Pete Cammarata is entering his second season as Head Coach of Centereach baseball. He was previously the assistant for Mike Herrschaft since 2004. In his first season, the Cougars went 9-11 and missed the playoffs by one game. They needed to sweep Copiague to clinch but had to face Franklin Parra in the final game–and held their own–but lost 7-5 with the winning run coming across on an unearned run. I am a 2009 graduate of Centereach, where we won the League III title in dramatic fashion, needing to sweep both East Islip and Smithtown East to clinch–which we were able to do. After repeating as League III champs in 2010–thanks to a .375 team average, it’s been eight consecutive postseason-less seasons for the Cougars. They will give it their best shot this seas...
CORAM, NY–Today was the first day of the Elite College Recruiting Showcase (ECR) at Diamond in the Pines. The weather forced the afternoon to come to an early end, but there was three hours worth of action which included players running the 60, taking BP, infield/outfield and a showcase-style game. Schools in attendance included St. John’s, Fordham, Stony Brook, Hofstra, Sacred Heart, George Washington, Penn State, Florida International, Kansas State, Boston College, among several others. Below are some of my observations… Dillon Ristano (Hewlett 2019) He was very impressive behind the plate, with a pop time ranging between 1.95 and 2.02. Very quick, accurate throws. Also made solid contact with a single through the middle. Sean Coveny (Commack 2019) He came out of nowher...
Our @DigmiNation Player of the Game is winning pitcher Kyle Johnson. He allowed only two hits and struck out 5 batters #TipYourCap pic.twitter.com/tPdfnquykC Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 20, 2018 In 2005, Kyle Johnson was five-years-old. That was the last time the Newfield Wolverines competed in a playoff game. Today, the Stony Brook-commit pitched like he has been waiting 13 years to make the playoffs. The past two years were fresh in their memory all winter as they came just one win away from a postseason berth in ’16 and two wins last season. In 2018, however, they won the necessary 10 games within the first 11 games. “It feels awesome,” he said following the game. “We are going to enjoy this today–it’s been 13 years–but tom...
Six strikeouts for Franklin Parra through two innings pic.twitter.com/9zwKhzkYW1 Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 5, 2018 If today was meant to be a showcase of Franklin Parra, Centereach clearly did not get the memo. They defeated Copiague‘s highly-touted LHP by the score of 10-0, behind Eddie Bassett‘s arm and Ryan Mahnke and Brian Honka’s bats. Parra, who is committed to San Jacinto Community College, was far from disappointing. He struck out eight batters over three innings and touched 92 MPH with his heater in the first inning. He was overpowering, but Centereach did work his pitch count up early. He walked one in the first, and another in the second. The Centereach Cougars got on the board in the third on a fielder’s choice off the bat of SS R...
First year Head Coach Pete Cammarata is excited. Having been the assistant coach to Mike Herschaft for the past decade, he is no stranger to the program though. “I am so stoked for this season,” he said. “This has really re-energized me,” he added. Herschaft, who was my coach in 2008-’09, was one of the most dedicated and genuine person you will meet. His commitment to the Centereach program was evident by the hours he spent working with individuals and his extensive offseason video programs. “Hersch’s name will be mentioned here for as long as I’m coaching,” said Cammarata. “He taught me not just things about baseball but about life as well–how to handle things,” he added. “Although the wins weren’t there...