Author: Vinny Messana
Jericho Ready to Make Noise in 2016
by Vinny Messana When it comes to programs on the rise, one team to keep an eye out for is Jericho. One of the tell-tale signs of a program ready to make a step forward is a) how they ended the previous season and b) how many veteran seniors they have. They certainly fit the criteria. They graduated only four seniors, the most prominent of which was All-Conference Matt Caputo, who is now at St. Jo...
Prime Infield Clinic Has a Big Turnout
By Vinny Messana Over the past 16 weeks, a bevy of kids between the ages of 9-17 have been coming down to LI Indoor Sports Zone in Ronkonkoma for Prime Infield Clinic held by Chris Sipp, Chris Phelan and Jon McGibbon. Sipp is a graduate of MacArthur HS and Stony Brook University (’07), where he finished just shy of 200 career hits. He was a part of the America East confere...
Bellport Enters 2016 With a Wealth of Talent
by Vinny Messana If you could buy stock in high school baseball teams, your financial advisor would tell you to be all over Bellport. Coming off a 10-win season in which they started a bevy of underclassmen, they appear ready to make serious noise in, not just League V, but Suffolk County. Head Coach Bill Batewell, who has been coaching high school since 1970 and Bellport since 2008, is very high ...
Ward Melville Enters 2016 as the Hunted in League I Once Again
by Vinny Messana Coming off another League-I title in which they won 21 games and came within one win of a Suffolk County championship, the Ward Melville Patriots will have to defend their crown minus two integral parts of last year’s terrific rotation. One of which was a staple of the program for four seasons. “Joe Flynn is the type of player you can’t replace,” said Lou P...
Old Westbury Stuns Olivet With Five-Run Ninth to Win
by Vinny Messana Trailing 7-3 in the ninth inning, the Old Westbury Panthers mounted a furious rally and Mike Cardino capped the comeback with a bases-clearing walk-off double to win it 8-7. They faced deficits of 4-0 in the sixth, 5-1 in the seventh and 7-3 in the ninth, but had the resolve to chip away every time. Panthers starting pitcher Trey Pizzutello had a rough outing, allowing four ER on ...
Young Hurlers of Smithtown East Faced With Tough Task
We are returning only four of last year's 149 total innings
Long Island Catching Development Camp is a Success
by Vinny Messana Dan Parisi, who was named to Baseball on the Island’s All-Long Island team this past season, has begun a camp for catchers called “Long Island Catching Development”, which was attended by some of the top local backstops. The first year was a success, in both the eyes of Parisi and his students. “Each player improved significantly,” he said. “The...
Calhoun Leaning Heavily on Talented Senior Rotation
by Vinny Messana Losing to MacArhur in the playoffs is nothing to be ashamed of. Many talented teams have had their title hopes dashed by the Generals in the past. The 2016 Calhoun team had a very successful campaign that ended with a 5-1 loss in the quarterfinals to MacArthur. Despite losing Luke Scoggins and cleanup hitter Joe Grossane, the team has much to be excited about in 2016. For starters...
Hauppauge Looks to Reload Without Fanti and Contreras
by Vinny Messana In many ways, 2015 was a banner year for Hauppauge. They easily ran through League V with 17 regular season wins in 18 games. Nick Fanti took Suffolk county by storm with a ridiculous year on the mound (7-1, 0.67 ERA in 52 IP) and at the plate (.541/.571/.689 27 RBI at the plate), that culminated in becoming the first player in school history to be awarded the coveted Carl Yastrze...
Schwartz and Gossert Form a Dynamic Duo at the Top for Bellmore-JFK
Despite losing two of their top arms prior to the 2015 season, Bellmore-JFK was still able to scratch out 14 wins, tie for first in the conference with Carey and win a playoff game against Lynbrook. The fact is that they simply couldn’t withstand the loss of two top pitchers and make a deep postseason run, 17th year Head Coach Eric Passman noted. “We kind of just ran out of pitching ag...
Plainview-JFK Leaning on 12 Seniors to Lead the Way
by Vinny Messana Losing the ace and the lead off guy in the order is never ideal for a team with playoff hopes, but that does not curtail the optimism of Plainview-JFK heading into 2016, according to third year Head Coach Jon Givargidze. Michael O’Brien, now at Concordia, won five of their seven games last year. Leadoff man Jake Saltzman, now at Molloy, was an All-Conference outfielder. Davi...
Bayport-Blue Point Carries Epic Home Streak, Three Straight Class A Titles into 2016
While large schools like Massapequa and Connetquot get most of the attention for their ability to consistently win, there’s a school that should be getting more press. Bayport-Blue Point has won three consecutive Class A Suffolk County championships, with two LI Championships among those. They have not missed the playoffs since 1997–before this senior class was born. Additionally, they...
