Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by George Caratzas
Final: Plainview JFK 4, Oceanside 1
WP: Mike D’Ambrosio (5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 6 Ks)
S: Anthony PowersD’Ambrosio also had an RBI double
Alex Reifer had 2 hits and 2 RBIs pic.twitter.com/Rspj1QsotX— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 1, 2024
Under head coach John Givargidze, the Plainview Old Bethpage JFK Hawks have established themselves as a power house in Nassau County.
The Hawks have gone 70-26 since 2021, claiming three conference titles and made it as far as the semis every year since 2022 — including a pair of finals appearances. Nonetheless, Givargidze’s crew has not gotten over the hump and hoisted the trophy in recent years. Last year, the Hawks were knocked out in the semifinals by the eventual county champions in Farmingdale.
“There have been some bad breaks along the way,” Givargidze said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “I think we’ve laid a really good foundation in the 12 years that I’ve been here and we’re just going to keep plugging away at things the same way we’ve been doing it.”
This year will certainly be one of Givargidze’s most uncertain years, as his team graduated seven starters from last year — including two players that went on to the Division I level. The Hawks biggest losses were Diamond Award winner Michael D’Ambrosio — who also played first base and is now at Hofstra — RHP/2B Sebastian Lippman who is now playing at Georgia Tech and RHP/1B Peter Buonogias who is at Queens College.
D’Ambrosio had the best year of any Hawk as he hit .471 while reaching base at a .573 clip. He also slugged 10 home runs and drove in 38 runs. On the mound, D’Ambrosio hurled a team-best 44 ⅔ innings and held an earned run average (ERA) of 0.63 and struck out 52 batters.
“Michael was definitely our go to guy,” Givargidze said. “What he did on the mound last year as well as in the order is hard to replace.”
Lippman dealt with injuries throughout the season but was still a valuable contributor in the Plainview-JFK clubhouse.
Top 1: Plainview JFK 1 | Oceanside 0
Peter Bounougias helps himself and gets the scoring going with a RBI double. pic.twitter.com/RIseQhCPoz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2024
To replace D’Ambrosio’s presence on the mound, the Hawks have pitcher Jacob Kouba back for his senior season. Kouba comfortably slotted himself into the second spot in the rotation last year as a junior. Across 28 ⅔ innings, Kouba posted a 2.93 ERA and struck out 31 batters.
“Jacob will be our number one pitcher,” Givargidze said. “He’s a competitor and never wants to come out of the game. He’s pitched in some big games for us like the county finals and county semis. He knows what it means and what it takes to get to that point. I’m confident he’s going to have a great year.”
While the complete rotation is not set in stone, senior Josh Kim and junior Brett LaGallo are some names that Givargidze has thrown into the mix to get starts for Plainview-JFK along with Kouba. In 19 innings last year, Kim pitched to a 2.95 ERA while tallying 25 strikeouts.
“Josh pitched really well for us last year,” Givargidze said. “He is another senior that we’re going to expect big things from and fill some shoes for us.”
While the trio of Kouba, Kim and LaGallo will lead the Hawks pitching core, Givargidze will need others to step up and give the team some depth.
“Those three are going to be in the rotation at some point this year,” Givargidze said. “We’ll have to find guys to get innings behind them but those are definitely our main weapons.”
On the offensive side of the ball, LaGallo is the biggest returner. A first baseman with more than enough size to man the position, LaGallo hit .455 with a .660 on-base percentage in limited playing time.
“He has a great swing and the ball really flies off his bat,” Givargidze said. “You can hear the difference when he hits the ball versus others. He is definitely a D1 talent and I know he’s got some interest from D1 schools. He is certainly going to replace some of the production that we lost.”
A new look for Plainview-JFK will be catcher Ryan Buckhardt. Buckhardt — a SUNY Oneonta commit — hit .429 last year in a small sample size, but will now get the reins of the starting catcher position.
Good throw from catcher Ryan Buckhardt (Plainview JFK 2025) to nail the runner stealing pic.twitter.com/iJq9thQ9JP
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 22, 2024
“He learned a lot last year sitting behind our senior catcher Jake Gruttadauria who had a great year,” Givargidze said. “I’m expecting Buckhardt to lead the pitching staff, to act like a captain now that he knows how it works. I definitely expect him to be one of our leaders behind the dish and I’m expecting a big year out of him.”
The final two big senior returners that Givargidze has settled on are utility man Sawyer Bogaty and center fielder Ryan Kurre.
Bogaty hit .318 in 22 at bats last year and scored 10 runs. He will bounce around and is capable of plugging holes at both second base and spots in the outfield.
“He has a sweet swing,” Givargidze said. “He is a really good athlete and we’re expecting him to hit towards the top of the lineup and hopefully get on base for Brett LaGallo.”
Kurre profiles as the team’s starting center fielder and is another guy that will likely hit near the top of Givargidze’s lineup. While his stats dipped towards the end of the season as he played through an injury, Givargidze is confident that Curry will bounce back.
“Ryan is a phenomenal athlete that will probably lead off for us,” Givargidze said. “He has tremendous speed. He did a great job for us last year as our leadoff guy. Now, he seems healthy and ready to go.”
Despite the big losses that the Hawks sustained, Givargidze wants consistent success by keeping things generally uniform.
“I don’t really want to change anything,” Givargidze said. “We’ve been pretty successful for the most part. Obviously winning the championship is the most important thing, but what is important to me is building a relationship with my players. I always say, ‘winning is awesome, but my job is to get you ready for the real world and I think as a program we’ve done a really good job of that and moving guys to the next level.”
Plainview-JFK will start its quest to continue their winning ways on April 8 as it hosts Massapequa.
