Clarke baseball
Clarke In Great Position to Make Deep Playoff Run
Consistency has been synonymous with Clarke baseball over the past two decades since Head Coach Tom Abruscato took over in 1999. There may be no simple formula to the success, but a good place to start is their work ethic and dedication. For example, the team has been running team workouts on Sundays for the past few weeks, beginning at 8 a.m. With full attendance from all players in the program. How many teams have that type of commitment from players? It has resulted in some unprecedented success. From 2002-’10, they played in either the Nassau County Class A semifinals or finals every single season–including the NYS Class A title in both 2002 and 2005. They lost the state finals in 2009 and won the County Championship again in 2013; led by Matt Seelinger and Jesse Russo, who...
Jesse Russo Signs With Trois Rivieres
One of the most prolific collegiate hitters over the past three seasons has found a new home in professional baseball. Jesse Russo, a three-time Axcess Baseball All-Long Island member has signed with the Trois Rivieres of the Canadian American Association. Last season he played with the Alpine Cowboys of the PECOS League. That was after finishing up a phenomenal three-year career at SUNY Old Westbury in which he hit .386 with a .431 OBP and .582 SLG in 2018. He also participated in our Axcess Invitational in May at Hofstra which featured the top college seniors in the region. He becomes the eighth player from that game to sign a professional contract joining Giovanni Dingcong, Joey Pena, Bobby Honeyman, Aaron Pinto, Chris Pennell, Frankie Moscatiello and David Palmer. The first four of whi...
Lydon’s Dominant Pitching Performance Pushes Clarke Past Bethpage
Nassau Class A Playoffs Final: Clarke 8 Bethpage 1 pic.twitter.com/9S4enxHppj — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2018 Clarke defeated Bethpage, 8-1, in the Nassau Class A playoffs behind the stellar pitching performance of Chris Lydon. Lydon was touched up in the first game of the tournament in a relief effort but was able to bounce back in fine fashion, throwing a complete game one-run outing when the Reds needed it most. Head Coach Tom Abruscato was impressed with how well he commanded his pitches. “He’s an all star player. Doesn’t throw hard but three pitches he throws strikes with. He can throw a changeup in a fastball count, and a curveball in any count. When you do that, you can be successful at any level.” Lydon was given a nice cushion early, as Clarke powered home five...
Nassau County Class A Power Rankings (5th Edition)
A common theme this year in Class A has been upsets. However, last week the top teams prevailed as they established themselves as legitimate contenders. The race for first place in virtually every conference besides conference A4 is heating up, as Plainedge, Wantagh, Division and Valley Stream North will all be battling for the top spot in their respective conferences. Heading into perhaps the most exciting week of the year, let’s look at the teams that stood out this past week. TRENDING UP: Valley Stream North (8-1) Heading into the year, the Spartans virtually went unnoticed in conference A3 as a legitimate threat. Standing at week five in the season, Valley Stream North will have the opportunity of taking first place in the conference. Their lineup consisting of Joe Gisonda, Sean ...
Vinny Trovato Outduels Harrison Cohen, Clarke Wins 4-0
Anytime you are going against an opposition’s ace, you have to do the little things. Clarke executed well, stealing six bases in their 4-0 victory against Harrison Cohen and Cold Spring Harbor. Their starter, Vinny Trovato, fired a four-hit shutout with only 99 pitches. “He mixes everything, said Head Coach Tom Abruscato. “He did that in a playoff game for us last year. He throws three pitches every game for a strike on any count. When you can pitch backwards, it’s great,” he added. They knew they would have a difficult task against George Washington-commit Harrison Cohen, but they were able to benefit from some defensive miscues and aggressive base running to get on the board. “When you face a kid throwing 90, you can’t chase and we chased early i...
Clarke Poised To Get Back to the Top
Most teams would be thrilled with winning 15 games and making it to the quarterfinals of the postseason. Then again, most teams haven’t won 16 conference titles in 18 years. Throughout the tenure of Head Coach Tom Abruscato, Clarke baseball has been a powerhouse in Nassau County Class A. They have won three Long Island Championships and two NYS crowns. It’s been an incredible run of success, but with that comes high expectations every year. You can hear it in his voice, he speaks not in measured tones but absolute terms. “It was the worst year for us,” Abruscato said. They suffered three injuries to key players (both catchers and starting SS) in the beginning of the season which posed a significant challenge for them to overcome. They still found their rhythm, won n...
