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Up Next: Kyle Chase
(Editor’s Note: This is our third installment of our ‘Up Next’ Series in which we profile the top middle school and JV players on Long Island. Our first two athletes were Christian Alicea and Liam Bowes. Now is Kyle Chase, a freshman at St. John the Baptist.) Baseball is not supposed to be easy. It is a humbling game, and you can easily make the argument that hitting a baseball with a round bat is the single most difficult task in sports. For one week in 2017, Kyle Chase laughed at that concept. He not only made it look easy, but he treated it as if it was the most rudimentary of tasks. He batted .833 (25-for-30) while leading the Body Armor Titans to first place in a 104-team Cooperstown tournament. He was not just hitting singles, either. He crushed 11 HRs and drove in ...
Up Next: Liam Bowes
Liam Bowes (Shoreham-Wading River 2022) pic.twitter.com/8RjTaGi7kq — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) December 3, 2018 (Editor’s Note: This is the second part of our ‘Up Next’ Series which profiles the top middle school and JV players on Long Island. On Sunday night, we profiled Christian Alicea. Now is Shoreham-Wading River 9th grader Liam Bowes, who is a power-hitting catcher that turned some heads down at the USA Complex in Cary, NC) Controlled aggression. It’s the phrase that comes to mind when you watch the swing of Shoreham-Wading River catcher Liam Bowes. As I watched swing-after-swing result in thunderous line drives at Gameday Sports in Port Jefferson, it became clear that a bright future lies ahead for Bowes. From his longtime hitting instructor and co...
Q & A With West Islip RHP Mike LaDonna
(Editor’s Note: It was yet another successful season for the West Islip Lions. They captured their third Suffolk County Class AA Championship since 2014. They had a 22-game winning streak prior to being defeated in the Long Island Championship by Massapequa. One of the main reasons they were able to have such an incredible season was the performance of junior Mike LaDonna. He was the winning pitcher in the County Championship against Eastport-South Manor, showing off his mental toughness and fastball with a complete game effort. Following the season, he announced his commitment to Division-II NYIT to play for Frank Catalanotto. Not content, he went out and led the football team to within a few years of a County Championship against regining Div-I LIC Champs Lindenhurst. I had a ch...
Q & A With Garden City SS Tommy Reifler
Tommy Reifler is a middle infielder for Garden City HS and the HDMH Titans. He recently committed to Binghamton University. We spoke about his success on the field and a number of other topics. Here’s what he had to say. Can you tell our audience about your experience with the college recruiting process and how you decided to commit to Binghamton? My recruiting process all happened during the early summer. The coaching staff at Binghamton watched me play in June and followed me throughout July. I decided to commit to Binghamton because I really liked the program, coaches and the academics fit what I was looking for. Garden City has been very successful the past few seasons. What have you enjoyed the most? What do you think it will take to get over the top and beat a team like Wantag...
Johnny Castagnozzi: What I’m Thankful For
(Editor’s Note: Johnny Castagnozzi is a 2020 graduate of Massapequa HS. He was the first player in Tom Sheedy’s tenure to start as a 9th grader. All he’s done is lead them to back-to-back Class AA Long Island Championships including a NYS Class AA Championship this past June. He committed to the University of North Carolina as a sophomore. The following words are his own…) Thanksgiving is a time of year to look back on the many things that we have in our lives that we appreciate. For me there are so many things that come to mind. First, I have been blessed with an incredible family. They support me in every aspect of my life. My Mom and Dad who do everything possible to help me to develop as an athlete and as a person. They’ve given me strength even when things are ...
Sean Lane Commits to Notre Dame
Sean Lane (St. Dominic) has shown some legitimate pop. And he’s only a freshman pic.twitter.com/ymE7EuKHEU — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 5, 2017 There’s only a handful of degrees in this country that really stand out upon graduation. With most students now getting four-year degrees, the value of a degree has begun to decrease. That is unless you go to a prestigious university such as Notre Dame. For the third time in the last four years, a Long Island baseball player has committed to Notre Dame. St. Dominic 2021 third baseman Sean Lane announced his verbal commitment earlier this week. The powerful sophomore has a chance to join Brian Morrell and Brock Murtha as local players to attend the world-renowned university. I had a chance to speak with Lane and here’s...
Andrew Veit: Why I Chose Saint Peter’s
Great arm action from Bellport Andrew Veit pic.twitter.com/TE3GNqFtvJ — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 20, 2017 (Editor’s Note: Andrew is a 2019 graduate of Bellport HS. He is the younger brother of Michael, who is an outfielder at Farleigh-Dickinson University. He is a middle infielder that helped Bellport make a postseason appearance in 2018. He announced his commitment to Division-I Saint Peter’s in New Jersey. The following words are his own.) The recruiting process is not an easy process, it takes a lot of time and effort to attend as many tournaments and showcases as possible. Making sure you’re working to your full potential while at the tournaments is necessary because you never know which college coaches are there watching. It’s important to pick the ...
Veterans Day: Brandon Stahl On Deciding to Join the Army After Baseball
(Editor’s Note: Brandon Stahl is a 2010 graduate of St. Dominic HS, where he was an Under Armour All-American and three-time All-League selection. He attended Div-I Old Dominion in Virginia before transferring to Adelphi, where he enjoyed a breakout season in 2013 with a .309 AVG and .356 OBP. The following words are his own. This was originally published November 11, 2017) By Brandon Stahl Deciding to join the military was definitely one of the harder decisions I have ever had to make in my life to this point. Many people talk of a “calling” when it comes to this line of work and one day that calling hit me and I never looked back. In my personal opinion, serving and defending this country is one of the most honorable endeavors a person can immerse themselves in and my passion for this ha...
Dante Interlandi: Why I Chose Queens College
(Editor’s Note: Dante is a 2019 graduate of Farmingdale High School, where he helped guide the Dalers to a postseason appearance. He recently announced his commitment to Queens College. The following words are his own.) In my whole life as a baseball player, getting to this stage of playing was only a small dream I never thought I could reach. This past Sunday, November 4th, I decided to make the next decision to better my future and commit to Queens College. I couldn’t have been able to make this decision and get to this point in my life without my family, all of my coaches and my teammates. Before I even learned about the entire recruitment process, I would occasionally flip to college baseball games, football games and basketball games and see kids starting to live out their child...
Brady Doran: Why I Chose St. Anselm
(Editor’s Note: Brady Doran is the younger brother of George Washington University SS Logan Doran. Together, they formed an outstanding double play combination and top-of-the-order duo. He recently committed to St. Anselm College and he took the time to describe his decision. The following words are his own…) The recruiting process was a tough process in many ways; traveling all summer to showcases and tournaments. This process also helped me grow as a player and a person. Ultimately in the end, Saint Anselm College is the perfect place for me. The moment I stepped foot on the Saint Anselm campus, I fell in love with it and really wanted to go there. Shortly after arriving, I met Coach Cenatiempo and Coach Sumner and then got ready for the workout. After the workout, one of the...
Matt Yip: Why I Chose UNC-Wilmington
(Editor’s Note: Matt Yip is a 2019 graduate of Herricks HS. He has an outstanding junior season in which he was among the Long Island leaders in home runs. He participated in our Home Run Derby in August at Baseball Heaven and recently committed to UNC-Wilmington. The following words are his own…) The thought and desire of wanting to attend UNC-Wilmington had stayed with me since the beginning of my junior year. Coach Hood had watched me first play at the 16U Perfect Game WWBA tournament down in Georgia. Our first game was at the PG complex vs the East Cobb Astros 2020 team. Mid game, a dear friend and teammate that had been flown in from Arizona to play with for most of the summer, Bryan McKinsey had came into the game as relief. Bryan became the star of the game as soon as he...
Mike Draskin: Why I Chose NYIT
(Editor’s Note: Mike is a 2019 graduate of Half Hollow Hills West HS in Dix Hills. He is a very talented C/3B that recently committed to NYIT following a strong season for the co-League 4 Champs. The following words are his own…) From the first time I had stepped foot on campus, met the coaching staff and heard the opportunities within the program, I knew it was a dream to play for the Bears at New York Institute of Technology. Over the summer, I had reached out to my high school coach for Half Hollow Hills West, Coach Tom Migliozzi, saying that I needed more connections with colleges that he was close to. I told him NYIT was somewhere I would love to play, especially because they has just hired Long Island baseball legend Frank Catalanotto. I met him when I was only ten years ...
