Cristino Tufano
Babylon Pulls Off Dramatic 9th Inning Comeback to Stun Seaford and Capture Class B LIC
A stunning comeback by Babylon as they overcame a 5-2 deficit in the Class B Long Island Championship with the winning run coming in on a walk-off walk Babylon 6, Seaford 5 pic.twitter.com/dN02nDZ6RG — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 1, 2023 In a season of magic for Babylon, it makes sense that something so improbable would happen in the Class B Championship. Two teams with just 1 loss on the season squared off at St. Joseph’s University, and there was a number of twists & turns in this one. Ultimately, the Babylon Panthers trailed 5-2 entering the bottom of the 9th, and were also down to their last strike trailing 5-3 with Daniel Madsen, whose been at the center of all their magic this season. Madsen lined an 0-2 pitch to center field against Adelphi-commit Billy Kind,...
GAME RECAP: Daniel Madsen Fires Two-Hit Shutout, Nick Crone Delivers Go-Ahead Hit in Fifth
Daniel Madsen fired a 2-hit CG shutout against rival Center Moriches as the Panthers improve to 7-0 on the season. Madsen is our Player of the Game @GCsports pic.twitter.com/r5Shr1NQpZ — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 19, 2023 Hanging prominently from the center field fence are two massive banners highlighting Center Moriches incredible back-to-back New York State Championships in 2018-2019. During that time, Center Moriches was absolutely loaded with the talent and determination that we may never see again from a Class B team. Opposing teams step onto the field and sometimes get an extra jolt as they would love nothing more than to defeat a team with the track record of the Red Devils. We saw that on display as Babylon is looking to chase history themselves – the Panther...
Babylon Looks to Build off Top Seed Performance
by Andy Smith Babylon had major bumps in the road to begin their 2022 campaign. The Panthers suffered two crucial injuries to players that head coach Michael Birnbaum deemed “hard to replace,” early in the season. The center fielder did not recover from his injury and the third baseman was only able to return to the mound at the end of the season and was not allowed to field or swing a bat. Going into the year defense was going to be a major strength, but losing these players put a damper on those expectations. Despite these early bumps in the road Babylon stayed the course and qualified as the top seed in the B school division and made the playoffs. Head Coach Michael Birnbaum is entering his fourth season as skipper. Birnbaum gave a shout out to an assistant coach he will be working wi...
Babylon Enters 2022 With Valuable Experience
by Mike Anderson League V brought some of the best baseball teams in Suffolk County to light last year, as four teams won at least 11 games, and three of them won at least 15. That top-heaviness hid some of the scrappy, middle-of-the-pack teams, such as Babylon High School. Their varsity team, led by head coach Mike Birnbaum, showed that they were no pushover school in 2021 and will look to take the next step this upcoming season. They finished the year in fifth place, finishing under .500 at 8-10. However, they had several bright spots throughout the season. They notably beat second place Shoreham-Wading River in an exciting 11-inning game, handing them one of only three losses from the regular season. They also snapped Center Moriches’ 32-game winning streak dating back to 2018, and late...
Babylon Ready To Begin New Era Under Mike Birnbaum
by Tony Genualdo For the last six seasons, Babylon’s Mike Birnbaum has been coaching at every level. He’s coached junior high, JV, and has most recently been an assistant to the varsity team. But this year, he has a new role: head coach. Despite the new challenge, Birnbaum says that not much will change. “Player (and character) development has always driven my coaching,” said Birnbaum. “There’s a new degree of emphasis on winning. But as a competitive person, I can’t wait.” His last two seasons as varsity assistant saw success for Babylon. This season as a head coach, he knows that nothing is guaranteed. “Baseball is a game of inches, as cliché as that is,” Birnbaum said. “You can’t dwell and carry things over.” The team has been preparing for this season since the beginning of December. T...
Cristino Tufano’s Bases Clearing Triple Keys Huge Rally for 13U Camelot Knights
The 13U Camelot Knights awoke after a lethargic first inning–in which they fell behind 2-0 thanks to two steals of home on 1st & 3rd situations–in a big way. After an RBI single by Zach Rosenzweig scored Alex Murcoline and Liam Fonal drew a bases loaded walk to tie it up, their leadoff hitter came to the plate. The supremely talented Cristino Tufano, who played varsity as an eighth grader at Babylon got into one to deep center field. It went over the center fielder’s head and resulted in a bases clearing triple. This opened up a 5-2 lead for the Knights. Their offense would not let up as they added two more runs on a double steal and also an e2 to make it 7-2. Their starting pitcher Chris Critchley was outstanding once he had the lead. His offense added another run on...
Up Next: Cristino Tufano
Playing in a small-school district such as Babylon has its inherent challenges in regards to getting noticed. In such cases, a player must often generate buzz from summer ball. That has been the case with Cristino Tufano. The 13-year-old is coming off a monster season with the Camelot Knights. His season, along with the fact that the school has a smaller enrollment gives him an opportunity to move up to varsity as an eighth-grader this season. This past season, he batted .472 with 17 home runs and 51 RBI. He also performed on the mound, with his high-octane fastball. He fired a no-hitter during the Columbus Day tournament as well as throwing a shutout in Cooperstown against California. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… What has been your most excit...
