NEWS
Logan O’Hoppe Helping to Fight Lung Cancer
(Editor’s Note: Logan O’Hoppe is a 2018 graduate of St. John the Baptist HS. He helped lead the Cougars to the CHSAA Championship with a dramatic win over St. Dominic at Hofstra University. He won the regular season Triple Crown, batting over .500. He also was the recipient of the Rawlings Gold Award, given to the top prep catcher in the country. He was drafted in the 23rd round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He went on to enjoy a very successful first season by batting .367 with a .411 OBP and .532 SLG. ) November is Lung Cancer Awareness month, and Logan O’Hoppe is making an effort to help eradicate the disease that is the No. 1 deadliest cancer among women. After losing his Aunt Dana in 2015, he felt compelled to provide any help he could to make sure families don’...
Insider Notes: Stony Brook Scout Day
Today was Stony Brook Scout Day at Joe Nathan Field. 10 years ago, there would’ve been very little reason for scouts from outside the Long Island territory to hike down to a small school that plays in the America East. Today, there was a dozen scouts watching and taking notes on all the draft-eligible players that the Sea Wolves have. Last year was pretty indicative of the program they’ve become in the sense that they did not win their conference yet had two players drafted. They also sent Daniel Zamora to the big leagues. He came in during the 2013 class that featured a huge roster turnover following their trip to the College World Series. I remember sitting in the Adelphi library when I first started “Baseball on the Island”, thinking to myself “who are thes...
How Do You Improve Speed?
Some people might tell you that speed cannot be taught. Some people might tell you that it’s just “genetics” and that’s why you’re not quick enough. What I’m here to tell you is that these are some of the BIGGEST myths in regards to athletic development. If speed/quickness is an athletic quality, can’t it be trained like everything else? The answer is yes, and here is how. Acceleration Mechanics When we look at elite-level sprinters, we can see that their acceleration may be the most important factor in their performance. Linear acceleration occurs between the first 6-8 steps moving forward. If a sprinter cannot get as much distance as possible in those first few steps, that could be the difference between a win and a loss. Whether you are a sprint...
Strength and Conditioning Weighted Ball Throwing: An Advanced Training Tool
Another year, another chance to get better. At Infiniti Sports Performance, we highly encourage most of our baseball athletes to put a baseball down once October hits. However, the baseball culture still pushes playing fall ball, which is highly unfortunate. My question is, for what reason? At the end of every summer season, your arm has a bunch of mileage on it with not a lot of maintenance performed on it. You LOSE mobility in your throwing arm AND you usually see a dip in velocity. So, if you didn’t throw a lot during the summer season, then keep throwing so you can add onto the chronic workload of your arm. If you DID throw a lot, and you’re part of that example that already lost mobility, velocity, and strength in your arm, do you really think you should be showcasing you...
Fall Ball Series Presented by The Greene Turtle: Stony Brook
Nick Grande (Smithtown West 2016) takes a two-strike pitch and drives it for a single. He was named All-American in 2018 after compiling a .377/.468/.560 slash line with 32 stolen bases pic.twitter.com/nLyTqy8WDz — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 24, 2018 It’s been six years since their improbable run to the College World Series, but the “Omaha Effect” still has a positive impact on the Stony Brook baseball program. When you look around the field, you see talented players that may have previously opted to attend powerhouse programs in other parts of the nation had the Sea Wolves not boosted their value with that incredible 2012 season. Their run of sending players to the professional ranks continued in 2018 when 3B Bobby Honeyman and closer Aaron Pinto were s...
Fall Ball Series Presented by The Greene Turtle: Adelphi
1B Thomas Colombo hit .303 with 5 HR last season and will be a middle of the order bat once again pic.twitter.com/FMeGTly77Q — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 23, 2018 If not for an improbable victory by Merrimack over New Haven in the NE-10 Championship, it would’ve been Adelphi receiving an at-large bid in the NCAA East Regional. Nevertheless, it was a 26-win season for Dom Scala’s crew in his 15th year at helm. They are locked and loaded for another playoff run, and this year’s team features even more fire power on offense and a staff loaded with more power arms than last year’s unit. Leading the offensive charge is a group of upperclassmen with a track record of success. 1B Thomas Colombo, 2B Brett Malm, SS Tyler Becker, 3B Lucas Terwilliger and CF ...
Fall Ball Series Presented by The Greene Turtle: Hofstra
Hofstra Head Coach John Russo discussing the impact John Rooney had on the program and the freshmen that have performed well this fall pic.twitter.com/cgw7FbHryd — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 14, 2018 Hofstra played their “Blue v Gold World Series” today which served as an intrasquad game with a competitive feel. With so many newcomers battling for starting roles come spring, it was the perfect way to get a sense for what they will be working with this season. They played it like a real game, with the Gold team even using starting pitcher Andrew Mundy in the last inning to put out a fire with runners on the corners and one out. The hard-throwing St. John the Baptist RHP threw one pitch, made a terrific sliding play on a bunt attempt and even doubled off the run...
St. Dominic Announces Brian Anderson as Head Coach
Today St. Dominic HS announced Brian Anderson as their Head Coach, replacing Jimmy Goelz who is currently coaching at NYIT. Anderson is a 2005 graduate of Sachem North, where he helped lead the Arrows to the League 2 title under Head Coach Tom Gambino, where he was named All-County. He went on to play at C.W. Post, graduating in 2010, playing alongside current Commack HC Bryan Bonin and St. John the Baptist HC Casey McKay. “I’m excited to have my own program,” said Anderson who has been coaching for the Long Island Titans for several years, leading the 12U Body Armor team to first place in a 104-team nationwide tournament last August in Cooperstown. He noted that he is familiar with a few of the players; including their four elite players (Carlos Hidalgo, Johnny Flannigan...
Seven Tool Catching Winter Clinic Returning This December
Former Milwaukee Brewers farmhand and Commack native Charles Galiano will be bringing back his Seven Tool Catching Clinic this off-season, after a wildly successful first year. “It’s a product I was extremely proud of,” said the 2012 graduate of Commack and two-time MLB Draftee. “The kids learned a ton, we had a blast and there was great camaraderie between the catchers and the trainers,” he added. The clinic will begin on December 2 and conclude on March 3 for a span 12 weeks. Players will receive baseline test numbers on the first day and track their progression. The clinic is for players grades 3-12. The younger group (grades 3-5, 6-8) will be at Team B.E.A.S.T. facility in Commack while the high school players will be at All Pro Academy in Bellport. The pl...
Jake Griffin Fires No-Hitter to Clinch Super 25 Northeast Championship
It’s hard enough to perform at full strength as an athlete in competition. After all, your opposition has a job too. It makes it even more impressive, then, when an athlete is able to overcome an illness and their opposition at the same time–which is precisely what Jake Griffin (Kingston, PA) did last night in the championship of Perfect Game’s Super 25 Northeast Championship in Staten Island. The 14-year-old fired a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 9-1 victory for Team Beast United over the Diamond Jacks. The young hustler hit 84 MPH with his fastball, mixing in a sharp breaking ball, which proved to be too much for opposing batters. His offense provided plenty of support, too. They broke through with four runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by RBI singles by Dylan S...
Christian Falcaro Strikes Out 13, Falcons Cruise to 13-1 Victory
Rob Moir on the 13-1 victory by the 4-Seam Falcons pic.twitter.com/uFRaXCSYq6 — Axcess Sports (@AxcessSports) October 15, 2018 The last time the NY Phantoms and 4-Seam Falcons squared off, the Phantoms took a 4-1 lead into the ninth inning. The Falcons came storming back and scored 12 unanswered runs to pull off a big victory in Stan Musial League action. Tonight, they continued that onslaught of runs with a 13-1 victory in a game that ended after 5 innings due to the run rule. Starting pitcher Christian Falcaro set the tone by striking out the first six batters of the game, and his offense backed him with a flurry of runs early on. Three walks and a hit by pitch in the first inning, followed by a wild pitch that scored two runs handed them two gift runs and Rob Moir drove an RBI single to...
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...
