NEWS
Up Next: Shaun McMillan
One of the main reasons Beast United has compiled a record of 83-12-4 over the past two seasons is the presence of Shaun McMillan. Prior to coming to the Beast, he played with Camelot Knights and was a home run hitting machine–crushing 31 and driving in 123 runs over 109 games with them. Despite being the youngest player on the team, he has made his impact felt in a big way contributing as the No. 4 hitter, catcher and also on the mound. “As the youngest player on our team, he has a very mature style of play, he always shows up ready to work hard. He is a big part of our pitching staff and lineup,” said his Head Coach James Labartino. He is currently at the Progressive School of Long Island in Merrick, which does not field a baseball team. The family is still deciding whi...
ICYMI: Here’s What Keith Osik Had to Say During Our Podcast
In yesterday’s podcast, we had our biggest name guest to date. Although we have had legendary coaches and recognizable players, Keith Osik is a 10-year MLB veteran and has won 7 consecutive conference championships at Farmingdale State College, bringing them to a College World Series in 2009. You can listen to the full interview on our iTunes page, but if you are more of a reader–here’s some of the highlights. -He led Shoreham-Wading River to a New York State Championship in 1987, and called it ‘one of the best day of my life’. On the way back, he received a telegram that he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the MLB Draft. He called the entire bus ride back a ‘party.’ -He was courted by several elite baseball programs, notably Texas, Mississippi...
Logan O’Hoppe to Receive 2018 Axcess Man of the Year Award
It’s been a year of accomplishments for St. John the Baptist grad Logan O’Hoppe. First, he led the Cougars to the CHSAA Championship, then he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 23rd round of the MLB Draft and finally he was named 1st Team All-American Gold Glove Award winner by Rawlings. The latter of which was awarded to the top prep catcher in the country. Only three base runners attempted steals on him this season. He can add one more award to his mantle, as he was voted the 2018 Axcess Baseball Man of the Year by his peers, garnering 62 percent of the votes, edging out Anthony D’Onofrio and Matt Hogan. Since getting drafted, he has further raised his stock. He posted a slash line of .367/..411/.532, proving he is not simply a defensive-minded catcher. He...
Milwaukee Brewers Catching Instructor Makes Guest Appearance at Seven Tool Catching Clinic
A group of young Long Island catchers were treated to high-level education from Milwaukee Brewers catching instructor, Charlie Greene. His responsibility this season was to oversee all aspects of the catchers in the entire organization. He has been with the Brewers since 2004, following a five-year career in the Major Leagues with the New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays. He was originally hired as the roving catching instructor, but has since been promoted. His responsibilities include everything from working with the catchers on receiving, blocking, throwing, pitch framing, pitch calling, game preparation, daily preparation, off-season training and even building relationships with their pitching staff. He came down to B.E.A.S.T facility in Commack to work with ...
Key Points From Today’s Q & A at The Cage
This afternoon, I was a guest speaker at The Cage in Riverhead, NY to discuss a bevy of topics regarding to amateur baseball, how Axcess Baseball was started and the particulars of being an MLB scout. For those that couldn’t make it, here’s some of the key points I made: If you’re good, you will be found. This seems overly simplistic but it seems to get lost on people. The prevailing thought seems to be if you are not on an elite travel team, you have no chance to get a scholarship. I can attest to the fact that several players have received scholarships and even gotten drafted without attending every showcase. Our job as a scout, and also for college colleges, is to unearth the hidden gems. Those ones are much more satisfying anyway. Your results on the field does not im...
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...
Axcess Baseball and East Coast Tournaments Extend Partnership
Following a successful 2018 season, we have agreed to renew our partnership with East Coast Tournaments for the 2019 season. The agreement will be multi-facted. It will include coverage of their Memorial Day Clash, July 4th Stars & Stripes, Brian Moore Memorial, Labor Day Bash and Columbus Day Tournaments. Additionally, we will provide coverage of their Summer Showdown League from June 7-August 11. Live updates will appear on our Twitter & Instagram pages with postgame coverage on axcessbaseball.com and Facebook. This is significant as we are able to provide in-game coverage, postgame interviews and a podcast for Players of the Week through out the season for all age groups. You can register for their tournaments by clicking here.
