Author: Vinny Messana

Photo Credit: Hofstra Athletic Communications “Back-to-back seasons we had the go-ahead run on third base with the chance to make the playoffs on the line,” said seventh year Head Coach John Russo. “I’m anxious to see them play,” he said. The Pride will be fielding a very young team. According to Russo, only eight of the players will be juniors or seniors. The team wi...

The shortstop is often the most athletic player on the field 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 their amateur careers that lim...

Photo Credit: Vinny MessanaBeing a catcher is no walk in the park. 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 their amateur careers th...

Photo Credit: SUNY Oneonta Athletic Department Some players spend their entire lives in the spotlight. Others make a rapid ascension in one year to get into that exact same spot. Steven Ascher, left handed pitcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organization, fits into the latter.  Often times players will say that they always knew their future was playing professional baseball. Ascher is the rare player th...

Photo Credit: Vinny Messana I look back at 2014 as the most important year of my career to this point. I had a season that, honestly if someone told me before everything I did was going to happen, I would have laughed and said that’s next to impossible. My college stats speak for themselves and what I learned in my first year in pro ball will be with me throughout my life. The jump from Division-I...

There are very few stories to report in January and early February. But, baseball fans can read some stories if you choose to. Here is a list of my top five favorite baseball books that I have read… 5. Ball Four: Jim Bouton Autobiography Not many fans are familiar with Jim Bouton–he was a rather non-descript pitcher in the 1960s. His biggest contribution may have been a negative, actua...

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/RwY8IlOvfY0&source=uds

https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/fHLkfw2CYHs&source=uds Here is a Youtube video made by my old teammate Ryan Rubenstein. He did a terrific job with the shooting and editing. It is one of the most dramatic games I’ve ever witnessed–Farmingdale erased a huge 9th inning deficit to defeat Old Westbury and win their fifth consecutive Skyline Conference title. Enjoy.

Last year was another terrific season for Long Island baseball in many regards. From a theatrics standpoint, Dowling was one win away from being crowned regional champions and heading to Carey, NC for the College World Series. From an individual standpoint, 11 players were selected in the Rule IV draft in June. That was up from seven the previous season.  Here are the top story lines heading into ...

When I started this blog in 2013, I did so on a whim. I thought to myself, why should all the college players–that sacrifice so much–be relegated to waiting for May to get some publicity? Newsday ignores them completely until the College World Series and it is not fair for the players and teams that have successful years but do not reach the ultimate goal of making it to Omaha (or Care...

Photo Credit: Kelly O’Connor It’s tough to make a bigger impact in a Triple-A debut then Keith Couch did. On September 12, he pitched the Pawtucket Red Sox to the league championship by throwing 6.2 innings, allowing only one single hit, in what was his first start in three weeks.                 “That game was the most fun I’ve had playing baseball even though it was at a high stage,” said ...

Photo Credit: Allen Greene Two of the rarest commodities in baseball are power pitchers with command and catchers with two-way ability. The Mets farm system–after years of being barren–possesses some of the best talent in both of those areas. Many people are familiar with prospects like Noah Syndergaard and Kevin Plawecki, but one player who has flown most under-the-radar is Hicksville...