FEATURES
Q & A With Matt Alifano
Adelphi has had a long history of excellence on the baseball field and even amidst that list of outstanding performers, Matt Alifano warrants inclusion with the best of the best. The Center Moriches grad helped the Red Devils to a perfect season in 2019 and kept that momentum going into 2020 when he started his collegiate career on a tear before the pandemic ended the season abruptly. It was in 2021 when he truly broke out for the Panthers. Matt Alifano’s first collegiate HR was a grand slam. The sophomore is batting .419 on the season pic.twitter.com/b3Z6yd4K9S — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 29, 2021 He batted .394 – which was the highest for a Panther since Rich Mejia and Cliff Brantley in 2014. But what separated him from the pack was his pop from the leadoff s...
Q & A With Anthony Scarabino
When people ask how programs like Connetquot are also to continually produce winning seasons year-after-year, it starts with the dedication of the players and coaches at the youth level. During the shutdown season of 2020, I heard about how good the freshman class at Connetquot was and that they would be a force in a couple years. That came to fruition as the T-Birds captured their League Championship yet again before losing in the postseason to Smithtown West in a rain-soaked two-day game. One of their biggest contributors was junior captain Anthony Scarabino who was named Team MVP, All-League and All-County. He batted .436 over 23 games with a .563 OPS, .551 SLG 1.114 OPS, 34 hits, 5 doubles, 2 triples, 27 RBIs, 34 runs, 18 walks and 11 stolen bases. The do-it-all outfielder recently ann...
Q & A With Nicholas Delvecchio
Holy Trinity entered 2022 with a talented roster – albeit a younger one. Coming off a difficult season, they were hoping that their large group of 2023s and 2024s gained valuable experience from that 2021 season. Turns out, that’s exactly what happened. Led by one of the best pitchers on Long Island in Sadier Vicioso, they were able to go toe-to-toe against any team during the regular season. Ultimately, they lost in the playoffs to St. John the Baptist but it was a successful season for the program. Additionally, their position players all matured quickly – notably catcher Tyler Cook (Catcher of the Year), infielders Sebastian Velazquez and Nicholas Delvecchio. The latter just announced his verbal commitment to Long Island University. He plays his summer ball for Knights...
Q & A With Brian Morrell
Morrell with a big double for @hofstrabaseball in the 9th WATCH NOW 📺 @FloBaseball 💻 https://t.co/AKWsfFFrHv 📈 https://t.co/zrrBJzfPgg pic.twitter.com/wHoDoVQ5WY — Colonial Athletic Association (@CAASports) May 29, 2022 2022 was an amazing and historic season for Hofstra. Can you go into some detail about what changes Frank and his staff implemented, how they were able to turn around the program so quickly and also what it felt like to go on that outstanding playoff run? Once I heard Cat got the coaching position at Hofstra, I knew in my head that it was a no brainer that Hofstra was where I was going. One of my best friends growing up was Zach White who was a pitcher who played at New York Tech for Cat and his staff. I immediately called him on the phone and asked him tons of questions. D...
Q & A With Doug Robins Diamond Award Winner Dylan Banner
Dylan Banner had a strong case to be made as not only the best pitcher but also the best hitter in Nassau County in 2022. He’ll have to settle (kidding) for the Doug Robins Diamond Award given to the top pitcher in the county. It was a remarkable season for the Albany-commit as he led the Hawks to one of the best seasons in program history. On the bump, he notched an unblemished record of 7-0 with a 0.73 ERA and 101 strikeouts over 47.2 IP. He fired 2 no-hitters and was downright untouchable in just about every outing. He gave up four infield hits during league play and the lone long ball he gave up was to Jack Coogan in a non-league game in his first outing of the season. Four years ago, we featured him as part of the “Up Next” series, when he was coming off a huge seaso...
Q & A With Calhoun RHP Brian Chin
Calhoun RHP Brian Chin struck out 17(!) In a no-hitter over Sewanhaka pic.twitter.com/DLRAaM3u2u — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 18, 2022 Calhoun captured their first Nassau County Championship since 2012 this past week with a victory over Rocky Point – an incredibly talented team that was riding a 17-game winning streak. They had to run through the gauntlet that is the Nassau Class A postseason, having to defeat a talented MacArthur and Clarke teams two of three just for the right to face Rocky Point in the LIC at St. Joseph’s. They had contributions up-and-down their roster but a major reason for their regular season success was the complete domination of ace RHP Brian Chin. The hard-throwing senior was untouchable. He allowed just one hit during the regular seas...
Q & A With Joey Marchese
It was another successful season on the diamond for Shoreham-Wading River. The Wildcats captured the League 7 title with a record of 15-2. Much of that had to do with the stellar pitching of Billy Steele but also a relentless offense that featured contributions up-and-down the lineup. One of their most impactful hitters all season was senior Joey Marchese. The power-hitting outfielder put together a slash line of .453/.533/.703 with an insane 1.236 OPS, 7 doubles, 3 HRs, 20 RBIs, 17 runs, 11 stolen bases and even had two walk-off hits. His ability to come through in the big moments was a tremendous asset for Shoreham. But beyond the baseball field, Marchese dealt with the absolutely heartbreaking news that his sister tragically passed away in a car crash just before her high school graduat...
Q & A With Carson McCaffrey
Three starts, three complete games and only four hits allowed. Not a bad start to a varsity career for anyone – especially a sophomore. That’s how Comsewogue sophomore Carson McCaffrey began his career. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Who are your favorite players in Major League Baseball and why? My favorite player in Major League Baseball right now is Shohei Ohtani. He is a force to reckon with on both sides of the ball, being a strong, powerful and consistent hitter and an amazing pitcher with velocity along with nasty off speed pitches. Who are some people that have had a positive impact on your career? I have had many people help me throughout my baseball career on both sides of the ball and every single one has helped me become ...
Ward Melville Grad Nick Vitale Living Out His Dream
By Michael Malaszczyk It is always a source of great pride for Long Island varsity baseball fans to see one of our own make it into the professional ranks. This week, Axcess Baseball had the privilege of sitting down and talking with someone who achieved just that; Nick Vitale of Ward Melville High School was happy to tell us his story, all the way from little league to the Monterey Amberjacks. Nick Vitale comes from humble beginnings on Long Island, and tells a story of finding his love for baseball that we can all relate to. “I started when I was about five years old with T ball like everyone does,” said Vitale. “My dad is my inspiration. Baseball is still his life. He played at Northport High School. He played at Dowling. He was one of the few baseball players ever selected in the Dowli...
Observations From East Coast Lumberjacks’ Workout
Yesterday I went down to 365 Athletics to check out the East Coast Lumberjacks’ organization workout. The travel organization, founded by Ryan and Daniel Pembroke, is coming off a big year in which their 2022 grad team captured the BCS National Championship and compiled an overall record of 48-14-3. Remarkably, that’s not the team that Ryan called the most talented team he’s ever had. We’ll get to that in a bit. But first, some observations from the workout. Josh Knoth (Pat-Med 2023) Charleston-commit Josh Knoth (Pat-Med 2023) up to 96 (!) today. Not shown – CB at 83 (2995 RPMs). @FlatgroundApp @BenBadler pic.twitter.com/cTYQmbFPEJ — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 6, 2022 This is a pro-level pitcher and he looked outstanding. Knoth solidified hi...
Where Are They Now: Mike Belfiore
USA Today Sports Growing up in the 1990s during the peak of the Yankee dynasty, Commack native Mike Belfiore was fortunate enough to be in attendance for not one, but two World Series clinching games. Like many New Yorkers, he became infatuated with the game after watching homegrown players like Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte transform into icons. “It became sort of an annual thing going to the playoff games at Yankeee Stadium with my dad,” said Belfiore. Little did he know at the time, that he would later be in the big leagues with an AL East division rival of the New York Yankees during the final season of Mariano Rivera‘s career. The early years Belfiore was always talented for his age, but he credits the time spent with private instructors for taking his game to the next level. “Al Chan...
Where Are They Now: Chris Pike
Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on January 10, 2020 Fear never crossed Chris’ mind. Not in the minor leagues, not at the Division-I level, not in the Long Island Championship. Not even when he was 7-years-old playing on a 9-year-old travel team playing 3rd base just 45 feet away from the batters. It’s not clear how Chris developed his fearlessness but he did admire and adopt the grittiness of the late 90s Yankees; although his favorite player may come as a surprise. “My favorite player growing up was Chad Curtis,” he said citing the 10-year veteran that batted .264 in his career. Just about every Yankee fan from that era cites Derek Jeter as their favorite player, but Pike preferred the player that had to fight tooth-and-nail for his chance. It was a sign of things to...
