by John Sullivan (Photo: Catherine Scarantino) Hauppauge starting pitcher Matt Neglia takes us through what was working for him on the mound in his phenomenal complete game performance pic.twitter.com/xTN0RcSjYw — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 2, 2024 The Long Island Championship between Hauppauge and Division was obviously a very big game, but this one meant just a little more for both programs. For Hauppauge, they were trying to capture their first ever Long Island Championship, and for perennial powerhouse, Division, they were looking to avenge last years Long Island Championship loss, in which they led for most of the game, but ultimately lost to West Babylon. In their biggest game in program history, Hauppauge gave the ball to St. Thomas Aquinas-commit Matt Neglia, who has...
🚨 WALK OFF GRAND SLAM 🚨 Hauppauge junior Mike Oliveto crushes a walk-off grand slam as the Eagles overcame a late 7-2 deficit to win 10-7 and improve to 7-0 pic.twitter.com/aFHDWjUBaF — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 8, 2024 As far as endings go, it doesn’t get any more dramatic than a walk-off grand slam. Hauppauge junior Mike Oliveto was able to experience the pure jubilation of turning a deficit into a victory for the Eagles against rival East Islip, in the first game of a crucial three-game set which could determine Suffolk County League 5. “It’s feels great…it feels amazing,” said Oliveto, in the moments following his heroics. Clearly at a loss for words, the junior was overcome with excitement after getting mobbed at home plate by his teammat...
by Max Edelman (Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series.) Hauppauge freshman Tucker Brown ripping a go-ahead 2-R single in the bottom of the 6th to break a 6-6 tie against Hills West in a first round playoff game. Hauppauge hung on to win 8-6 pic.twitter.com/M48yI1Jqqt — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 14, 2024 Entering his 10th season as the head coach of the Hauppauge Eagles, head coach Josh Gutes looked back at a season that included a 14-9 overall record (13-7 league), as well as a playoff victory. Gutes looked back on what he considered a strong season for his team. “Last year went well.” Gutes said. “We won a playoff game against Half Hollow Hills West. We got eliminated two games later by Kings Park. But in...
by Nick Cipolla The Hauppauge Eagles had a rare down season in 2022. They finished with a record of 4-14 in league play. It was always going to be a challenge as they had to replace their top 5 hitters from 2021 due to graduation. Coach Josh Gutes seems to look towards the future after the tough 2022 season. “I think the bad taste of last year will actually be a positive for us heading into this year”, said Coach Gutes, “Last year was the youngest team we’ve had since I took over in 2014. We started five sophomores and a freshman. We had plenty of talented younger guys but we just didn’t have quite enough overall to be as competitive as we normally are. Our lack of experience last year will undoubtedly help us this year. We have 14 returning players. We don’t have a senio...
by Chris Sacchi After the 2019 season, Hauppauge head coach Josh Gutes already had a clear idea of how the team would stack up the following year, ready to defend a league title. “I pretty much had opening day’s lineups written at the end of the 2019 season.” For a program that has won 4 league titles of the last 5 seasons, that makes sense. Yet heading into 2021, Gutes has a team that is filled with positional battles, and the lineup is much less of a sure thing thanks to graduating 7 seniors following 2020. “I probably have seven different lineups that are written out already, with as many as 15,16 kids mixed in there.” This has made preseason that much more important, and coach Gutes embraces the new feeling in Hauppauge. “Every second of practice matters. I think this is going to be a ...
by Diana-Nicole Ramirez A positive and humble mindset has been a hallmark for Coach Josh Gutes during his tenure with Hauppauge. Having been league champs for the fourth time in five years, will not blind the Eagles to the competition they face in a difficult league. They had last season end with a record of 14-9-1 (11-4 league play). When asked about the expectations of his team for this coming season, Gutes was more than excited yet still extremely modest while he stated, “There’s an excitement moving forward this season, maybe even more so than last, but that means nothing preseason because you still have to play the games.” The Eagles will be playing League V this season and will face in order, West Babylon, Eastport/South Manor, Harborfields, Half Hollow Hills West, Islip, and Rocky ...
by Andrew Giantasio Final: Hauppauge 2, BBP 1 (11 innings) WP: Pete Sanderson Ryan Levenberg hits walk-off sac fly Rob Ray pitches CG pic.twitter.com/ANoE4lPiD0 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 21, 2018 Despite having their season end at the hands of Miller Place in the postseason, it was another winning season for the Hauppauge Eagles. They played a thrilling extra-inning game against Bayport-Blue Point in which Ryan Levenberg hit a walk-off single in the 11th inning to spoil League MVP Rob Ray’s gem. With a year of Class A baseball under their belt, Josh Gutes‘ club enters 2019 as one of the favorites once again. While three new teams enter the Class A division this year (Eastport, Hills West and West Babylon), in their second season, the Hauppauge Eagles are ready to tak...
(Editor’s Note: Matt is a five-year member of the Washington Nationals minor league system. He is a 2010 graduate of Hauppauge HS and was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra University in 2013. He has compiled a .258 AVG through five seasons.) by Matt Reistetter When my father passed away when I was 14–baseball saved me. When my girlfriend passed away when I was 16–baseball saved me. My mind is the strongest tool I possess. I can handle adversity. I can handle the grind. A season in the minor leagues is a grind. Especially during August. Every aspect of your life is strictly regimented to a set of routines you’ve established since Spring Training. Except on that day you get the text from the trainer, “No BP, no early work. Report at 6. Show and Go.” These days seem to always c...
The irony of baseball is that everyone understands it wasn’t meant to be a contact sport, but yet when a player gets injured due to an overly-aggressive play, many people argue that you cannot fault a player for playing hard. During a regular season game the story blows over by the time the next game starts, but in the playoffs it’s a whole different animal and the debate will never end. After watching the now-infamous slide tackle by The Notorious C.H.A.S.E., I decided to consult with a couple of the brightest minds in high school baseball here on Long Island to get their take. Their opinions fell in line with what I expected. “I’m all for hard nosed play but it can’t be dirty. I felt his slide was dirty for two reasons: 1) It was so late that he passed the b...