Ben Grodski

In this era of ultra-competitive travel baseball and the non-stop chase for exposure to Division-I schools, one organization is leaning into the opposite direction. The Long Island Blackfish, started by Ben Grodski, was formed just after the pandemic and were seeking to create a different type of experience than most travel organizations on Long Island. “It was very simple,” said Grodski, a teacher in the the Westhampton school district. “We wanted to give kids a safe place to play. They might not make the big teams. Most of these kids were cut by teams but we wanted them to know it’s not about what you are now – it’s what you can be.” Grodski is someone who was taught by one of the best coaches of all-time, John Calipari, while playing at UMASS in...