The 13th ranked player in NYS Jaden Grose (Walt Whitman 2026) has an electric fastball sitting 89-91, with a changeup that can hit 80
Has multiple power four offers on the table pic.twitter.com/T4xLWv019L
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 23, 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Max Edelman
It was a strong year in 2024 for the Walt Whitman Wildcats, finishing the year with double as many wins as losses, ending with a 16-7 record between the regular season and playoffs. However, head coach Keith Barrett, who will be entering his 13th season in charge of the Wildcats in 2025, will look to take yet another step forward.
“We were a final four team last year.” Barrett said. “We won three playoff games, our first one we beat Northport and then beat top-seeded Connetquot in a two-day span. We lost a heartbreaker to Commack, beat William Floyd and then were eventually eliminated in our rematch against Connetquot.”
Six members of the 2024 Whitman team were seniors, with a number of them continuing their baseball careers at the college level. They include Paul McNally who’s playing at St. Joseph’s Long Island, Kevin Brown who’s at Wesleyan University and Tom Crapanzano is playing at Nassau Community College.
The Wildcats will be led this year by reigning All-County pitcher Jaden Grose. Barrett believes is one of the very best pitchers in the county. His numbers back it up, he went 6-2 with 1 save and 1.67 ERA, 74 Ks over 50.1 innings and a stellar 0.71 WHIP.
Additionally, Barrett is counting on production from SUNY Oneonta-commit and reigning All-Leaguer Michael Orgera.
Another key piece for Whitman will be J.D. Duffy. Duffy was an All-League player as a freshman, but after suffering an injury, Duffy was able to work back and return for the back half of the season for the Wildcats. Barrett is excited about what Duffy can do in a full season.
JD Duffy (Walt Whitman 2026) is another top 500 player with @ShowTime_Select
He hit .358 last summer with 16 XBH, figures to be an important power bat for Showtime going forward pic.twitter.com/rnWCB8u0UB
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 23, 2025
“He broke his back before we started playing games last year.” Barrett said. “He only missed half the season. He’ll definitely be a big player for us both as a pitcher and an outfielder. It was remarkable last year that he was actually able to come back and play. He only missed three or four weeks after breaking his back.”
Lucien Saint Cyr is another high-end player that will be a key piece for them. Barrett is looking forward to having Saint Cyr at his best this year.
“He kind of had a tale of two seasons last year.” Barrett said. “He started a bit slow, but in the second half of the season he was very good.”
Grose, Duffy and Saint Cyr are all ranked by Perfect Game among the top 50 players in the 2026 class in the state.
In terms of seniors, Andrew Buckshaw and Daniel Ryan both played significant time for the Wildcats last year, and will be called upon to take big steps forward in their final seasons as high school players. Additionally, Barrett mentioned Andrew Blair, Riley LaRegina, Eddie Beck and Ethan Jacotot will be impact guys for the Wildcats in their final season on the team.
When a team makes it as far as Whitman did last year, the players gain experience that only comes with strong playoff performances, and Barrett believes that experience will help push his team onward this season.
“Playing five playoff games and making it pretty far is going to be our biggest strength.” Barrett said. “Our biggest concern is that we don’t have a big roster and we have to stay away from the injury bug.”
The Whitman Wildcats will open their season April 1 against Central Islip.
