John Downing fires a complete game and Chaminade captures the first ever CHSAA NYS Championship pic.twitter.com/0zCtFUooL1 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2022 2022 was a dream season for the Chaminade Flyers and they are set to be rewarded for it. The Flyers compiled a record of 25-2 – and captured the first ever New York State CHSAA Championship with two hard fought victories in the tournament. Additionally, both of their losses on the season were by one-run. It was perhaps the greatest group of talent a Long Island team has put together this century. They had double-digit Division-I commits on the roster (that number will continue to climb as more of the underclassmen commit), and their entire 2022 class of 15 are all now on college rosters. The stats are remarkabl...
“It was always the Flyers” That was the popular rallying cry that was seen on social media recently as Chaminade attempted to run it back and win their third consecutive NSCHSAA championship. For the seniors, however, it was really their second title since Chaminade does not typically call up underclassmen to varsity and their 2020 season was wiped out due to the pandemic. With the most talented team that Long Island has seen in decades, the Flyers rolled through the league and won their first two playoff games to qualify for the championship series against Kellenberg. After surprisingly losing the first game of the series, 4-3, they came roaring back to win Game 2, 8-1, and then held off a resilient Kellenberg team today, 5-1, to earn a three-peat. Playing in 94 degree tempera...
St. Thomas Aquinas-commit Dom Persichilli (Centereach 2022) and Fairfield-commit Aidan Colagrande (Kings Park 2022) talk about their experience playing with Team Steel pic.twitter.com/nQoCBQR2dh — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) December 31, 2021 Teamwork. Respect. Integrity. Commitment. Those are the core values of Team Steel. A common theme within the 2022 class are those values are instilled within the players. Last night, the program recognized the 40 players in the 2022 class that will be playing in college. Cam Sorgie, Director of teams, had this to say regarding the class: “The 2022 class is made up of incredible players who have showed their commitment both on and off the field. These players have traveled the country and competed at the highest level while maintaining h...
Pitchers: Leo Asta, Mepham Ryan Degnan, Carey 6’3 RHP Ryan Degnan (Carey 2022) gets the start for LI Elite Prospects against Tri State Arsenal pic.twitter.com/jbJMzHkcap — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 22, 2021 Garrett Grathwohl, Mattituck Mike Knapp, Division Mike Knapp (Division 2022) off to a great start with two shutout innings as Elite continues to lead 1-0 pic.twitter.com/P4ksEgVk2w — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 7, 2020 Palmer O’Beirne, Huntington Uncommitted LHP Palmer O’Beirne (Huntington 2022) pic.twitter.com/ASXkPUPjM3 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2021 Randy Ramnarace, Brentwood Catchers: Brian Heckelman, Chaminade Nick Gnardellis, Commack Uncommitted Nick Gnardellis (Commack 2022) showcasing his power at Diamond Na...
If you thought this was the year that Chaminade was going to be vulnerable – you were sorely mistaken. After capturing the CHSAA in 2019 and graduating that entire team in ’19 and ’20, they are now one game away from repeating as champs. They briefly struggled earlier this season as they stumbled out of the gate with a 3-3 record but now they have found their cruising altitude at the right time. The Flyers defeated Kellenberg in Game 1 of the NSCHSAA Championship Series by the score of 10-1 behind an all-around team effort and dominant pitching – which has been the hallmark for the program for decades. Coach Mike Pientkos’ squad excelled not only on the mound, but also in the field and on the base paths today; outplaying Kellenberg in every regard. They even g...
Chaminade LHP John Downing on his complete game gem to send Chaminade in the Championship series pic.twitter.com/Q4XMnYbwWg — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 7, 2021 Pitching and defense is the name of the game in the CHSAA and Chaminade has always thrived in that category. In the ultra-competitive Catholic League, the difference between a win and a loss is sometimes a defensive miscue or failed bunt attempt. That was the case as No. 2 Chaminade edged No. 3 St. John the Baptist, 2-1, to advance to the CHSAA Championship Series against Kellenberg on Wednesday. Chaminade knew they had a tall order in facing St. John the Baptist ace RHP Kyle Chase (St. John’s-commit) who has the ability to shut down any opponent. What he can’t control, though, is what happens once the ba...
Final: Kellenberg 3, Chaminade 2 WP: Andrew Koshy S: Brendan McCann Phil Schurr go-ahead solo HR and Kellenberg locks up the No. 1 seed for the postseason pic.twitter.com/FwhMqRO936 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 28, 2021 When longtime Kellenberg head coach Chris Alfalla stepped down prior to the season, there was only one person that was best-suited to take over for the program and not have them skip a beat. That person is Pat Miles, who was currently coaching at the JV level for the program and was familiar with every varsity player on the roster. That provided Kellenberg with the unique advantage that very few teams on Long Island had – a head coach with knowledge of his players. With the cancelation of the 2020 season, most varsity coaches only had minimal interaction...
Final (8 innings): Chaminade 2, St. Anthony’s 1 WP: Andrew Heiderstadt Vin Roman go-ahead hit to score Anthony Lods pic.twitter.com/7wqqhZAOgZ — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 30, 2021 When you hear about the CHSAA being the most competitive league on Long Island, it’s because of the parity. This week was an excellent example in the series between Chaminade and St. Anthony’s. In the rematch of the 2019 championship series, the teams exchanged victories on Tuesday and Wednesday in the first two games of the series setting the stage for today. Chaminade was able to come away with the 2-1 victory, with the go-ahead run scoring in the top of the 8th inning on an RBI single by Vin Roman to score Anthony Lods – who led off the inning with a walk. As is usually...
Final: Chaminade 11, St. Anthony’s 5 WP: John Downing pic.twitter.com/xoWMAPcczU — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 28, 2021 It turns out the demise of Chaminade was greatly exaggerated. The reigning champs went out on opening day at St. Anthony’s and handed it to the Friars with an 11-5 victory. Both teams are fielding inexperienced rosters in terms of their varsity experience, but Chaminade is certainly not lacking in their star power and that was evident today. Head Coach Mike Pientkos who has led the Flyers to over 600 wins spoke to me last week about the uncertainty of his roster and their lack of experience at this level. He did note, however, that they have a lot of players that can really play the game and will be impact players for them. From my vantage point...