Author: Vinny Messana
Bryan Sabatella Signs With the Long Island Ducks
Bryan Sabatella Returns to LI to Continue his Pro Career “After 11 years, it took a toll on me,” said Bryan Sabatella as he reflected on his minor league career, which has spanned the country. Now he’s heading back home to Long Island to play for the Ducks, close to where he played his high school ball, dominating for Shoreham-Wading River. “It will be different in a good w...
Marc Rutledge Signs Deal With River City Rascals
Photo Credit: Dowling Athletics Dowling has a rich pitching tradition. Among those who have dominated for the Golden Lions is Marc Rutledge, a 2012 graduate. On February 11, he signed a deal with the River City Rascals of the Frontier League. I had a chance to speak with him. Usually I take the most poignant quotes and incorporate them into an article. In this case, every answer was extremely well...
Stony Brook Prepared to Get Back Into National Spotlight
Photo Credit: Vinny Messana It has been nearly three years since the “shock the world” mantra was ubiquitous in the baseball community. Initially, it was confined to the northeast region, but after the 52-win season sent them to Omaha for the College World Series, everyone was familiar with the Sea Wolves from a small town in Long Island. After one lean year and one that featured a qui...
First Year Head Coach Mike Gaffney Knows Pitching Will Allow LIU To Make Noise
Photo Credit: Adrienne Daley PhotographyTom Tolan is the reigning ECC Player of the Year Coming off an 18-19 season with a first year Head Coach would generally signal for a rebuilding season. That is not the case, however, when you have a pitching staff that C.W. Post possess. Head Coach Mike Gaffney, who is taking over for his father knows that the team will rely on their strong rotation. “...
Should the Season Be Changed?
Photo Credit: Adam Rubin One week before actual games are scheduled to be played outside, the thermometer reads 1 degree fahrenheit. Pitching injuries are at an all-time high in Major League Baseball, and that’s even with optimal conditions. Expecting 18-22 arms to be prepared for the polar vortex is irrational and ludicrous. There appears to be an easy fix, and it doesn’t involve spen...
Tom Caputo: “Success Breeds Success”
Photo Credit: Vinny MessanaDowling Will be Looking to Duplicate Last Year’s terrific season 2014 was a banner year for Dowling. In addition to winning 36 games, they were one victory away from heading to Carey, N.C. to compete in the Div. II College World Series. With their pitching staff–that ranked No. 1 in all of the country–they would’ve had a decent chance to win it al...
Hofstra Swept by UCLA
Photo Credit: Hofstra Athletic Communications The Hofstra Pride have begun their season with the dreaded cross-country sweep. They were outscored 43-10 by the 2013 Div. I champion UCLA Bruins. The third game was certainly the most competitive. Down 10-0 in the seventh, the Pride mounted a furious rally and scored five runs to cut the lead in half. Mat Anunziata, Eastport-South Manor ’14, dro...
Stony Brook Drops Two of Three To Nicholls State
Photo Credit: Stony Brook AthleticsTyler Honahan began his sseason in style. While the entire east coast has been blanketed with a foot of snow and sub-zero temperatures, Stony Brook was able to escape the cold and head to Louisiana to kick off their 2015 campaign. After winning the first game 6-0, the bats went ice cold and they dropped the final two games of the series. In their victory on Frida...
Molloy Filled With Young, Battle-Tested Players
Photo Credit: Molloy Athletics Usually teams are either young or experienced. In the case of Molloy, however, they may have found a way to be both. “We have a young team, but they all have experience playing in the conference tournament,” said Head Coach Joe Fucarino. Last year’s team finished with a 20-24 overall record, but qualified for postseason play. They were eliminated by...
Coach Stephan Believes This Can Be the Year
Photo Credit: Harris Rappel From 1990-’93 the Buffalo Bills set a dubious record by losing four consecutive Super Bowls. While it has not occured on the national spotlight, Old Westbury has made a similar habit of falling just shy at the finish line. Each year since 2010, they have been defeated by Farmingdale State in the championship of the Skyline Conference. Head Coach Rod Stephan is op...
Which Position Is Most Difficult? Part 3
Although hitting has been a premium, it takes a tremendous athlete to dominate on the mound Baseball is a unique sport in many ways. Among those reasons is that it takes a specific skill set to excel at each position. Sure, some players like Pete Rose and Craig Biggio have become All Stars at multiple positions, but they are very much in the minority on that. Most players develop skills throughout...
Richard Garrett Confident Year Two Will See Improvement
Photo Credit: St. Joseph’s Athletics In his first year at the helm for the St. Joseph’s Golden Eagles, Richard Garrett’s squad struggled to a 17-20 overall record (9-7 conference). He is confident, however, that this team has made the necessary improvements to take the next step and compete with the likes of Old Westbury and Farmingdale State for the Skyline Conference title. ...
