2025 Season Previews
Despite Losing Eight Starters, Long Beach Looks to Compete in 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by George Caratzas Following a 17-7-1 campaign in 2024, the Long Beach Marines saw eight starters graduate, with six of them going on to continue their respective careers in college. However, head coach Jason Zizza has no problem utilizing his team’s youth in the upcoming season. “In my time here as the head varsity baseball coach at Long Beach, I have always created a lot of in-house competition,” Zizza told Axcess Baseball. “We’re going to allow the younger players to compete for spots at the varsity level.” Among the Marines’ largest losses were pitcher Christian Parisa, outfielder Troy DeFrancesco and catcher Dan DeFonte. DeFrancesco and DeFonte spearheaded a Long Beach offense that led Nassau Co...
Calhoun Looks to Bounce Back After a Rare Mediocre Season
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman Are you kidding !! Trailing 5-2 and down to their final out, Joey Goodman crushes a walk-off grand slam to send Calhoun into the Nassau Class A Finals against Division! Calhoun 6, Mepham 5 pic.twitter.com/zSdoxrlY4S — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2023 When you’re at the top, everyone is gunning for you. For the Calhoun Colts, they were unable to continue their domination that they enjoyed over the course of the 2022 and 2023 season. Head coach Art Canestro, reflected back on a 9-10-1 season that he wished had a better ending for his program. “Coming off the last two seasons, we won 49 combined games in 2022 and 2023.” Canestro said. We had been in the County Finals both y...
Led by the Top Pitcher on Long Island, Miller Place Ready to Take Next Step
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman After serving eight years as an assistant coach, Joe Mancini took the reins as the head coach of the Miller Place Panthers in 2024. In his rookie season in charge, Mancini led his team to a second place league finish. But after winning a playoff game over Center Moriches, the Panthers eventually fell to both Kings Park and Sable. This season, Mancini is looking to build off of the playoff victory from last season. Of the seniors that graduated from Miller Place last year. Alex Strickland, who had a sub 1 ERA last season, is now pitching at Longwood University. His brother, Joe Strickland is at Misericordia University and Mike Monaco is now at the University of Bridgeport. An extended lo...
Doug Robins’ ‘Battle Tested’ Carey Seahawks Ready For a Big 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Joe Bello Here is the Gamechanger player of the game…..Jayden Gigante. Gigante went 4-5 breaking the 4-4 tie in the fourth to give his team the lead, 6-4. pic.twitter.com/i9NWeduZwC — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2024 Doug Robins is revving up for his 26th season as a high school baseball head coach. The 2025 season will be his 7th at H. Frank Carey High School, and he is looking forward to another season of competitive baseball for the Seahawks. “In 2024 we played a very tough schedule in playing Division, Garden City, Calhoun, New Hyde Park, and Roslyn.” Robins said. “We finished in 3rd place and were one game away from the first place team in the standings. We played in 5 Eli...
Center Moriches Looks to Continue Their Winning Ways in 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman Final: Center Moriches 10, Mattituck 1 WP: Max Rayburn (6 IP, 1 R, 3 H) Rayburn also scored 2 runs, had a hit and drew a walk Christian Meadows drove in 3 runs, Andrew Foster and Dan Gilroy drove in 2 each Center Moriches improves to 7-1 on the season. @GCsports pic.twitter.com/U64kgIbMZ9 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 10, 2024 Regarded as one of the powerhouse programs on Long Island – who won back-to-back New York State Class B Championships in 2018 and 2019, as well as a Long Island Championship in 2022, the Center Moriches Red Devils moved up to Class A in 2024. “Last season was our first as a Class A school.” head coach Paul Gibson, who is entering his sixth yea...
Pierson Returns Many Key Pieces from Last Year’s Class C Long Island Champion Team
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman In his rookie season as head coach of the Pierson Whalers, Bob Manning led his team all the way to the regional final, before falling to the eventual champions Burke Catholic. “We kind of knew what we had going into the season.” Manning said. “We were a C school. We had a solid team, we took care of business during the regular season, but it was a short regular season. So we made it to the regional game in June, but from the beginning of May to June, We didn’t play any meaningful baseball. We played anyone that would play us, but we couldn’t replicate those real situations.” With a solid team, Manning’s Whalers are moving up to a B level school, and with plenty of talent, Pierson i...
Island Trees Looking to Make Postseason Run Led by 12 Seniors
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by George Caratzas Two years ago, the Island Trees Bulldogs went just 5-13-1. Last year, second year head coach Mike Valiando’s group had a resurgent season, going 10-9-1 in the regulars season but eventually losing in the playoffs in a Game 3 to Plainedge. As Valiando enters year three at the helm, this year figures to be a crucial year for the program, as he is set to lose 12 seniors at the end of the year. “Each year we set goals for our players to work towards in the offseason and in season,” Valiando told Axcess Baseball. “This group of seniors have been improving each year so I am excited to see them finish out their high school careers with no regrets.” It certainly will not be easy for Island...
Locust Valley Leaning on a Young Team Again in 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Joe Bello Brian LoRusso heads into his 3rd year as head coach for the Locust Valley Falcons in 2025. While competing in a highly competitive Class A conference last season, they finished with a record of 2-18 and missed the playoffs. “We were extremely young with multiple middle schoolers on the roster.” LoRusso said. “We will still be young again this year but we are hoping to be able to bridge the gap to compete. Despite being as young as we were, we fielded to a 91% success rate, which is something to build off of.” They only graduated one senior last year, center fielder Kyle Prisco. Junior shortstop and pitcher Liam Baker is going into his 4th year starting on varsity. He was awarded All-League...
Oceanside Looks To Rebuild After Graduating 9 Seniors
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by George Caratzas Oceanside 10, Port Washington 2 WP: Patrick Pallentino (6ip 1ER 4 Ks) Luke Villella: 3 for 5 3 singles 3 RBIs Jake Lunenfeld: 3 for 4, 2B and 2 singles 2 RBIs Justin Alvarez: HR, 2 RBI’s Sean Varon: 2 for 3 pic.twitter.com/tFPbm2Oaor — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2023 2024 was a tale of two seasons for the Oceanside Sailors. After starting 8-3, the Sailors dropped seven of their final nine regular season ball games and lost two of three to Plainview JFK in the playoffs. Oceanside also lost nine seniors to graduation, including much of its pitching staff. Nonetheless, head coach Mike Postilio is confident that the Sailors will be able to overcome those losses. “We’v...
St. Mary’s Looking to Take Next Step in the Competitive CHSAA
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman Building a program in the Catholic League is anything but easy, and for St. Mary’s Gaels head coach Chris Estrada, his program took a big step forward in 2024. And entering his fourth season as head coach, Estrada looks to take yet another leap in 2025. “Last year was definitely an improvement from the past two years.” Estrada said. “We won more games than we ever had, we won a conference game, we had a couple close in conference games, we’re climbing the ladder to be a successful team like the other schools in our conference.” A testament to the quick success of the St. Mary’s baseball program, all six seniors who graduated from St. Mary’s last year continued their baseball careers. ...
Mattituck To Lean on Their Pitching in 2025
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Joe Bello Dan O’Sullivan is entering his 6th season at the helm of the Mattituck baseball program. After a 2024 season which included a 6-16 record and a short playoff run, O’Sullivan and the Tuckers look to a younger team for success in 2025. The Tuckers held their own in a difficult league during the 2024 season, which included many baseball powerhouses such as Bayport-Blue Point, Shoreham-Wading River, and Center Moriches. “We battled and competed in a very difficult mixed league. We played predominantly against A schools and were up in class.” O’Sullivan said. “We were very senior-heavy last year and I was very proud of the group that never gave up, despite the challenges and tough competition....
Port Washington Riding Momentum From County Finals Appearance
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by George Caratzas The streak is over Port Washington 2, Massapequa 1 WP: Jackson Garcia 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 Ks Save: Jeff Radinsky 3 IP, 0 H, 7 Ks Derek Fine RBI single Max Spiryda 2 for 3, RBI Port Washington advances to the Nassau AAA Finals against Farmingdale. This ends Massapequa’s run of 6… pic.twitter.com/LXQSnOIcra — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2024 Coming off consecutive 15-win seasons and an appearance in the Nassau AAA County Finals, the Port Washington Vikings are looking to build off that success and claim a league title. A season ago, the Vikings went 15-11-2 including an upset over 6-time reigning County Champs, Massapequa, in an intense best-of-3 series. “We definitely s...
