Brady Austin
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...
Recap of Blue Chip Prospects’ College Coaches Camp
In terms of local events, Wednesday’s College Coaches Camp featured some of the best talent I’ve seen on one field. Additionally, the group of 50 players were able to play on St. John’s beautiful Jack Kaiser Field in front of roughly 20 college coaches from a mix of Division-I, Division-II and Division-III schools. The event began with the players taking batting practice on the field in front of the coaches before transitioning into defensive drills. The outfielders went first, followed by the catchers, then the infielders. Following the defensive showcase, a 13-inning game followed. Several players stood out as top performers and showed potential to play at the college level. Disclaimer: Some pitchers I was not able to watch. Luke Coats (St. Anthony’s 2026) Coats h...
GAME RECAP: Evan Byrnes Continues Outstanding Season, West Islip Improves to 13-1
Mid 5: West Islip takes a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch to score Frank Romano pic.twitter.com/UkE2CdQLsd — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 3, 2023 When it comes to the term “Classic West Islip baseball”, a few things come to mind; run prevention, outstanding defense and taking advantage of the opponent’s errors. That is even true against the top teams on Long Island, as the Lions will generally find a way to force the opposition into making an error and capitalizing on it. It has allowed them to sprint out to a 13-1 start to the season and capture the first two games of a critical three-game set against Smithtown West, who were just a game back of them in the standings. West Islip came back from an early 4-0 deficit and walked it off on Monday. On Tuesday, they won a ...
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 ...
