2023 Season Previews
2023 Preseason All-Axcess
The 2023 season is upon us! You’ve waited long enough. Without further ado, here is the 2023 Preseason All-Axcess team. (Editor’s Note: Only 2023 graduates are considered) Pitchers: Josh Knoth, Pat-Med Jason DeCaro, St. Anthony’s Chris Batuyios, Mount Sinai JT Caruso, Mount Sinai Andrew Koshy, Kellenberg Brady Clark, Bayport-Blue Point Justin LeGuernic, Hills West Nick Rizzo, East Islip Charles West, Ward Melville Logan Prisco, Newfield Sean Costello, Seaford Chris Carson, Lindenhurst Ryan Karman, Sayville Nolan Britt, Connetquot Catchers: Joe Yovino, Division Ryan Adams, West Babylon Andrew Lenski, Plainview JFK Christian Alicea, St. John the Baptist Brian Zweigbaum, Holy Trinity JJ Palumbo, Clarke Jake Russo, Bellport John Dwyer, Northport Corner Infielders: Erik Paulse...
Newfield Looking to Reload on the Fly
Newfield defeats South Side, 3-1, to capture the Conference III Long Island Championship! pic.twitter.com/prhnKbfnT4 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 20, 2021 High school sports tend to be cyclical in nature. When you have a strong core, you want to capitalize and win a title. Newfield certainly did that in 2021 when they not only defeated West Islip to capture their first County Championship in program history, but they went on to defeat South Side to capture their first Long Island Championship. They had been knocking on the door for a few seasons dating back to 2018 when they broke their 13-year postseason drought. The stars aligned in 2021, led by Carl Yastrzemski Award winner Dylan Johnson who was also named the Axcess Man of the Year. Fast forward to 2022, Newfield had ano...
Huntington Poised to Build On Learning Experience of 2022
In 2021, Huntington had the perfect recipe for ending their 61-year County Championship drought with a victory over Bay Shore before losing to Garden City in a extremely hard-fought Class II Long Island Championship at Mitchel Field. Incredibly, it was their first postseason appearance since 2005 and they were rewarded as 8 players garnered All-League recognition and Coach Bill Harris earned Conference II Coach of the Year. Truth be told, Huntington would’ve had a legitimate shot to win the year before, had there been a season in 2020. They had an exceptionally talented team that had all played together as sophomores in 2019. Coach Bill Harris noted that they lost some one-run games but played very well. When the Town of Brookhaven hosted their tournament in July 2020, they went toe-...
Mineola Aiming for Consistency Following Up and Down 2022
by Andy Smith Nic Kostulias walks it off for Mineola, 5-4, over Wantagh pic.twitter.com/1txHZoAZbJ — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2022 Mineola had a 2022 full of ups and downs. The Mustangs got off to a strong start which established momentum that carried them into a good portion of the season. However, they hit a rough patch but were able to get through it by finishing strong with a sweep of the final series of the regular season series against Seaford. The Mustangs finished with an 8-9 record and lost to Manhasset in the opening round of the playoffs. Entering his 28th season as the head coach is Helms Bohringer, an Adelphi graduate, who also graduated from Mineola in 1985. He reflected on what lessons were learned in the roller coaster season. “We learned that every gam...
East Hampton Coming Off First Playoff Appearance in 11 Years
by Andy Smith East Hampton 1, Miller Place 0 WP: Colin Ruddy (CG, 2 H, 1 BB, 15 Ks) Dickinson RBI single in 5th inning pic.twitter.com/YM4kSn8RWv — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 20, 2022 East Hampton made a major jump in 2022. The Bonackers qualified for the playoffs for the first time in eleven years and finished with an 11-9 record. Eighth year head coach Vincent Alversa, a former NCAA DIvision-III pitcher at Mitchell College, reflected on the progress made last season and how the program has evolved. “We have been developing the program for some time now and we believe we are just starting to come around. Playoff experience is big and we hope to build off of it and return again this season.” East Hampton will be without two key impact players in 2023. George Washington Co...
Long Beach Returning Several Impact Players from Last Year’s Playoff Team
Long Beach walk-off in the bottom of the 7th to win 7-6 over GNN Christian Parisa scored Aidan Cardo. The win clinched a playoff spot for Long Beach pic.twitter.com/FzN25ArZ5H — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 13, 2022 It was a bittersweet ending to the 2022 season for Long Beach, as they were able to qualify for a postseason berth but they let a 4-0 lead slip away in the 7th inning against Roslyn in the play-in round. They finished with an overall record of 9-11 on the season. They graduated two impact players from last year’s squad. They are Connor Nooney, who was named All-League, and is now playing at Dean College. He led the team in innings pitched with 30.1 and he also compiled a record of 3-3 with 1 save and a 3.90 ERA. Peter DiGiorgio was their captain and catcher, a...
Northport Returning Several Impact Players From 2022
In 2021, Northport had a veteran, experienced team that made a team postseason run but ultimately lost to Huntington in the Conference Semifinals. They graduated 17 players from that team included all three of their starting pitchers (Liam Fodor, Liam Darrigo and Jason Schwartz) and their Gold Glove OF, Daniel Thompson. Northport pitching staff Liam Fodor: 3-1 record, 1.30 ERA, 32.1 IP, 25 H, 43 Ks, 3 BBs Liam Darrigo: 5-0 record, 1.02 ERA, 34 IP, 28 H, 30 Ks, 7 BBs Jason Schwartz: 3-0 record, 0.00 ERA, 14 IP, 8 H, 19 Ks, 4 BBs, 2 saves Darrigo will go today against Palmer O’Beirne — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 16, 2021 Entering last season with an inexperienced team and having lost their starting 3B to play lacrosse in favor of baseball, things could have gone really s...
Mattituck Looks to Build Off County Finals Appearance
Mattituck 2 John Glenn 1 (8 innings) WP-Garrett Grathwohl 2 innings 3 K’s Burke Evers 2-3 rbi Brady Mahon 1-3 2 runs scored Michael Mowdy walks it off in the 8th with bases loaded single pic.twitter.com/zSiZChi9Yq — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 15, 2021 Mattituck has been one of the most consistent baseball programs in Suffolk County. They have reached the playoffs each year since 2010. Last season was no different as they reached the Suffolk County Class B Finals where they lost a best-of-three against Center Moriches. Earlier in the playoffs, they had beaten Center Moriches and Babylon before they ran out of steam. There’s no question that Mattituck will have a challenge in replacing their group of 11 seniors from last season. Of that group, three of them were stalwart...
Longwood Hungry to Take Next Step
Longwood head coach Ryan McSherry following the playoff victory pic.twitter.com/ApxJZKSYaB — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 24, 2022 It was another strong season for Longwood, who finished with an overall record of 19-7 and lost in the Suffolk semifinals to rival Commack in a hard-fought three-game series. The Lions forced a do-or-die Game 3 with a 4-3 win on the road but ultimately lost 9-4 in the deciding game. From that team, Longwood sent an impressive 7 players onto play in college. That list includes Devin Montalvo (Colby-Sawyer), Ryan McCann (Manhattanville), Brendan Mair (Cazenovia), Liam Ryan (New Paltz), Jake Hall (Manhattanville), Rocco Hall (Manhattanville) and Mason Mehling (Muhlenberg). They had five All-League players; Devin Montalvo (All-County), Mikey Arbuiso, Lo...
John Glenn Has 9 Returning Seniors, Hopeful to Make Postseason
by Andy Smith Updates numbers on John Glenn’s senior Michael Zeis after 2 homers today 18-for-24 (.750 AVG), 6 HRs, 17 runs scored, 9 stolen bases pic.twitter.com/7WnTHHYzmC — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 12, 2022 John Glenn got off to a strong start in 2022. The Knights started off 5-1, but injuries began to creep in and they struggled in the final half of the season. Still, they remained in playoff contention until the final week. Entering his seventh season as head coach, Matt Rocchio explained his optimism going into 2023. “Already in the first few weeks of workouts you can see the difference in their body language and overall confidence. I think that will be vital to the upcoming year to start the year with confidence.” Rocchio also spotlighted the value of his ...
Bethpage Ready to Bounce Back after loss in Quarterfinals
by Andy Smith Bethpage 9, Valley Stream North 2 WP: Conor Burns (5 IP, 4 K and 2-4, 2 2B, 2 R) Joe Lynn: 3-4, HR, 2B, 2 RBI pic.twitter.com/FD6jk46tPU — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 1, 2022 Bethpage entered 2022 with high expectations. The Golden Eagles won the County Championships in 2021 and were prepared to repeat their accomplishment. However, their playoff hopes were cut short in the quarterfinals following a loss to Division. Entering his 19th season as the head coach, Rob Fisher reflected on how their postseason hopes ended and what lessons were learned from it. “We were a strong team. We pitched well, defended well, and always came up with big hits. We just ran out of gas after knocking out South Side.” Fisher continued, “We learned about the importance of chemistr...
Riverhead Looks to Take the Next Step with First Year Head Coach
by Andy Smith The Riverhead Blue Waves finished the 2022 season with an 8-10 record and missed the playoffs by just one game. Entering his first season as the head skipper, Kevin Kerman looks to carry on the legacy of Rob Maccone. Kerman explained, “I’d like to start by thanking Rob Maccone for his almost 20 years of being at the helm of Riverhead Baseball.” Kerman first began his coaching career as a varsity assistant with Floyd. Maccone then brought Kerman into the middle school catching staff in March of 2020, when Kerman was hired as a physical education teacher at Riverhead. The new head coach may be familiar to fans of Dowling College. The infielder was a member of the team from 2009-2013 under Tom Caputo. During this time, Dowling captured two Conference Championships and two Ea...
