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Sunday Spotlight: Bennie Franquiz

(This is the fourth installment of the Sunday Spotlight Series. Previously, we featured Jacob Schmutz, Cooper Fuller and Michael Oliveto.)

In 2021, Mount Sinai was in the thick of the playoff race. They featured a very young team, led by a group of underclass pitchers that dominated their way through the best lineups in Suffolk County. Longtime head coach Eric Reichenbach, who had been at the helm when the team won the Class A Suffolk County Championship in 2016, knew what it took to win a title. He also knew his team was lacking one thing.

“Bennie was a good fit,” said Reichenbach in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “We had Matty Carrera playing shortstop but we needed another infielder. About 10 games in, we realized that this kid was the real deal. He was the shortstop of the future. He was really small, but he was good and he was a gamer. We noticed it in winter workouts.”

While his small stature might’ve been a concern for other coaches, Reichenbach was undeterred being that they had just graduated All-County SS T.J. Werner, who was just 5’5 and was regarded as one of the top shortstops on Long Island. Reichenbach noted that they had a “history of undersized shortstops” which gave him the confidence that Franquiz could handle the role.

Additionally, just over a decade earlier he made the bold move to promote an 8th grader prior to the playoffs and it paid off handsomely.

“We called up Mike Donadio before the playoffs as an 8th grader and he hit about .700 in the playoffs,” he said.

History repeated itself, as Franquiz wound up starting 10 games at second base and helped lead the Mustangs to the Long Island Championship over Island Trees at St. Joseph’s University.

Since that time, much has changed but Franquiz’s importance to the program has only continued to grow. Earlier this month, he notched his 93rd career hit – which set the program’s career record for hits. The previous record holders were Michael and Mark Donadio.

“The leadership is the biggest thing that’s changed since then,” said Reichenbach in regards to Franquiz’s maturation over his high school career. “Obviously, as he got bigger the skillset improved but he became the leader and the heart of the team the last few years. Even as a sophomore, he was on a team with big name players but he got on the field and outworked everyone else. That’s the biggest thing with him. He’s the guy. That’s his biggest attribute and it’ll serve him well at the next level at West Point.”

Franquiz’s recruiting process happened early.

“It was pretty short and pretty early. It was the end of my freshman year. Coach Pembroke put me in contact with Boston College and Army. That was a major opportunity for me – especially after baseball. Army was the best opportunity for me. I knew Jack Quinlan – he was there and I looked up to him. Actually, I hit a double off Billy Steele in the playoffs and the recruiting coordinator was there and that was where they first saw me.”

Franquiz announced his commitment to Army West Point in July of 2022.

He recognizes that it is a life commitment and he intends to fulfill his obligation of serving 5 years of active duty and an additional two years in the reserves. While he noted that he will go undeclared with his major, he would like to pursue a career in finance following his military service.

In the meantime, Mount Sinai is in the thick of the postseason hunt. At the time of this writing, they are beginning a critical 3-game series against League VI rival Shoreham-Wading River. The winner of the series will clinch a postseason berth. The league has incredible parity – entering this week all 7 teams were separated by 3.5 games.

(Editor’s Note: Mount Sinai has since gone on to clinch a postseason berth – they won six in a row to finish the season and seven of their last eight.)

“The league is really tough. All the teams are separated by only a few games, I don’t know the last time that’s happened. It’s been a grind as a leader on the team because our record doesn’t reflect the team we have. We’ve had to face Everett Zarzicki, Dylan Frers, Nick Frusco. Islip has a couple Div-II pitchers. The pitching is there. All our losses have been one and two-run games.”

Prior to the season, Franquiz put in a lot of hours of preparation for his senior season. He noted that he “tries to do something baseball related everyday,” and he was lifting weights with his trainer 4x per week, and at school ball workouts twice per week and East Coat Lumberjacks winter workouts twice per week. He credits much of his success to his current school coach – who is also his summer coach – Ryan Pembroke.

Pembroke had the following to say:

“Bennie is everything you want as a player. First off, his ability is as good as anyone on the field. Day in and day out, he impacts the game in so many different ways – offensively, defensively, speed, pitching, leadership and energy. The way Bennie carries himself is what every coach wants in their players. He holds himself accountable and to the highest standard which is infectious to his teammates. Bennie is a team-first guy and he wants to win first and foremost. Accolades are nice but not what he is looking for. He is a tremendous teammate; especially to the young guys he takes them under his wing, he has a special way of making them feel extremely comfortable. It’s what I want from my captains/leaders and Bennie does an exceptional job of that and never has to be asked to it, it comes natural for him. This is why he will be extremely successful at Army West Point on and off the field.

While he may not seek the accolades, they are sure to come following the season. He’s batting .433 with a .520 OBP, .650 SLG,1.170 OPS, 4 doubles, 3 homers, 14 RBIs out of the leadoff spot, scored 14 runs, drew 13 walks, hit by 3 pitches and stole 12 bases. He also added pitching to his game this year and he’s thrown 6.1 innings of relief, going 4-for-4 in save opportunities with 8 Ks and one run allowed (1.05 ERA). On defense, he’s compiled a .980 fielding percentage.

Franquiz has made his mark on Mount Sinai’s program in a big way. He was also an All-League Wrestler his freshman year. He noted that he was a wrestler before he was a baseball player. That came from his dad who was a League Champion in high school.

We will make sure to keep an eye on his progress at the next stage in his career.

Get to Know Bennie:

Favorite Athlete: Aaron Judge

Favorite Musicians: Zach Bryan and Morgan Wallen

Favorite Movie: The Sandlot

Favorite App: Instagram (also his least favorite app)