(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of a 6-part series in which we highlight the top baseball towns on Long Island. Previously, we featured Massapequa, Bayport-Blue Point and Shoreham-Wading River. You can view them all by clicking here.)
by Patrick Duryea
Commack captures their 4th consecutive Suffolk County Championship behind a complete game gem by Evan Kay against Sachem North
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2024
There is no shock factor in seeing “Commack” written in as champions of Suffolk County or Long Island as a whole.
Every year, great teams emerge all over the Island. The stars align, and a program will have a stacked group of seniors all playing at the next level with some young talents mixed in, and they’ll have a season for the ages. But not Commack, that’s not how they play, Commack is there every year. The Cougars have won Suffolk County in their respective classification every year since the canceled 2020 season.
When prompted with the simple question of how all these championships are possible, including the one he won as a player at Commack in 1997, Commack Head Coach Matt Salmon gave me a baseball answer, “Baseball games are often won with great pitching and that will remain constant forever”.
Now this is very true, and pitching has been a highlight of Commack’s teams over time, however, the championships won run much deeper than just the talent and the baseball play on the field. Commack’s baseball success lives through the support of the surrounding community, within the core values that have been instilled through the program, and the motivations fostered by Coach Salmon and staff year after year. This deep-rooted commitment to excellence throughout the community is what makes baseball so unparalleled in Commack.
Chills
Jack Silver, who recently beat cancer, crushes a walk-off grand slam for Commack pic.twitter.com/XreOp4Q5WN
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2024
The support of the community in Commack is vital to the success of the program. Not only is there a consistent fan presence from the student body, but it is not at all uncommon for anyone in the neighborhood to stop by to catch a Cougars’ baseball game. After all, in many recent years they have been a must watch. The town is invested in baseball all the way from the little leagues to the big show. Salmon highlighted that the little leagues are “run by people who truly care about the community,” and want kids to enjoy playing baseball. People within the community are willing to go out of their way to have camps and clinics, and offer extra training. With that level of dedication it would be hard for Commack not to be a perennial winner. As former Commack superstar, and now sophomore playing baseball at NC State, Chris McHugh described it, Commack is a “baseball-dedicated town”.
I caught up with new NC State infielder Chris McHugh and talked about how he and the offense has gotten rolling to start the year pic.twitter.com/FuKrdDSdxP
— Monty Taylor (@Monty2740) February 21, 2025
This dedication from the community shapes the program, but a part of the winning that is not so visible from the outside, is the values the program stands by. A key value the program runs on is the concept of mudita. Which was introduced to the program by the late Bryan Bonin. Bonin, the predecessor to Salmon, tragically passed after a 2021 season which saw him win Coach of the Year as well as lead the team to a Long Island Championship. Mudita is “the feeling of joy and pleasure that comes from being happy for someone else’s good fortune” as Salmon described it. McHugh added that this helps the team foster a supportive environment as well as have something to honor every game and to take pride in each other. This is a pillar of Commack’s philosophy and one of many derived from Bonin, whose impact was immeasurable as Salmon stated. Salmon not only continues to teach mudita to every player to come through the program, but to practice it himself, as well as respecting the game, the opponent, and coaching with love and joy now more than ever. He attributes his utmost respect for all of these values to his time coaching with Bonin. These values go well beyond gameday between the white lines though, players are taught to pride themselves in how they represent themselves and the program, as well as know what it means to work, both in the classroom and at practice. These values are pivotal and drive the team year after year.
Motivations however, will not be the same for every iteration of the Commack Cougars. Salmon emphasized that no matter the year the team is driven by the desire to win. “Winning is fun; it’s better than not winning,” he pointed out. But it is also important that he and his players grow as play people throughout the season. Nevertheless, Salmon knows it is important that each team find their own identity naturally. After all, players can only be around for so long in high school baseball. Salmon understands the job he has to learn his team and find the motivations for each new group. The locker room is often tight knit, takes pride in each other, and makes a point to block out any external distractions. Every player who goes through the Commack locker room has a strong desire to compete in intense, moment to moment games deep into the spring.
Commack baseball stands today as the premier high school baseball program in Suffolk County. The culture of baseball in Commack thrives on the strong support of their community, strong values woven into the very seams of the town. McHugh, who was a star of the program for three seasons, recalls watching his older brother shine for Commack as a younger player. He described the effect this had on him and similar experiences for others in the community by saying “Commack values baseball. All the young kids seeing the success and constant County Championships, watching it just makes you want to be a part of it, and so that gets them involved as well.” The talent at Commack is consistent and impressive, but the baseball community built by the town and the program is an extraordinarily special accomplishment greater than anything done with a bat and glove.
