in an elevated role this season. RHP/INF Matthew Zambriski (2027) was called up to last season’s varsity squad as an eighth grader to fill some holes. He has “extremely talented stuff and an upper-level fastball,” according to Kerman. He’ll have an elevated role as well this season as he’ll be in the starting rotation and will be a top bat in the lineup. Gajowski, Zambriski, Wallace, and Mackie will provide the main strength of the team through pitching.
Kerman’s main concern for Riverhead is its depth. He pointed out how COVID took a toll on the program including the budget resulting in the team rebuilding which is still ongoing. He is excited about the promising talent coming up annually from the middle school program as it shows positive signs for the Riverhead JV and varsity program.
“Elite teams on the island have depth at multiple positions with deep rotations and deep bullpens. We won’t be there just yet this year. We will have a smaller varsity team that will all work to pull the rope together. This means playing multiple positions in different situations and sometimes coming back in relief later in the week on the mound. Our guys will be up to the test,” said Kerman.
The saying goes, “Once you hit rock bottom, there’s only one way to go, and that’s up”. That’s the case for Riverhead this season. The team is poised to show improvement in the standings. “Our goal is to improve from a disappointing season last year. We will take things one game at a time, one inning at a time, no matter who the opponent is,” said Kerman.
Riverhead will open their 2024 league schedule at home against William Floyd on March 26.
