NEWS
First Year Head Coach Brian Anderson Enters 2019 With Battle-Tested St. Dominic Team
Leading 3-0 in the fifth inning with reliable Johnny Flannigan on the hill, it appeared that St. Dominic was on the verge of forcing a do-or-die Championship Game against St. John the Baptist. After a wild turn of events and a go-ahead two-run triple by Matt Lavin, it was a disappointing end to the season for the Bay Hawks. Disappointing ends typically lead to motivated groups, and with first-year Head Coach Brian Anderson at the helm, there is no reason to believe this team won’t at least make it to the Championship Game again, and could be the favorites. Anderson, who is highly-regarded for his ability to motivate younger players, helped lead the 12U Body Armor Titans to first place in a 104-team tournament in Cooperstown during August 2017. “We have a great group of guys her...
St. Anthony’s Ready to Usher in New Era and Break Their Title Drought
6’5″ Fairfield-commit Billy Fitzgerald will form a dynamic duo with Stallone. pic.twitter.com/1HylZxRxhw — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 14, 2019 It’s been 19 years since St. Anthony‘s has captured the CHSAA championship. Over that time, they’ve had plenty of talented teams that have fallen just shy of the ultimate goal. With Paul Parsolano at the helm, coming off helping St. Joseph’s to two Skyline Conference title in three years, and a loaded team with three Division-I players and plenty of up-and-coming talent, they are primed to make a run at it. “I’ve been coaching since 1993 with plenty of stops along the way–and I’ve always said this is the one job that if it became available and I had the opportunity, I would ...
Miller Place Confident They Can Win Their League Title And Beyond
After finishing 16-8 a season ago, Miller Place enters 2019 with expectations higher than ever. Returning virtually every one of their impact players from last season, they are extremely dangerous. Last season, they suffered two one-run losses to Shoreham Wading-River in the playoffs, which eliminated them. Considering their postseason exit was tragic, their returning stars know what defeat feels like and will do everything in their power to make sure that doesn’t happen again. “We haven’t received the pre season attention we deserve and we like it that way,” said Head Coach Rick Caputo. On paper, Miller Place has one of the most talented rosters in Suffolk County Class A. For starters, they return all three pitchers in their rotation. The ace of their pitching staf...
Deer Park Hoping to Replace Their Impact Seniors From 2018
A six-game winning streak right in the middle of the season was a huge factor in Deer Park qualifying for a postseason berth. With the combination of seniors Charlie Rainone (St. Joseph’s) and Robert Belotti (Farmingdale State), the Falcons were able to put together an incredible streak of five consecutive shutouts. “Rainone had a great year all-around–on the mound, at the plate and in the field for us,” said Head Coach Ryan Argenziano. Rainone was voted Axcess Baseball‘s League 5 MVP. He compiled an ERA of 1.81 with 65 strikeouts over 40 IP. At the plate, he batted .330 with 15 RBI as well. Losing those two will certainly be a challenge to replace for an 11-win team. They had the makings of a team that could make a playoff run but they ran into Whitman in the...
Stony Brook Rolls Past LIU Brooklyn, 9-3
Nick Grande makes a nice play moving away from home plate. Stony Brook leads 3-0 after 1 inning pic.twitter.com/CE6OpChqg2 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 13, 2019 Stony Brook bounced back from Tuesday’s defeat by Iona with a smooth 9-3 victory over LIU Brooklyn. The offense got out to a quick start in the first inning with a three-spot. RBI singles by Brandon Alamo, Chris Hamilton and a sac fly by Evan Giordano gave them so cushion, and they never looked back. Bret Clarke made his first outing of the year and he was sharp; going two shutout innings and striking out two batters. He was named our 2016 Rookie of the Year. If he can rediscover that form, it will be a huge boost for the Sea Wolves. He topped out at 91 MPH in his outing. He was relieved by hard-throwing fresh...
St. Joseph’s Trounces Lehman, 11-1, in Season Opener
Final: St. Joseph’s 11, Lehman 1 Anthony Raucci discusses the victory and his 3 RBI day pic.twitter.com/0xkNKAjZdm — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 12, 2019 St. Joseph’s was the last of the Long Island colleges to kick off their 2019 season, but it was worth the wait. They begin their season with an 11-1 victory over Lehman. They compiled 13 hits and benefited from shoddy defense, as Lehman committed six defensive miscues. Ryan Foran got the start. The reigning Paul Gibson Award winner was sharp in his collegiate debut, throwing two shutout innings, allowing just one hit. Their ace, Anthony Papa, also pitched two innings, touching 89 MPH on a few occasions. Other pitchers that threw an inning were Nick Mannarino, Kevin Yohe, Tim Woodford, Anthony Caminiti and Justin...
Smithtown West Hopes To Rebound From Tough 2018 Through Experienced Players
In 2018, Smithtown West failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. Returning the top two pitchers in their rotation and key players offensively, they believe this year will be different. “We have a returning group that was able to get a lot of experience in 2018. They understand the work that needs to be put in to have success. We should benefit from that greatly,” said Head Coach Al Nucci. Smithtown West will compete in League III this season. Their opponents consist of Smithtown East, Hills East, Newfield, Centereach, Copaigue and Northport. Last season, Smithtown West struggled to put up runs, resulting in four shutout losses. Returning players with varsity experience, they hope this year is different. “A lot of small ball and manufacturing of runs wi...
Wheatley Looks to Repeat as Class B Champs As Paul Paino Closes In On 400 Wins
Final: Wheatley 8, Oyster Bay 5 WP: Stephen McCleary Will Feil: 3-for-4, 3 RBI pic.twitter.com/aW2J5hV5hP — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2017 Winning is nothing new to Wheatley. Under Head Coach Paul Paino, they have won seven Nassau County Class B title–including five of the past six. He has won 392 games, meaning he will likely achieve that feat this season. They finished 25-5 last season, before having their season ended in the Long Island Championship by Center Moriches–the eventual Class B New York State Champs. The game was played in absolutely deplorable conditions at SUNY Old Westbury and it caused Wheatley to make some costly defensive miscues. “The game was a mess on our end–not their end,” said Paino. “They were able to manage ...
Power Rankings: Week 4
Weather once again caused some havoc on the schedules this week; aside from the teams that were able to escape down south. Fortunately, we were able to cover a few games finally and they happened to be pretty great match ups. The only local team yet to play a game is St. Joseph’s, who will open on Tuesday against Lehman so we will omit them from the list because I don’t have a read on them yet. Without further ado, here’s my best guess with how the local Division-I, Division-II and Division-III teams stack up. Here’s last week’s edition if you’d like to compare. Division-I: Fordham (Record: 9-6) They are red-hot right now, and if you take away their opening weekend against a national powerhouse in Texas A & M, they would be 9-3. In any event, they ar...
Longwood Looks to Repeat as League I Champs
Rausch and Longwood HC Ryan McSherry spoke to Axcess Baseball after the game following the Lions’ dominant win, while the rest of the team enjoyed the victory in the background. pic.twitter.com/fBYRABZwHA — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2018 From three wins to outright League I champs in just one season. It was an incredible resurgent season for Longwood in 2018 under Head Coach Ryan McSherry. It came as no surprise to him, though. “We knew we had high ceiling guys,” he said in reference to their 2017 season in which they started primarily sophomores and juniors. “They just needed a year to transition,” he added. They certainly did that, outlasting Ward Melville to win the League 1 Champs and finishing with a record of 18-6 overall. With a pitching st...
Who Are The Top Remaining Uncommitted 2019s Available?
Randall Alejo, RHP, Pat-Med One theme that I have found common with Pat-Med players is that they are always wired a certain way. They are never fazed by the pressure spots, even when they are not necessary “supposed to be there”. Prime example: May 19, 2017, Pat-Med is ranked No. 14 and playing against No. 3 Hills East. It’s not just the ranking, but the fact that they were playing on the road and facing Vanderbilt-commit and Axcess Baseball‘s No. 1 ranked prospect on Long Island, Matt Hogan. Alejo outpitched the future Carl Yastrzemski Award winner and shocked the baseball community with a huge upset. Now a senior and named to our Pre-Season All-Long Island list with his 88 MPH fastball, Alejo has a chance to be an All-County pitcher. For a contemporary comparison,...
