FEATURE STORIES
Longwood Developing Reputation for Producing College-Ready Players
Typically graduating 14 seniors would be a crushing hit for a high school team. In the case of Longwood, it’s business as usual. They have an influx of talented underclassmen and a number of upperclassmen that second year Head Coach Ryan McSherry is high on, thanks to an emphasis on the fundamentals of the game. “Teams that grasp the basics of the game are always competitive,” said McSherry. “We are always looking for diamonds in the rough. Fortunately, we have a big pool to choose from at Longwood so it’s easy to get lost. It’s a good place to coach because we have a lot of hard-nosed players. We have a David Eckstein-type of team” he added. They graduated all three of their starters last year, who went on to play college ball. The trio of Tr...
Pat-Med Looking to Make a Deep Playoff Run
Anytime you can break a record set by Marcus Stroman, you’re doing something right. Pat-Med SS and Albany-commit Brad Malm set the program-record for assists in a single-season last year, according to Head Coach Anthony Frascogna, breaking the previous record held by the Blue Jays ace pitcher. He also recorded a hit in every game (35 total), hit .393, scored 24 runs and drove in 14 runs. One issue he’ll have to deal with is how patient he is at the plate now that he’s no longer a secret. “He’s gotta be selective,” said Frascogna. “Teams are not going to want him to beat them.” This will be a big factor in how far Pat-Med goes this year, coming off a 13-10 season in which they had several first-time varsity players out there. Frascogna was ver...
Smithtown East Loaded With Div-I Talent
You can typically look at a team’s JV record and get an idea of how the varsity team will fare the next season. If that’s the case, Smithtown East could be in store for a special season in 2017. Their JV team compiled a 17-1 record last year, and Head Coach Ken Klee will have no shortage of arms to throw out this year. “This is by far the most pitching depth we’ve ever had,” he said. “The sophomores alone may have seven Div-I players,” he added. Many of those are pitchers. Doug Goodwin (4-1, All-League as a freshman on varsity last year), Nick Harvey, Michael Storms and William Kennedy are four high-end arms from the sophomore class alone. They all played for Gregg Sarra’s vaunted HDMH team. And then there’s the upperclassmen. Lead...
Newfield Ready to Turn the Corner
Second-year Head Coach Eric Joyner knows a thing or two about instilling winning mentalities in his teams. He was a part of two Long Island Championships with Newfield football while a member of the coaching staff. Now having dedicating himself fully to his baseball duties, he sees a difference in how his players are going about their business. “It’s starting to take hold,” he said referring to his coaching philosophies. “We require a lot of the guys, from the weight room to conditioning and batting practice in the offseason–and it’s still a work in progress but they’re coming down here to work,” he added. The Wolverines will be looking to avenge the bitter end to the 2016 in which he needed to win one of their final two games against Smithto...
Centereach Leaning on Three Legit Arms
Not since 2009 has Head Coach Mike Herrschaft spoke this confidently about a pitching staff. Back in those days, I was in his office to discuss how we would be game planning for the opposition. “This might be the best staff we’ve had”, he told me with a smirk knowing that the 2009 staff might think otherwise. Regardless, the Centereach Cougars have a very good chance to shock League 4 this season with a legitimate pitching staff that has opposing coaching noticing. Eric Russo, Sean McGuinnes and Matt Hirsch are all pitchers that work in the low-to-mid 80s with command and have all had some degree of success at the varsity level. Sean McGuinnes (Centereach ’17, College of St Rose-commit) pic.twitter.com/BE4CTIGwPB — aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) Februar...
Kellenberg Fueled by Making History
Sometimes it’s tough to stay motivated when you’ve already reached the mountain top, but according to Kellenberg‘s Head Coach Chris Alfalla, his team is motivated by making school history and becoming the first back-to-back CHSAA league champs. “These guys are hungry,” said Alfalla. Even though they won last year, they are not satisfied,” he added. Last year’s squad was dynamic–compiling a record of 19-5– thanks in large part to a phenomenal offensive season by Robert Weissheier (now at Hofstra), who could be tough to replace. Alfalla noted that it will take a team effort to not only replace his level of production but also his leadership ability. “He was basically an extension of the coaching staff. He was a great team leader,...
St. Anthony’s Ready to Take the Next Step
Head Coach John Phelan told his team before the season last year, “We’ve finally arrived.” They backed up the bravado by winning 14 games and coming within a run of forcing a game three against Kellenberg. “We finished the season knowing with could compete against anyone,” said Phelan. “We caught up to these other teams.” Additionally, he feels the team matured by facing high-end pitcher such as Chris Cappas and Noah Lorenzo. That team did graduate the CHSAA MVP in Matt Martino, who won six games on the hill and also smacked three home runs. They also graduated Connor Levchuk, who hit .340 last year. Both of them are currently playing ball at Vassar College. “Those are two big bats we lost, but fortunately Cameron Tomaiko came into his own.&#...
Bay Shore Looking to Build Off Best Season in Program History
In many ways, 2016 was a banner year for the Bay Shore Marauders. They won the most games in program history (20) and also had the best record in Suffolk County. They won two playoff games, including a 13-0 shutout of Connetquot. That team lost a handful of impact players, including the League II MVP in Brian Weissert–who is now at Fordham University–but seventh year Head Coach Mike Herbst is confident that the returning players will be able to build off that success. “Fortunately the returning guys were there for the ride and learned how to win last year,” he said. Their biggest impact player should be catcher/closer Hermes Abreu. The Concordia-commit was named All-County last year, and he also was a reliable pitcher in the late innings. Herbst noted that they are ...
Is St. Joseph’s Becoming a Destination College?
It was not too long ago that fouls balls landed on Sunrise Highway and overthrows by infielders ended up in the middle of campus at St. Joseph’s. Now coming off winning the Skyline Conference championship, with a six-year old turf facility and getting an influx of talent via transfers and incoming freshman, St. Joseph’s might be becoming one of the top choices for top players on Long Island. “Depth is everything,” said Rick Garrett, who will enter the 2017 title defense with a 42 man roster. “We got kids coming from all over because they hear about it. Some of our coaches are from there. Now it’s become an all Long Island school,” he added. In the past, they were a predominantly eastern Suffolk-based team, which put them at an obvious disadvantage ...
Q & A With Tucker Hahn
Long Island’s HR leader in 2015 was Island Trees senior Tucker Hahn. After sitting out a year, he is now at Nassau Community College, where he could be a real difference maker. He spoke with our reporter David Moskowitz and here’s what he had to say… You graduated from high school in 2015. You did not play anywhere in 2016. Now in 2017 you are playing at Nassau Community College. What happened in 2016? And why Nassau Community College? I graduated from Island Trees in 2015. I decided to go to Nassau Community College and after one semester I wasn’t 100% sure it School was for me. So I started working with my brother doing construction work. I made a decent amount of money and I enjoyed the work, but I missed baseball horribly so I decided to go back to Nassau Commun...
Who Is Brock Murtha?
One of the bright spots of Sayville’s 2016 season was the emergence of eighth grader Brock Murtha not only playing on varsity, but also smacking two home runs and winning two games on the mound. The 5’11” 170 lb freshman will be a key piece of their 2017 season. He has put himself on the map already with his athleticism at shortstop and his smooth swing at the plate. He is a two-sport star, also playing QB on the varsity football team. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Was baseball always your first love? I have always been a sports kid. Baseball is my favorite, but football is a close second, followed by basketball. Do you come from an athletic family? Yes my father was a former 3 sport athlete that played college football and ru...
Q & A With Jimmy English
(Photo Credit: Kevin Carver) by David Moskowitz You went to Smithtown West. Both Smithtown High School teams are usually competitive. What was it like to play there? I was on The Smithtown West Varsity team as a 9th grader, competing until my senior year. Having a few strong players ahead of me, I was able to see how they would handle situations on and off field, forcing me to grow as a person and player. Having these experiences, I was able to become a leader myself in my later years on the team. Coach Mike Miller had helped me develop my confidence, work counts, and teach me the mechanics on how to throw different pitches. He was a huge part in cultivating my success throughout my four years at West. Can you comment on the rivalry between the two school districts? The rivalry between t...
