(Editor’s Note: This is the sixth of a multi-part series in which we break down the best baseball towns on Long Island. You can read them all here.)
by Patrick Duryea
There’s not many more exciting spectacles then when a large crowd gathers at a high school sporting event. Baseball games will have a tough time rivaling football unless it’s a championship or the crowd consists of scouts watching the next draft pick.
But in Levittown, when two of their high school’s square off, “sold out crowd” is an understatement. The storied history of the town is matched evenly with a rich tradition of baseball success at their three schools: Division, MacArthur, and Island Trees. The history of all three schools is filled with winning coaches, championships, and Long Island baseball heroes. All within one town this has created incredible rivalries and atmospheres over the years. Division runs like a well-oiled machine, with MacArthur a historical pitching factory, and Island Trees known for their grit. The three consistently compete at the highest levels, bringing championships home to Levittown.
Back-to-back !!
Division captures the Nassau County Class AA Finals – they will face Hauppauge next Saturday pic.twitter.com/bOGnOvzE6L
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2024
The success at Division is all about the “buy-in” mentality. It is not easy to be a baseball player at Division, players are worked very hard. As Coach Tom Tuttle says, they run like a college program. He said so himself, “basically we don’t have an offseason.” There is consistent weight training all throughout the year, Tuttle mentioned that they’ll “max out” their guys four times through the year. Over the years he has attributed this to the success that his players tend to have at the next level.
It takes another level of commitment to be a ballplayer at Division. Matt Bolton, a former Division star, most emphasized that at Division, “you don’t play for yourself but for the people around you.” This is a vital piece of the puzzle for the Dragons. Bolton also spoke of the importance of knowing you have teammates and coaches you can rely on. This idea was echoed by another former Division star, and current New York Mets minor leaguer Nick Roselli who recounted a story from his sophomore year when he was called up to varsity. Roselli remembers how much he struggled and how he thought he would be benched or sent back down to JV. But he recalls a conversation with Coach Tuttle, who reminded Roselli that he was “his guy”, this instilled confidence back into Roselli and he never looked back. It’s these types of relationships within the program that make the players want to buy-in and as Roselli said “put in 100% effort everyday for yourself, your teammates, and your coaches.”
Binghamton 2B Nick Roselli (Division 2021) selected by the New York Mets in the 11th round of the 2024 MLB Draft pic.twitter.com/7oDmlCkgzx
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 16, 2024
This culture creates a team with no need for a captain, which Division has never had under Coach Tuttle. The Dragons philosophy is that, with everyone playing for each other and trusting each other, everyone can lead in their own way. All of this culminates in a winning environment at Division, where Tuttle says “I just think our guys love coming to practice.” And he wasn’t alone in this sentiment, echoed by Bolton saying when you and your teammates are on the same page, it makes you want to be at practice. All told, it’s no wonder that Coach Tuttle can boast 34 League MVPs, 13 Diamond Award winners, and 16 County Championships.
At MacArthur it is all about the perpetual success of the program. Coach Steve Costello has been coaching at MacArthur since 1993, and has built a powerhouse in Levittown. Potentially the most important stake in Costello’s success is his consistency. MacArthur consistently has clinics and camps for young players and Costello makes a point to be involved in youth baseball. He wants young ballplayers in his district to know who their Varsity baseball coach will be by the time they’re as young as 10 years old. This gives these kids something to aspire to and helps them set goals early on, knowing someone they want to play for.
Final (11 innings): MacArthur 1, Seaford 0
WP: Matt Sarni (CG, 4 hits, 97 pitches)Walk-off single by James Eden
Sean Costello threw 9 shutout for Seaford
If Clarke wins, MacArthur will face Clarke. If Mepham wins, they will face the winner of Bethpage-Division pic.twitter.com/5eKg7pQDMh
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2022
Costello being prepared for his players from a young age gives the Generals a head start on most programs, but once they reach the Varsity level, it’s a different type of preparedness that cultivates MacArthur’s success. Mike Gattus, a former MacArthur General, and current Head Coach at Bellmore-JFK, says that Costello’s practice is second to none. Costello describes his own practice as compartmentalized. He credits his ability to do this to his amount of volunteer assistant coaches. Infielders, outfielders, and pitchers are all able to get a full practice in honing their own skills. Costello himself is with the pitchers, which is work he prides himself on. The pitchers program starts after Thanksgiving, and runs 3 times a week working on explosiveness and a lot of med ball work. Bullpens are also backdated from the start of the season, though they understand there is more work to do then just throwing. They come in late at night to put in their work which builds the foundation of MacArthur’s winning teams. Costello says there’s no magic to the success they have and just because it happened in the past doesn’t mean it will happen again in the future. Each team will have to live up to the tradition. Often, when they practice in the gym he encourages his players to look around at the championship banners on the gym emphasizing “ those numbers didn’t happen by accident.”
Island Trees captures the Nassau 5 Championship with a 3-2 win over Clarke – they will face Mount Sinai on Sunday in the Long Island Championship. It’s their third in program history. Vinny Giambona fired a complete game for the W pic.twitter.com/9mgyUl3ne1
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 18, 2021
Island Trees runs their program on a simple motto, “Tradition Never Graduates.” Coach Mike Valiando makes sure to instill this in his players year after year, just as Coach Joe D’Auria did before him, creating the expectation for their players to work just as hard as those that have come before them. This tradition feeds into the Bulldogs each year. D’Auria mentioned how during his time at Island Trees it almost felt like at a certain point they had an expectation of winning and a right to it. He even recalled an elimination game in 2011 where they fell behind 4-1, but ultimately pulled off a miraculous comeback. He remembered thinking the ghosts of Island Trees baseball must’ve been out there helping them that day. D’Auria also carried some of the sentiment that they were “little brother” in Levittown early in his tenure. This forced Island Trees to play with a chip on their shoulder and created a strong desire to be the best. And when that success came, it was that much sweeter. Former Island Trees legend Bryan Verbitsky stressed “There is a sense of pride that comes with putting on the Bulldog uniform.”
For the Bulldogs each year it is discipline, character, and accountability that they’re built on. They work year round with lifting programs, pitching programs, and even youth clinics. These youth clinics are very important to the program. Valiando emphasizes the importance of support in building a program. Not only from the surrounding community to the program, but from the team and Valiando himself back to the community. Valiando emphasized that the community is extremely committed to the success of the program, which grows from the youth all the way through to the alumni. Valiando makes sure that the varsity program has a direct involvement in the little leagues, including making sure to physically be there for events and games. He also stressed how important it is that the alumni are consistently involved with the current editions of the Island Trees baseball team. Always looking to help the team get better and further extenuating that tradition never graduates.
Coach Tuttle was very blunt when he stated “we’re all fighting for that supremacy of Levittown.” The culture around baseball in Levittown may be unmatched anywhere. Gattus recalls from his playing days, a year when all three schools played for the county championship within their respective classifications. All three programs playing at the highest level creates palpable excitement through the community. Games between the schools can have thousands of people in attendance on any given day as Costello recalled from a MacArthur vs. Division playoff game. The history of Levittown only accentuates the baseball. Costello described Levittown as the ultimate post-war America baby boom suburb and said that the baseball resonates with that same vibe.
All this exceptional baseball was made possible by the man who Costello called “the catalyst” for baseball in Levittown, Doug Robins. Robins laid the groundwork for success coaching at the now defunct Levittown Memorial High School. He not only coached there, but grew up in Levittown and played there himself. He became the quintessential Levittown baseball man. Both Tuttle and Costello played for Robins, which makes up an awfully impressive coaching tree with those two alone, adding to it, his son Doug Robins Jr., now the coach at Carey. Robins Jr. recalled his father’s practices, calling them “legendary”. He recalled practicing for 5 hours a day, working hard on fundamentals and mental toughness taught by Robins. Another key piece to Robins’ philosophy was the importance of every player on the roster and their role. No matter if you were the 3 hitter, or the last man out of the bullpen. Robins made all this possible and his impact is everlasting and immeasurable.
Through all the rivalries, playoff games, and individual championships, the three baseball programs in Levittown create an unmatched experience for players, coaches, and fans alike. Robins Jr. likened Levittown vs. Levittown playoff game atmospheres to Friday Night Lights in Texas. Baseball is of the utmost importance in Levittown. Verbitsky recalled growing up that “you always knew that baseball was number one.” The three schools despite their differences make up one community. Though they split into three schools, all the coaches and players know each other. Costello recalled being called into a superintendent’s office with Robins, before a MacArthur vs. Division County Finals game. He remembers being warned that there could be no fights, and he and Robins laughing, knowing that despite the competitiveness within the community, the players and coaches love each other past the desire for victory. That accentuated competitive spirit, combined with a historical and close community, creates the premier baseball experience on Long Island, all in Levittown.
