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Up Next Powered by The Yard Sports Academy: Sebastian Lippman
(This is the third installment of the “Up Next” Series Powered by The Yard Sports Academy. Previously we featured Andrew Koshy and Josh Knoth.) Young stud alert 🚨 Sebastian Lippman (Plainview JFK 2024) sitting 84-86 MPH pic.twitter.com/U9tkENfQ4h — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 8, 2020 Often times as a scout or reporter you attend a showcase or tournament and are underwhelmed with the product on the field. As a scout, it’s easy to stay quiet and walk away if you’re bored. As a reporter, you have to try to make something out of nothing. Being that I am both, I have to walk that fine line of telling the truth as a scout but generating buzz as a reporter. Other times, it’s really easy. An example of this was on November 8 at Prospect Sports for a ...
Fuel To the Fire: How Justin Dunn Made It From Freeport to the Majors
(Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared in November 2019. Justin Dunn pitched well in 2020, compiling a record of 4-1 with a 4.34 ERA over 45.2 IP. He struck out 38 batters.) (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 ...
Where Are They Now: Glenn Gibson
(Photo Credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images) It’s Opening Day 2006 and the best pitching prospect on Long Island is on the mound against Centereach HS. The area behind home plate is packed with representatives from virtually all Major League teams plus cross checkers to watch Glenn Gibson. The 6’4 southpaw is the son of former New York Mets and New York Yankees LHP Paul Gibson. Glenn is armed with a 90 MPH fastball and–barring injury– will be drafted in June. The scouts and everyone else in attendance are expecting to watch a pitching clinic by the flame-throwing southpaw. That’s not what happened, and that’s why they play the games. “I threw four innings and it was just a struggle,” said Gibson. “I think I gave up 11 hits that year and most of them came in that game. If there was a bad tim...
Up Next Powered by The Yard Sports Academy: Andrew Koshy
Andrew Koshy (Kellenberg 2023) and Christian Alicea (St. John the Baptist 2024) combine on a strike-em-out, throw-em-out pic.twitter.com/OPBSG7ytF9 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 27, 2020 This is the second installment of the “Up Next” Series Powered by the Yard Sports Academy. The first featured athlete was Josh Knoth. It hasn’t even been two years since there was a high-end pitcher at Kellenberg HS and they already have another. Sophomore Andrew Koshy transferred into the school from the Mineola school district and he already is generating some buzz. The hard-throwing righty had a dominating summer for Team Francisco Notorious 9. Despite often playing against older competition, his numbers were straight out of a PlayStation. Record: 9-1 ERA: 0.58 Innings...
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 32 years of ...
Q & A With Cole Lindquist
Smaller programs such as John Glenn rely on strong individual grad classes to prosper together and deliver a playoff-berth for the school. John Glenn would’ve likely made a playoff run in 2020 had there been a season thanks to seniors like Dan Brown (Pace), Aidan Desmond (Gettysburg) and Matt Polestino (SUNY New Paltz). While it is unfortunate that they didn’t get a season, they do seem to be on the right path considering some of the players they still have in the program for the next two years. One particularly exciting player is two-way player Cole Lindquist. According to his coach, he said “he can literally play anywhere but he has really been shining on the mound.” This summer while playing for MVP Beast 2022, “he has been lights out.” He compiled a ...
Where Are They Now: Craig Hansen
(Getty Images) In 2002, Craig Hansen set the standard for dominant pitchers on Long Island. Simply put – he was untouchable. The Glen Cove senior captured the Diamond Award given to the best pitcher in Nassau County. He compiled an unblemished record of 7-0 with 106 strikeouts over 61 innings. He allowed just 22 hits and most incredibly – he was perfect, allowing 0 runs. He wound up accepting a scholarship to pitch at St. John’s University for Coach Ed Blankmeyer. By his junior year, he was one of the best pitchers in the country. He established himself in the prestigious Cape Cod League with the Harwich Mariners. During that summer, he compiled 10 saves with 41 strikeouts in just 21.2 innings without allowing an earned run. All he did was continue to dominate during his junior season than...
Up Next Powered By The Yard Sports Academy: Josh Knoth
Josh Knoth (Pat-Med 2023) sitting 80-81 T83 pic.twitter.com/GLYUZPinPB — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 25, 2020 Pat-Med has been no stranger to hard-throwing right-handed pitchers in recent years. While everyone will immediately think of Mets RHP Marcus Stroman, there have been quite a few since including Matt Vogel – who was also drafted out of high school in 2013. Knoth is showing the type of potential to join that list. As we learn more about pitching, we can learn even more about a pitcher’s ability to be effective. Spin rate, perceived velocity and spin efficiency are all factors that make a pitcher more difficult to square. Sometimes, it’s more simple than that. When a pitcher is in 10th grade, only 160 lbs and already sitting in the low 80s, that’...
Q & A With Dylan Bruno
With the pandemic cutting short the high school playing careers for many athletes, and effecting the recruiting process for others, families have turned to alternate options to maximizing exposure. One option is attending a boarding school like IMG Academy. Many families on Long Island have the means to do so and it effectively negates the lost year of development. I spoke with Dylan Bruno, who transferred from St. Dominic to IMG Academy, this fall to see what went behind the decision and if we may see more students make similar moves. Who are some people in your life that played a big role in your baseball career? My father without a doubt. He pushed me day in and day out. He trained with me constantly and started coaching me since I was 8-years-old. He always put our team against the tou...
Q & A With Brendan Williams
Every year there’s a player who makes that ‘jump’ from a good player to one that you can’t ignore. Franklin Parra comes to mind as a pitcher that was very good but then became a prospect. Logan O’Hoppe certainly would be the very definition of that. Last year there was Andrew Ledbetter. This year it’s looking like Brendan Williams of West Hempstead is that player. After his outing on Sunday, many people have become curious how he was in obscurity until his performance in the Northeast Elite. That’s just what happens when you play in the countywide conference. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Let’s start off with the obvious – was Sunday the best moment of your career? I feel that Sunday night w...
Q & A With James Goff
When Connetquot won the Suffolk Class AA Championship in 2019, they did so in large part to their core of upperclassmen led by Paul Gibson Award winner Joey Savino, All-State LHP Matt Goodis, large-school playoff MVP Matt Brown-Eiring, All-State catcher Josh McGee and a trio of Division-I players like Alex Ungar as well as the Yalon twins. But to win a championship you win a full team contribution and you also need stout defense. Middle infielder James Goff was a crucial piece to their championship team. He was a starter for much of the season as a sophomore. If they were going to defend their crown in 2020 it would’ve been with him at the top of the lineup and he will certainly be a key piece again in 2021. He announced his commitment to Adelphi University this week and their coachi...
Chris Mott Transfers to Hofstra
Hofstra improved their pitching staff this week with the addition of RHP Chris Mott (Sachem East 2015). The grad student was off to an outstanding start to the 2020 season for the defending East Region champs. He compiled a record of 3-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 29 strikeouts over 24.1 IP. Opposing batters hit only .165 against him. In 2019, he was a key cog in the Bears rotation as they made a historic run to the Division-II College World Series. Mott has been resilient in his career. He was originally committed to Dowling College, but the school shut its doors. He then attended Suffolk CC in 2017 before transferring to NYIT in 2018 during the school’s first season in the ECC. He struggled mightily that year, compiling a 10.32 ERA over 11.1 IP. He turned himself into one of the more depe...
