by Aaron Diaz
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.
Final: Kings Park 1, East Islip 0
WP: Hunter Colagrande (CG shutout, 2 hits , 2 Ks)Kings Park improves to 10-3.
Game time: 1 hour, 20 mins pic.twitter.com/2thPSGXwVR
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 24, 2023
Kings Park took the next step in 2023 after narrowly missing the playoffs in 2022—a 15-win season and three playoff games later the team finds themselves in a prime position with fifth-year head coach Andrew Abreu as they look to take the next step in their quest for a championship in 2024.
“Two years ago we were a game short, losing the last two games and missing the playoffs,” Abreu said. “Heading into last year the guys had a chip on their shoulders and I think it showed during the offseason and we felt pretty confident about our group. Last year in our eyes was a successful season for sure, 15 wins and three home playoff games, and a lot of guys made some huge jumps.”
Kings Park did some damage from the batter’s box with a .364 average as a team and a .439 OBP. The Kingsmen scored 151 runs in 23 games played averaging 6.5 runs per game last season.
Being a junior-heavy team last year now propels them to be a senior-driven team with their eye on the prize in 2024. However, they did lose heavy power from their seniors in their 2023 lineup losing five players.
Shortstop and captain EJ Ettinger will play at the University of New Haven. All-League player T.J Scannevin committed to Ramapo College. Catcher Anthony Agostinelli, who had a tremendous 2023 campaign and corner infielder Owen Webber, will play for Staten Island in 2024. Their fifth senior Chris Triolo, a utility player, will play at SUNY Brockport.
But their returning players can do some damage from all areas of the field. “We got the next group coming,” Abreu said. “We have eight commits in this senior class.”
Leading the charge of the seniors is All-County pitcher Hunter Colagrande. He’s the definition of a stud,” Abreu said. Colagrande pitched to a 6-0 record in eight appearances throughout the season. In those appearances, he had a 1.08 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 50 innings pitched. “He’s never lost at the varsity level yet. Since being up as a sophomore, he’s taken a massive leap.” Colagrande will take his talents to Stony Brook University in 2025.
Hunter Colagrande fired a 2-hit CG shutout in a 1-0 win to clinch a playoff spot for Kings Park pic.twitter.com/jMSOiy3pCY
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 24, 2023
All-County and League 6 MVP Brandon Hauk will play a massive part on both sides of the ball for Kings Park. Hauk compiled a .418 batting average, .480 OBP and 28 hits last season. On the mound, he had a 2-2 record appearing in six games and compiled a 3.13 ERA with 14 strikeouts. He’s committed to play at St. Thomas Aquinas in 2025.
“Defensively at first he plays with so much confidence and as smoothly as he does,” Abreu said. “He’s going to see some time at third base this season and be at the top of the lineup and hopefully sets the tone.”
Mercy-commit Anthony Altobelli is a four-year varsity player making his way to All-League status in the 2023 season. “He can play anywhere in the infield, he’s an athletic kid,” Abreu said. “We expect him to make multiple starts in big games for us.”
Altobelli pitched in five games sitting at a 4-1 record. In 20 innings pitched he complied a 3.93 ERA striking out 16 in that span. He also batted .393 with 22 hits and 17 RBIs last season.
All-League Giuseppe Buffolino committed to Bridgeport as an outfielder. For Kings Park, Buffolino batted .386 in 2023 with 22 hits and 18 RBIs. Abreu mentioned his “sneaky pop” as a reason for him coming up as a sophomore two years ago.
Matt Callaghan will be joining Hauk at St Thomas Aquinas in 2025. Callaghan is a reliable pitcher for Kings Park. In 2023, he held a 4.13 ERA in six appearances with a 1-3 record. He also struck out 22 batters. “He had some dominant outings against some good teams,” Abreu said.
SUNY Plattsburgh-commit Michael Cooper as a three-varsity player and is an integral part of the outfield for Kings Park. Cooper played small ball with a .286 average and a .453 OBP. He put himself on the base paths with 14 hits in 2023. “He’s a guy that can get under it and make a play when we need it,” Abreu said.
Middle infielder Mitchell Landau and pitcher Stephen Carini will both play for Western Connecticut in 2025. Mitchell is a “super athletic middle infielder,” Abreu noted. “He has a high baseball IQ and he understands who he is as a player.”
Carini pitched in the middle innings for Kings Park. He battled to a 3.38 ERA with seven strikeouts in only three appearances last year. “A guy who will battle it out in innings for sure, alongside everyone else. But he’s a competitor and he wants the ball in pressure spots,” Abreu emphasized.
With a big senior class full of committed baseball players, Kings Park is locked and loaded to take the next step everyone hopes they make. “We try to be process-oriented,” Abreu explained. “We try to take pride in the work and effort it takes to be successful. Our guys put a lot of work in to take that next step from being one game short to a 15-win team. To see the results spark this offseason, now we want to amp it up even more. We’re working for a different feeling walking off the field on the last game of the year.”
Their goals as a team have stayed the same over the past couple of seasons and 2024 will be no different for Kings Park. “We’re passionate about doing things the right way,” Abreu said. “That’s what our daily goals are, just making sure we take care of the little things that we talk about collectively as a team. We believe if everybody is on that same mindset we can feel good about ourselves walking off the field.”
Kings Park starts their first game of the season against Mount Sinai on March 25.
