Axcess spoke to Michael Tuffy and Justin Oland of Commack North Little League this morning
They shared a bit about the league and what they are doing for the Commack community pic.twitter.com/dunEvY87QJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2025
by Trevor Dugan
Saturday morning marked opening day at Cedar Road Park for the 67th season of Commack North Little League.
The day began with a parade down Cedar Road, escorted by the Commack Fire Department. The Commack High School marching band paraded behind the fire engine, playing a rendition of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on their instruments. Walking alongside them were the Commack Varsity Baseball and Softball teams.
The players, coaches, and parents of Commack North Little League followed close behind, donning their jerseys and holding banners with their respective team names. Their endpoint was in between the fields of Cedar Road Park, where a stage was set up to allow League President Michael Tuffy and other supporters of CNLL to deliver remarks to the crowd of players and parents.
Head coach of the back-to-back Long Island champion Commack Cougars Matt Salmon, who also grew up in the Commack area, gave a speech speaking to the importance of little league baseball to the Commack community.
Today is Opening Day for the 67th season of Commack North Little League
They kicked off the day with a parade featuring players, coaches, and parents as well as the Commack High School marching band and Varsity baseball team pic.twitter.com/RjcYOuNIyx
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2025
“It’s so encouraging to see baseball in our community still being such a big thing,” Salmon told the crowd. “The most important thing for baseball is having fun when you play, we say it on the varsity level still. Everybody plays better when they’re smiling.”
One achievement CNLL President Tuffy is proud of is the fact that league fees for parents have not been raised in over 10 years. He thanks generous sponsors like Geico of Commack, New York Life, and Goldfish Swim School for making that possible. Thanks to their sponsorship, CNLL was also able to purchase 30 new sets of catcher equipment this year to ensure all teams have protective gear available to their backstops.
As they enter their 67th season, Commack North Little League has seen many prominent Long Island baseball players pass through their ranks. Players like Tim McHugh, Jake Krzemienski, and reigning NE-10 Southwest Division Player of the Year Joe Pellegrino of Adelphi University.
CNLL board member Justin Oland noted that the league is seeing a rise in player enrollment over the last few years.
“We’ve seen a nice little rise over the last year or so in kids coming back to the field and playing, which is a great thing,” Oland told Axcess Baseball. “We’ve made a very conscious effort of partnering with the high school and the community to try to make this all one, symmetrical universe of baseball, from the three year olds all the way up to varsity players and beyond.”
League President Tuffy added, “We love the opportunity to get the community together and show how important baseball is in Commack.”
Towards the end of the spring season on June 7, Commack North Little League hosts an annual fundraiser for local pediatric cancer charities. Cedar Road Park becomes a carnival for the day, with free games, hot dogs, cotton candy and more for all community members to enjoy, not just those belonging to the Commack North Little League. Every team puts together a raffle basket, and attendees are encouraged to buy raffle tickets for a chance to win one of the prizes.
Every penny raised is evenly distributed among several pediatric cancer charities. The CNLL is proud to have raised upwards of $5,000 each of the last few seasons to go toward this cause. It’s just one more way that Commack North Little League gives back to a community that lives and breathes baseball.
The Commack North Little League spring season will run from today, April 5, through June 14, with age groups ranging from 3u up to 10-11u.
