by Aaron Diaz
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series
Shoreham-Wading River 7, Center Moriches 5
Joey Marchese walk-off 2 run homer
Liam Bowes hit a 3 run shot to tie it earlier in the inning pic.twitter.com/TkuissE9iq
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 4, 2022
2023 turned into a rebuilding year for the Shoreham-Wading River Wildcats, but an unexpected one at that. Last season was the first time in 37 season years the team missed the playoffs. The Wildcats finished with a 6-14 record in that span.
“We broke that streak which was always something we were proud of as a program and the consistency there,” said head coach Kevin Willi. “Last year, we had a perfect storm of us not having a playoff berth with some major injuries. The league was very tough last year as well. There are a lot of good teams and we were young too, it was one of those years where we’re kind of rebuilding a little bit.”
Those major injuries tampered with the starting rotation as their top three pitchers were out for most of the season. Willi then had to rely on a much younger team than he expected but having one year of experience under their belt, the Wildcats are prepared with their new young team.
“Last year we took our lumps,” Willi said. “But we always played as a team, guys were never selfish and were doing the right thing. We just didn’t have the ability to beat people and we were overmatched a lot of the time but our guys never gave up. That kind of toughness and grit should translate into the season.”
A big leader for the team in 2023, center fielder Kyle Engmann will play at Mercy College in 2024. Engmann was an All-County player for the Wildcats and a three-year varsity starter who was a consistent staple in the lineup. After last year’s pitching dilemma, he was used in the bullpen contributing himself as an all-around player.
“He led the team in hitting and he didn’t make an error in the field in two years,” Willi said. “We tried him on the mound a little bit last year, so he made a couple of appearances out of the bullpen. So that was the guy everybody looked to and they did.”
The Wildcats will look more like the team last season with Engmann’s role considered the biggest one to fill. Every player will make their role needed on the field in 2024.
“Other than him, we really have a lot of guys back,” Willi said. “They were either part timers last year or starters. In the outfield we have a couple of spots that are open but we have a couple of guys from JV that will compete for it, so I think we’re pretty set and we have a lot more tools at our disposal this year.”
Middle infielder senior Christian Cox was All-League in 2023 and will return to the lineup as one of the Wildcats key players in 2024. Cox has started on varsity three years.
Infielder Christian Cox (Shoreham-Wading River 2024) max exit velo 89 @PBRNewYork pic.twitter.com/ADOUkYSlKG
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 16, 2023
“He’s an excellent hitter in the middle of our lineup,” Willi said. “He’s a guy we’re going to be looking forward to taking up some of the leadership roles.”
Gordon Votruba will make his way back to the mound after his injury last season. Now a senior, Votruba is deemed the Wildcat’s number one starter. “He’s a very athletic kid, ” Willi explained, “He throws hard and he can also hit a little bit too, so he’s also looked to be the vocal leader on the team too. He’s the guy that will get everyone going on the bench, so he’s the take charge kind of player that we need.”
Uncommitted RHP Gordon Votruba (Shoreham-Wading River 2024) pic.twitter.com/stmfJkRGKE
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 16, 2023
Infielder junior Kyle Stella will also return to the diamond this year after breaking his nose in the middle of last season. Stella emphasized his play as a dynamic player for the team and having him in full strength will benefit them in 2024.
“He was leading the team in average and was our best pitcher on the mound, prior to his injury Willi said. “He’s lightning fast as a middle infielder and he’ll be back at full strength this year, so we’re looking for him to lead too.”
The starting shortstop last year was freshman Dan Laieta, who made an immediate impact and will return to the position this season as a sophomore. “He’s a talented all-around player,” Willi explained. “He’ll hit relatively in the middle of our lineup and he will be one of our pitchers this year. He’s gotten bigger and stronger and as a 10th grader he’s going to contribute.”
With a mixture of veteran and youth players alike, Shoreham headed into the offseason focused on returning to their program’s roots after a disappointing last season.
“I’ve been telling the guys, we want to win a league championship,” Willi said. “That’s the goal. That’s what we’re shooting for and we’ll try to do our best in the regular season and reset our goals once the playoffs hit and we’ll go from there.”
The Wildcats will take their new young team to face off against Babylon on Monday, March 25 in their first game of the season.
