NEWS
Newfield Looking to Build On First Playoff Appearance Since 2005
It was a banner year for Newfield in 2018. After a long playoff drought of 13 years, the Wolverines were able to overcome the negativity of their near-misses and put it together for a 15-win season. That pitching staff was among the most impressive units assembled on Long Island. With three Division-I pitchers (Kyle Johnson, Bobby Vath, Ryan Wappaus), they were able to trot out a quality arm in every game of a series. In addition to that, the staff was deemed even more impressive with the commitment of Chandler Giovinco to Hofstra and the flurry of interest that Dylan Johnson has generated among high-end schools. When it’s all said and done, we will look back at a 2018 Newfield team that boasted five Division-I arms on one staff. Despite that, it was a quick postseason exit due to a ...
Pre-Season All-Long Island Presented by Pro Game Athletics
Below is our Pre-Season selection of Top HS players on Long Island
Four-Run First Inning Propels Adelphi to 2-0 Start
With a small window to get the game in on Sunday, Adelphi made the call to schedule a matinee against St. Thomas Aquinas that had been originally cancelled due to the forecast. And with a loaded roster and fresh pitching staff, can you blame them for being excited? They continued the red-hot start to their season with a 7-2 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas. The reigning ECC Champs have stumbled out of the gate and the Panthers took full advantage; sweeping a mini weekend series. Senior Mike Demarest got the start, he was the beneficiary of a four-run first inning by the Panthers offense that included an RBI single by Lawrence Cicileo (more on him later), a bases loaded walk by Tyler Becker and a two-run single by Lucas Terwilliger. Demarest was terrific for four innings of work, he used two...
West Islip Has Become the Gold Standard for Suffolk County Programs
When it comes to the Mount Rushmore of Long Island baseball, there is no doubt that West Islip is firmly entrenched with their recent run of success. Head Coach Shawn Rush has been at the helm for nine years and has won Suffolk County Class AA Championships in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Additionally, they have 14 graduates currently on college rosters and one active player in the Major Leagues (Nick Tropeano). It’s been a run that only Massapequa can trump. Speaking of them, it was those Chiefs of Massapequa that finally ended West Islip’s 21-game win streak that culminated with winning the Class AA title over Eastport-South Manor. It was a battle of two red-hot teams but it was Massapequa that came out on top, avenging the 2014 Long Island Championship in which West Islip was victor...
Saturday’s Division-I Baseball Recap (3/2) Presented by The Schwarz Institute
Another Saturday of baseball on the island resulted in an even amount of struggles and success for the local teams. Stony Brook, Fordham and Hofstra were the only teams to play on Saturday, combining for two wins and three losses. The weather was an issue this weekend, so let’s hope things change next week. Here are the results from Saturday. Division-I: After dropping two closely contested games on Friday, Stony Brook let Saturday’s game slip away from them, as they lost Game 3 to No.13 ranked Arkansas 15-7. As a result, they were swept. From the beginning of this game, it was clear the Arkansas offense was clicking on all cylinders. After holding the No. 13 team in the nation to just seven runs in the first two games of the series, it was just a matter of time until their bat...
Friday’s College Recap (3/1) Presented by The Schwarz Institute
Due to weather, only five Long Island teams had the fortune of playing on Friday. We saw several highly contested games, but only two teams come out on top. Let’s take a lot at how things shaped out on Friday. Division-I: The Hofstra bats went ice cold on Friday as they were shutout by Pittsburgh, 1-0. In total, they collected five hits throughout the ballgame. The only bright spot for Hofstra was the top of their lineup, as Anthony D’Onofrio got on base twice, along with Jimmy Joyce and Austin Gauthier collecting two hits each. Although their bats weren’t on display in this one, their pitching was fantastic. Michael James started the game for the Pride, going seven allowing six hits, no walks and struck out five. Hofstra will look to turn things around today against Cent...
Division Has Their Eyes Set Towards Another County Championship
In life there are three guarantees; death, taxes and Division contending every year. In Head Coach Tom Tuttle‘s 11 years at Division, they have six County Championship appearances, four County Championships, two Long Island Championships and three Diamond Award winners. The numbers speak for themselves. Somehow, the Blue Dragons have been constantly overlooked in recent years. Regardless of what their roster looks like at the beginning of the season, they always find a way to compete and usually come out on top. Last year, they finished the regular season at 15-3 and a conference title. Although they lost in the Class A County Championship to Wantagh, they certainly exceeded everyone else’s expectations. Speaking for themselves, they fell short of their ultimate goal, which is ...
Ed Baram, Brett Malm Lead Adelphi to Season Opening Win, 5-2, Over St. Thomas Aquinas
Adelphi takes the season opener, 5-2, over St. Thomas Aquinas. Winning pitcher Ed Baram had 10 strikeouts over 5 IP pic.twitter.com/dodjbgdsH1 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 28, 2019 If Adelphi is to make it to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2011, they will have to win non-conference games against formidable opponents. They had to pass an early test against perennial powerhouse St. Thomas Aquinas. The familiar foe proved to be no issue for the Panthers led by senior ace Ed Baram and a three-hit performance by senior 2B Brett Malm. Baram came out of the gate firing 90 MPH cheddar past the Spartans lineup, striking out the side in the first. He finished with 10 over 5 innings of 1-run ball. His offense supported him with two runs in the first inning, coming on a...
Bay Shore Hoping To Continue Momentum From Last Year’s Postseason Run
Coming off a year where they defeated #1 seed Smithtown East and No.8 Connetquot in the postseason, Bay Shore enters the 2019 season with high hopes. “Our boys believe we can beat anyone on the island and we proved that last year. Expect us to play hard and compete. Should be right in the thick of things,” said Head Coach Mike Herbst. The main obstacle Bay Shore will have is the extremely tough competition in League II. Last season, they were fortunate enough to sneak into the playoffs with a 10-10 record. Rather than having to stress about making the playoffs, they know they have the talent to comfortably earn a better seed. League II consists of Commack, Sachem North, Connetquot, Walt Whitman, Lindenhurst and Riverhead. Undoubtedly, this is one of the toughest leagues on Long...
Jericho Leaning on 13 Seniors For Quick Turnaround
Last season was one that Jericho would like to forget. “We were just unable to finish games,” said Head Coach Dan O’Shea. “We would play five innings basically,” he said in regards to their 2-16 season which featured a 10-game losing streak to begin the season. The biggest reason was their young roster with only two seniors (one of which was injured most of the season). This year, they have 13 seniors, which is reason for optimism right off the bat. When you dig deeper, you see a team with some depth in the pitching staff as well. The team will be relying on Widener-commit Sal Velotti and SUNY Old Westbury-commit Rohan Raju to anchor the rotation. Having two college-bound pitchers bodes very well for the team. “They are both tall, strong pitchers with ve...
Smithtown East With Unfinished Business in 2019
Heading into the postseason as the number one overall seed in 2018, Smithtown East seemed destined to become Class AA County Champions. After finishing the regular season with a League III regular season title and a record of 16-2, they went on to lose two of their three playoff games and were eliminated as a result. Obviously, they picked a bad time to play their worst baseball of the year, losing to Bay Shore and Connetquot. Returning 15 players from last year, however, Smithtown East expects to repeat their success from last season, while altering the ending with a County Championship. Given the talent they have, they know this is a very attainable goal and they have been knocking on the door for the past several seasons. The clear strength of Smithtown East is their returning pitchers....
PODCAST: Special Guest Neal Heaton
If you would like to book a private lesson with Neal contact 631-848-3824
