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Q & A With Vin Malzahn – Assistant Coach of the Irish National Team
Vinnie Malzahn is the assistant coach of the Irish National Team – which one Gold Medal in Zurich in 2017 during the European Championship. He is also the GM of the Hardball Training Center in Elmsford, NY. Prior to that, he had a standout career at St. Thomas Aquinas, where he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2016. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say.. Who are some players you tried emulating when you were younger? Ken Griffey Jr and Derek Jeter. Loved watching those guys for different reasons…Jr because I was a lefty and tried to make my swing as smooth and effortless as his and Jeter because of how much he respected the game and how hard he played every single time he stepped on the field. Do you come from an athletic family? My...
Up Next Powered by The Yard Sports Academy: Charles West
(This is the sixth installment of our popular ‘Up Next’ Series in which we spotlight the next wave of superstars on Long Island. Previously, we have featured Jayden Stroman, Liam Stemmler, Paul Napolitano , Sadier Vicioso and Matt Gileno. None of these players have appeared in a varsity game, but we are confident that they will soon. The series is Powered by The Yard Sports Academy, which you can check out here.) Charles West, aptly named for a left-handed pitcher, didn’t waste his time this summer facing competition that would be helpless against him. He chose to go the more challenging route–pitching a year up–against competition that would provide more of a challenge. The end result was that they weren’t very successful either–as the 14-year-old...
Get To Know Jack Reardon
When the topic of underrated players come up, there’s a million names you could go with–from those in small schools to someone returning from season-ending injury to players that get overlooked by other high-profile teammates. One name that always comes up is Jack Reardon. The Commack senior transferred from St. Anthony’s, where he was sometimes overshadowed by Division-I teammates to a school with…other Division-I teammates. Even so, rival coaches always point out his bat speed as reason to avoid him in a big spot. He announced his verbal commitment to New Haven last week, adding to the list of Commack players that will go on to play at great collegiate programs. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Can you talk us through you...
Up Next Powered by The Yard Sports Academy: Sadier Vicioso
Long Island Baseball captures the 15U Championship with a 7-6 come-from-behind victory. Sadier Vicioso fired four hitless innings in relief to record the win pic.twitter.com/uAZQdJT10K — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 14, 2019 (This is the fifth installment of our popular series ‘Up Next’ in which we spotlight the next wave of superstars on Long Island. Previously, we have featured Jayden Stroman, Liam Stemmler, Paul Napolitano and Matt Gileno. None of these players have appeared in a varsity game, but we are confident that they will soon. The series is Powered by The Yard Sports Academy, which you can check out here.) “JACKPOT!” He thought to himself when he found out he landed a Dominican-born left-handed pitcher in the 12th round of the Baldwin Litt...
Fuel To the Fire: How Justin Dunn Made It From Freeport to the Majors
(Photo Credit: Getty Images) When you’ve been doubted since age-14, you develop some thick skin. Freeport-native Justin Dunn has developed that and then some over the years, as he carved a path for himself from the football-rich town of Freeport, NY all the way to his Major League debut with the Seattle Mariners on September 12, 2019. When Justin was a freshman in high school, his parents made the decision to send him to rural Connecticut to The Gunnery School, a college-preparatory school for high school aged kids, which Justin described as essentially college for 14-year-olds. His father, who is the Director of Finance for the Department of Health, knew that his son had a special ability and wanted to make the most of it–even considered sending him to the Dominican Republic ...
Get to Know Tyler Cox
Tyler Cox led the team in virtually all offensive categories as a freshman. Coach Abruscato is counting on him for production in the middle of the lineup pic.twitter.com/2rm2r3zgyd — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 27, 2019 One thing I noticed from scouring the internet is that West Virginia University loves their northeast players. Their 2019 roster was composed of three New Jersey, three New York, three Pennsylvania and one New Hampshire native. Long Island baseball fans may be familiar with Sam Kessler, a Mt. Sinai-native who was drafted out of West Virginia University by the Detroit Tigers this year. Another Long Island native is soon to join that roster. Clarke HS junior Tyler Cox announced his verbal commitment to West Virginia University on Thursday. The Mountaineers wo...
Get To Know Nick Roselli
Nick Roselli is a left-handed batter with a sweet swing and a smooth glove in the infield. More importantly, he has proven himself to be a winning ballplayer that is a menace on the base paths. He announced his verbal commitment to Sacred Heart University last week, becoming the latest 2021 grad to come off the board. I had a chance to talk to him, and here’s what he had to say… Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose Sacred Heart? Tom Downey, Travis Quattrini and the rest of the Titans’ organization does a great job of making sure we play in the right tournaments with the most exposure. Every tournament we played in, there were multiple colleges at every one of our games. Coach Tuttle and Coach Robins, from Divi...
In My Own Words: Why I Joined the Marines
(Editor’s Note:Chris Deddo is a 2018 graduate of SUNY Maritime. He was a major reason in why the Privateers were able to turn a dormant program into Skyline Conference Champs in 2017. He participated in our 2018 Axcess Invitational, shortly after joining the United States Marines. The following words are his own…) In May of 2018, I found myself pinning on the rank of 2nd Lieutenant and becoming a member of the most lethal fighting force in the world. The United States Marines. The decision to become a leader of Marines was something that did not just happen overnight. It was a long process that started from when I was a little kid. I was fortunate to be surrounded by a family of people who dedicated their life to service. My father Michael Deddo Jr., retired from the NYPD with ...
Colin Shashaty Commits to Ithaca College
Colin Shashaty has a big day at the plate and is our @BsbLifestyle101 Player of the Game. He spoke about the win pic.twitter.com/WMRcAV6TzE — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 25, 2019 Sometimes players fly under-the-radar without garnering too much attention. One player that fits this description is Northport 2020 grad Colin Shashaty. As a junior, he had a remarkable season for the Tigers; he batted .432 over 67 at bats with 29 hits, scored 25 runs, drove in 19 runs, stole 10 bases, drew six walks and struck out only three times. He announced his commitment to Division-III powerhouse Ithaca College this past weekend. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Can you describe your experience with the college recruiting process and why you made you...
Get to Know Timmy Mott
One of the best pitchers in the competitive CHSAA last season was Timmy Mott of Holy Trinity. He was effective all season including a postseason start against St. Dominic at Mitchel Field. Mott must’ve really enjoyed pitching on the Mitchel Field mound, because yesterday he announced he will be playing his college ball on that field for Molloy. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Who are some of the toughest hitters you faced last year in the Catholic League? In the Catholic League last year, some hitters were very hard to pitch against. One player was Matt Milone, every time he would get up to bat, Matt would always get himself into good counts that would force the pitcher to make a pitch he could take advantage of and drive into the ga...
Get to Know Nick Campagnuolo
Nick Campagnuolo drives in CJ Cumbo to give Clarke a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/Vr17VFbwi0 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 27, 2019 Clarke Baseball had an incredible season in 2019–capturing the Nassau County Class A Championship with a hard-fought series win over Division. It was their first championship since 2013. One of their key pieces this season was SS Nick Campagnuolo. This week he announced his verbal commitment to the University of New Haven, a terrific Division-II program in Connecticut. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Can you explain the feeling of winning the County Championship? In your opinion, why was the team able to be so successful? Words can’t even describe the feeling of winning ...
Get to Know Corey Phelan
Corey Phelan is a 2020 graduate of Harborfields HS. He is the younger brother of St. Joseph’s freshman, Connor Phelan, and the son of former Cold Spring Harbor coach, Chris Phelan. He announced his verbal commitment to Division-II powerhouse Flagler College yesterday. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose Flagler? My experience with the college recruiting process was very difficult. I was blessed to have received offers from Div-I, Div-II and Div-III schools. They were all very good baseball programs and academic schools. I visited Flagler College when I was 14-years-old and fell in love with the school. I was blessed to receive an offer from Coach Barnett and I...
