Massapequa
What Are The Biggest Storylines of 2020 (High School)
(If you haven’t registered for our upcoming Martin Luther King Day College Showcase, please do so by clicking here.) We spent much of the past week recapping the biggest stories of 2019 but now the calendar has flipped to January and that means no more looking back. College baseball is just 6 weeks away and high school baseball is right around the corner as well. Players are gearing up for the season and now is the time to preview the upcoming season. First we look at the high schools and see what the major storylines are. Here it goes: Can West Islip’s ‘Even Year’ Success Continue? This is a pretty amazing phenomenon. West Islip captured the Suffolk County Class AA Championship in 2014, 2016 and 2018. Maybe there’s nothing to it, or maybe they are due for ano...
Up Next Powered By The Yard Sports Academy: Frank Kelly
(This is the seventh installment of our popular ‘Up Next’ Series in which we spotlight the next wave of superstars on Long Island. Previously, we have featured Charles West, Jayden Stroman, Liam Stemmler, Paul Napolitano , Sadier Vicioso and Matt Gileno. None of these players have appeared in a varsity game, but we are confident that they will soon. The series is Powered by The Yard Sports Academy, which you can check out here.) “How do they do it?” That’s a common question you hear when discussing Massapequa‘s unprecedented run of success. They’ve won the past three Class AA Long Island Championships. They also had a streak of four in a row from 2006-2009. The easy answer is that it starts at the top with some terrific coaching from Tom Sheedy and...
Matt Prokopowicz Named Head Coach of St. Dominic HS
The St. Dominic Bayhawks have a new coach at the helm and it is Hofstra‘s hit king Matt Prokopowicz. He was an assistant to Brian Anderson last season. “I can’t even tell you how pumped I am for this,” said Prokopowicz in a state of jubilation. “I’ve been working for this for a long time. After being on the staff last year, I developed a good rapport with a lot of the kids. It’s a real pleasure to call St. Dominic my home and it’s really something special to have my own program. I’m hoping to be here for 15-20 years, maybe even more,” he added. Prokopowicz is among the most prolific hitters in Long Island history. In addition to an incredible career for Hofstra in which he batted .416 as a freshman (10th in the nation) and .431 as...
Massapequa R. Baseball Edges LIB 4-2 in Annual Sal Agostinelli Tournament Action
by Chris Amato Samul fired a complete game while compiling a total of 10 strikeouts. The righty finished with a line of 6IP, 10K, 7BB, 3H, 2ER. pic.twitter.com/CIeDKhRYnl — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 20, 2019 The annual Sal Agostinelli Tournament is a time when players from all over the Northeast come to get recognized by college and pro scouts. High school players not only compete for a victory, but for an opportunity to play at the next level. The pressure is high and players do everything they can to get noticed. Massapequa starting pitcher, Keifer Samul, lived up to the occasion by tossing a complete game and leading his team to a win. The uncommitted senior out of Tom’s River South High School in New Jersey was dominant in his outing for Massapequa. Samul racked up a...
My First Full Season in Pro Ball
by Bobby Honeyman (Editor’s Note: Bobby is a 2014 graduate of Massapequa HS and 2018 graduate of Stony Brook University where he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 29th round. He just finished up his second season in pro ball. So far, he has compiled a batting average of exactly .300 over 186 games. He has an OBP of .349. He was named an All-Star this year. We the Mariners in the midst of a heavy rebuilding period, Bobby has a chance to progress through their system. The following words are his own.) Going into my first full season of pro ball I was not really sure what to expect. After the 2018 draft I played short season for the Everett Aquasox in the Northwest League. Even though I had success in my first season I knew that I still had a lot of improvements to make over t...
Wade Kelly Commits to Coastal Carolina
Wade Kelly launches a 2-run shot to LF to provide Massapequa with a 6-spot in the top half of the first. pic.twitter.com/7vevLBU1Za — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 22, 2018 One of the main ingredients to Massapequa’s latest dynasty has been a potent offense–specially at the top. This season was no difference as players like Wade Kelly, Nick Schwartz and Travis Honeyman perpetually were on base and came around to score to put the Chiefs up early in games. Kelly, a lightning quick outfielder was a huge impact player in 2019 and he figures to be once again in his senior season. He was in the news last week after committing to 2016 College World Series Champion Coastal Carolina. I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… Can you explain y...
Recap of Day 1 of the New York State Championship
Yesterday, four Long Island teams made the five (ish) hour trek up north to Binghamton to participate in the New York State tournament. The four teams (Massapequa, Sayville, Center Moriches and Pierson) qualified by capturing the Long Island (southeast regional) Championship and advancing in hopes of being crowned the best in the state among their classification. For Massapequa and Center Moriches, they were both looking to repeat as champions, while Sayville is already in unprecedented territory, winning their first Long Island Championship in program history last week. Here’s a quick recap of how it went down: Class AA: Massapequa vs Shenendehowa The teams traded zeros through three innings, but Shenendehowa broke through with a four-run fourth inning against Chiefs’ RHP Bobb...
Game of the Week Presented by Muddy Locker Sports: Massapequa Overcomes 5-0 Deficit, Wins Third Consecutive LIC
Massapequa holds on, 7-6, to win the Long Island Class AA Championship for the third consecutive season ! pic.twitter.com/KEF44EkuVo — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 8, 2019 Once again, Massapequa has done it. They are your back-to-back-to-back Class AA Long Island Champions. This time, they defeated Connetquot 7-6 in one of the best games of the year. In a rather curious decision, neither team decided to throw their ace for the Long Island Championship. Connetquot jumped on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd inning, thanks to a Jared Yalon RBI. Yalon came through once again for the Thunderbirds in the bottom of the 4th inning with a 2 RBI double. This put Connetquot in front 5-0. When it seemed like Massapequa was down and out, they most certainly weren’t. With the ...
Game of the Week Presented by Muddy Locker Sports: Massapequa Takes Home Third Consecutive County Championship
MASSAPEQUA HAS DONE IT! They are the back-to-back-to-back Nassau County Class AA Champs!!! FINAL: Massapequa 8 Port Washington 6 pic.twitter.com/vCR8ZkeiCe — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 1, 2019 For the third year in a row, Massapequa has won the Class AA County Championship. This time, they defeated Port Washington 8-6, clinching the sweep and the title. From the beginning of the series, there was never much doubt in Massapequa. Building off Friday’s victory, Massapequa wasted no time taking charge. In the bottom of the 2nd, RBI from Dan Sohn and Alex Rende provided Massapequa with an early 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd, Johnny Castagnozzi launched a three-run HR to left field, putting the Chiefs out in front 6-0. considering Derek Haag shut down the Port Washingto...
Nassau County Class AA Playoff Preview (Plus Predictions)
Ah, playoffs. The time of year we find out who rises to the top. In Class AA, there are no longer any play-in games, as it’s headed straight to the quarterfinals for a three-game series. There is a long way to go until the County Championship, but for now, let’s break down the remaining eight teams. Quarterfinals: #8 Baldwin vs. #1 Port Washington Considering Port Washington just swept Baldwin last week, this seems like an obvious choice. However, it’s playoffs. Anything can happen. The main focal point throughout the postseason for the top-seeded Port Washington Vikings will be their pitching. Last week, they held Baldwin to two earned runs in three games. Their rotation consisting of Alex Chang, Derek Livingston and Jackson Sattinger shut down Baldwin last week, so exp...
