by Aaron Diaz
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.
In Steve Laurino’s first year as head coach of the Carle Place Frogs, he led the team to a 6-17 record including the playoffs for the 2023 season. Carle Place made it to the semis after a first-round playoff series win against Locust Valley but fell to a dominant Seaford team in the second round. With playoff experience on their hands, Coach Laurino is excited about their chances in 2024.
“We came out slow to start the season,” Laurino said. “We had a tough non-league schedule but came off strong at the right time of the year. So this year I’m excited and I think we have a good chance to make a run. We’re a team that can make some noise again and go even further than last year.”
Last year was a significant graduating class for Carle Place with two captains no longer on the team. First Basemen John Hoisik and right fielder Tommy Venezia will be missing from the lineup this season. “They were both very good defenders,” Laurino said. “Tommy won a Gold Glove award and John was an excellent first baseman.”
Carmine Monaco excelled for the Frogs during his playing time. Monaco finished the year with a .354 batting average and also pitched on the mound out of the bullpen for the Frogs. “He was a beast for us,” Laurino said. “He’s a massive kid and had a great year plus he relieved out of the bullpen and competed.”
Those three main contributors left a hole on the team, and now Laurino will seek some additional help from his returners eyeing a return to the postseason. “The opportunity is there for us,” Laurino said. “We’re returning all our starting rotation players and some key players who are coming back too. We feel good about our lineup, we feel confident as we set the bar high for ourselves.”
Junior starting pitcher Patrick McCarthy was an all-conference player as a sophomore impressing the league with a .356 batting average including the playoffs for the Frogs. “He was a centerpiece for us. He is so coachable and so skilled.” He will return to the field as the starting shortstop and will have a spot in the rotation.
Vincent Natalie is another multi-use player for Carle Place as a starting pitcher and outfielder. He is very much like McCarthy in the way he learns and approaches the game. Natalie batted .238 with a .439 OBP with 10 hits on the season. He pitched to a 6.93 era in 34.1 innings pitched.
Sophomore Philip Bunt etched his name into the starting rotation as a left-hand pitcher. He pitched the last series game against Locust Valley in the Playoffs last season as a freshman and did not disappoint. He also plays first base and the outfield as a tool for Laurinio can use throughout the season.
Junior captain Colin Driscoll impressed the coaching staff with his 2023 season. He hit .260 with an OBP of .363. “Driscoll and McCarthy will be the center pieces of the lineup.” Laurino said.
Senior Logan Martins will be the utility man for the Frogs this season with no hesitation of where he is placed in the field. He will also wear captain on his sleeve along with Driscoll.
A freshman call up from JV, Michael Seglin will try to make his way into the lineup after an impressive season last year. “ He might end up being starter as a freshman in the outfield and he can also pitch too.
With a young team at its core, Coach Laurino has certain goals he wants his team to meet this season. “We’ve probably discussed this everyday throughout the offseason and our goal is to win a county championship,” Laurino said. We feel confident that we can do that. We know it wont be easy but we discussed it as a team to bring that culture back to Carle Place.”
Carle Place seeks to reach there goals with their first game off the season on the road against Seaford on March 25th.
