Al Nucci
Smithtown West Aims To Build On 15-Win Season
by Mike Merolle Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series. Smithtown West is coming off of an impressive 2023 season going 15-7 and making a strong playoff run with two wins. The team is returning 13 players in 2024. Head coach Al Nucci is excited about what this year’s group brings to the table. “Many of them competed at a high level and were major contributors in 2023,” Nucci told Axcess Baseball. “Having had success last year and understanding the grind of a varsity season, I expect them all to be more confident, exhibit more leadership, and bring an intense atmosphere to our daily practices.” Some key fielders returning for their senior season are Jason Zeller (16 runs, 10 RBIs), Chris Theofield, and Connor Catania (11 inn...
Smithtown West Poised for Success following Conference Finals Appearance
by Andy Smith Final: Smithtown West 2, Centereach 0 WP: Ryan Conk (CG shutout) Dom Crema sac fly and DiBlanda RBI single Smithtown West will play Smithtown East in the Conference II Finals tomorrow pic.twitter.com/BwVAWgWL4O — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2022 The Smithtown West Bulls had a very successful season last year. 18th year head coach Al Nucci reflected on the 2022 campaign. “We had a very nice start beginning the year with a 9-3 record. We then went into a funk losing five of our next six games. That tough stretch forced us to soul search and refocus. Our team had to show that it could deal with the adversity of a very rough two week stretch. We answered the bell and won our last two league games to finish 12-8 overall and 12 and 6 in league play. We earned a 5 ...
Luke Russo’s Arm, Marc Promutico’s Bat Leads Bellport to 10-3 Win
Final: Bellport 10, Smithtown West 3 WP: Luke Russo (6 IP, 2 ER, 4 H, 8 Ks) Marc Promutico: 2 hits, 4 RBIs Bellport gets even in the standings with Smithtown West heading into rubber match of series pic.twitter.com/4Srl8cr3QA — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 12, 2022 (Photo Credit: Adam Rubin/ Smithtown CSD) Following their loss on Monday to league rival Smithtown West, Bellport‘s head coach Joe Murphy told his team that the measure of a good team is how they bounce back from a loss. “We talk about the three E’s; energy, emotion and execution – and we did it. They really buy-in, they’re a great group of kids and they responded,” he added. They came away with a 10-3 victory on the road in a game that was mostly decided by the second inning. Th...
Smithtown West Looking to Build off Success of Second Half of ’21
By Michael Malaszczyk Smithtown West RHP Tyler Lawrence struck out three in a complete game win over West Babylon. He also went 3-for-4 with four RBI pic.twitter.com/MK68Nbp12R — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 6, 2021 The 2022 varsity baseball season is almost here, and Coach Al Nucci is starting the season confident that his team learned the right lessons in 2021. Smithtown West had a good season in 2021; they finished with an 11-8 overall record and made it into the playoffs before losing to Eastport-South Manor. According to Coach Nucci in an interview with Axcess Baseball, it was a remarkable comeback season. “We had a difficult start to the season, losing six of our first nine games and digging ourselves into a pretty big hole,” said Nucci. “Our offense was struggling, our ...
Smithtown West Hopes To Rebound From Tough 2018 Through Experienced Players
In 2018, Smithtown West failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. Returning the top two pitchers in their rotation and key players offensively, they believe this year will be different. “We have a returning group that was able to get a lot of experience in 2018. They understand the work that needs to be put in to have success. We should benefit from that greatly,” said Head Coach Al Nucci. Smithtown West will compete in League III this season. Their opponents consist of Smithtown East, Hills East, Newfield, Centereach, Copaigue and Northport. Last season, Smithtown West struggled to put up runs, resulting in four shutout losses. Returning players with varsity experience, they hope this year is different. “A lot of small ball and manufacturing of runs wi...
