by Mike Merolle
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.
Final: Plainedge 11, Clarke 1
WP: Dom Pannitti (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 Ks)Zach Rosenzweig: 3-for-4, 3 RBIs, 1 Run
Plainedge eliminates Clarke and will face Mepham tomorrow pic.twitter.com/b5ol2TJbt5
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2023
Plainedge had reason to be proud of 2023 in which they went on the road against a tough Clarke team and won a playoff game. Their season was cut short, however, by Mepham in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Head coach Colin Fratrik looks for another successful season in his 11th season managing Plainedge.
This year’s squad is missing a few key players that graduated in 2023. Marcelo Licata played third base for Fratrik providing six home runs, 15 RBIs, and scoring 17 runs. On the mound, Nick Andersen pitched 27 innings with a 2.07 ERA and 1.2 WHIP.
Uncommitted catcher Zach Rosenzweig (Plainedge 2024) up to 97.4 pic.twitter.com/EN5M6cziNs
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 17, 2022
Providing leadership this season for Plainedge will be seniors Zach Rosenzweig and Nick Gerardi. Rosenzweig is returning for his fourth season on the varsity squad. He was All-County in 2023 batting .310/.466 OBP. Rosensweig homered six times, had 17 RBIs, and scored 17 runs with 21 hits on the year. He is committed to Wilmington University. Gerardi will play his third season in varsity this season. The St. Joseph’s University LI-commit batted .300/.425 OBP in 2023. He also had 13 RBIs, 22 hits, and stole 10 bases.
Fratrik saw significant impacts done by two starting freshmen last year. Sophomores Bobby Wescott and Taylor Nitsch will be looked upon for similar play in 2024. Wescott, who missed the first month of league games due to injury, displayed his offensive prowess as he ended up hitting as the cleanup hitter by the playoff time. He also spent time on the mound last season. Fratrik says, “He can be an impact bat for us this season.” Nitsch was an All-Conference player providing his skillset on the mound in 2023. Nitsch pitched 39 innings with 43 strikeouts and had a 2.51 ERA and 1.25 WHIP. He secured a complete game win in the playoffs at Carey allowing one run and striking out 10 batters.
Plainedge 7, Island Trees 2
WP: Taylor Nitsch (freshman) CGMarcelo Licata: HR pic.twitter.com/yuoj1uwKES
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2023
An area of concern this season for Fratrik is hitting. He noted the team’s slow start at the plate last year and it showed in players’ batting averages. “We had some hitters start real slow, and their batting averages reflected it. We are hoping to get off to a better start offensively this season. We are headed to Florida in March and will be scrimmaging some tough schools. Hopefully, that will prepare us for our non-league/league schedule,” Fratrik told Axcess Baseball.
Matt Rosenberg on the mound for Plainedge working with a 5-0 lead pic.twitter.com/f343DvULH2
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2023
He is confident in his pitching staff this season. He mentioned that there are “a lot of returning arms who are competing for spots.” Senior Matt Rosenberg will be one of those arms. Rosenberg pitched 26 innings with a 5-1 record in 2023. He had a 2.60 ERA with 26 strikeouts and allowed 29 hits. Junior Aiden McCarthy, another name in competition, pitched 24 innings last season. Wescott and senior Santino Batista pitched out of the bullpen last season in high-leverage spots in 2023.
Fratrik is looking forward to getting back on the field and competing this season. Plainedge will open their 2024 league schedule at home against Valley Stream North on April 9.
