Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Max Edelman
In his rookie season as head coach of the Pierson Whalers, Bob Manning led his team all the way to the regional final, before falling to the eventual champions Burke Catholic.
“We kind of knew what we had going into the season.” Manning said. “We were a C school. We had a solid team, we took care of business during the regular season, but it was a short regular season. So we made it to the regional game in June, but from the beginning of May to June, We didn’t play any meaningful baseball. We played anyone that would play us, but we couldn’t replicate those real situations.”
With a solid team, Manning’s Whalers are moving up to a B level school, and with plenty of talent, Pierson is ready to make noise. However, the team will be without Charles Schafer, who graduated in 2024, and is now playing college baseball at Lakeland College in Michigan.
The 2025 Pierson team consists of a number of players who will be playing following this season. Those include Andy Wayne who is going to Mitchell College. Wayne, who was dubbed one of the team’s “most athletic players” by his coach, shined on the mound, with 37 strikeouts in 22 innings.
Paul Roesel, who will be attending Russell Sage College, will feature at the top of the Whalers rotation. Last season, Roesel tossed to a 1.50 ERA in 19 innings last season. Roesel is expected to play first base when he is not pitching.
At the very top of the Whalers rotation is Braeden Mott who will continue his playing career at P27 Academy. Mott was All-League for the Whalers last year, and was a large reason for their success.
“He’s our ace of the staff.” Manning said. “He has the most experience in big games. He threw a team high 35 innings last year with a 1.80 ERA with 50 strikeouts.”
The Whalers are returning two other award winners. Lucas Iulo, who made All-League last season, had a stellar season, batting over .500. Iulo featured last year as both a designated hitter and right fielder for Manning, and it is expected that he will continue in that role this season. The other award winner, outfielder Max Krotman, was All-County and hit .509 and led the team in RBIs and runs scored while possessing the ability to play all three outfield positions. Additionally, Manning had high praise for his returning catcher Jeffrey Gregor.
“He is the rock behind the plate.” Manning said. “He’s our team leader, he probably has the highest baseball IQ of anybody I’ve coached. He drove in 16 runs last year as a sophomore.”
Manning also gave praise to Brian Schroeder, who, despite missing much of his freshman season with injuries, scored the teams only run in the regional championship game. Schroeder will serve as the ultimate Swiss Army Knife for Pierson this season. Starting at shortstop for the Whalers is Spencer Cavaniola. Entering his second season as the teams starting shortstop, Manning praised Cavaniola’s quick bat and strong footwork in the field.
With a plethora of pitching experience, Manning bel ieves that is where the strength of his team will lie this season.
“The biggest strength of our team is our pitching and pitching experience.” Manning said. “These three guys [Wayne, Roesel, Mott] have been the core of our rotations since they were sophomores. This is their third year together as a unit. They’ve all pitched in big games before.”
The Pierson Whalers will begin their league season on March 31 at Port Jefferson.
