Michael Malaszczyk
Molloy Captures ECC Championship for Second Straight Year
by Michael Malaszczyk After a stellar 2022 season that saw the Molloy Lions go 34-12, the Lions achieved their next goal of winning the East Coast Conference championship. Molloy and Queens played two games on Saturday, May 14th. Molloy needed to win both and did – two incredible games of baseball. Game 1 saw Molloy come out on top 6-5, while Game 2 saw Molloy win 12-10. End of 1: Garrett Scavelli crushes a 3-R shot to tie the game at 3-3 pic.twitter.com/feCqjySG5e — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2022 Game 1 started out electric. Queens came out swinging in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs (courtesy of an RBI single by Andrew Smith and a two-run triple by Juan De la Rosa). Molloy had all the answers for this aggressive start, scoring three-runs of their ...
Ward Melville Grad Nick Vitale Living Out His Dream
By Michael Malaszczyk It is always a source of great pride for Long Island varsity baseball fans to see one of our own make it into the professional ranks. This week, Axcess Baseball had the privilege of sitting down and talking with someone who achieved just that; Nick Vitale of Ward Melville High School was happy to tell us his story, all the way from little league to the Monterey Amberjacks. Nick Vitale comes from humble beginnings on Long Island, and tells a story of finding his love for baseball that we can all relate to. “I started when I was about five years old with T ball like everyone does,” said Vitale. “My dad is my inspiration. Baseball is still his life. He played at Northport High School. He played at Dowling. He was one of the few baseball players ever selected in the Dowli...
Longwood Enters 2022 With Talented, Experienced Roster
By Michael Malaszczyk Varsity baseball is almost here, and Coach Ryan McSherry of Longwood is gearing up for the 2022 season. Longwood is looking to be in a particularly good position to have a good season this year. Coach McSherry was very proud of what his team was able to do in 2021, in an interview with Axcess Baseball. Longwood did have a great season last year; they finished with a 14-6 overall record; their season came to an end against Commack in a Suffolk Conference semifinal. “Losing is never the goal, but there’s always a lesson to be learned,” said Coach McSherry. “The 2021 team was a very enjoyable and fun group to be in the presence of on a daily basis. We were happy with their attitudes and approach to everything.” In addition to that aforementioned lesson, with regard...
Valley Stream North Hopeful to Build Off Playoff Appearance
By Michael Malaszczyk The weather is getting warmer, the days are getting longer, and varsity baseball is getting closer. Coach Phil Sanfilippo of Valley Stream North had a lot to say about the upcoming baseball season in an interview with Axcess Baseball. By his own words, Coach Sanfilippo and his assistant, James Casella, are looking forward to a season less-stunted by the coronavirus pandemic than the 2021 season. “The last year was very much impacted by COVID,” said Sanfilippo. “This year, we’re starting very late, but not necessarily due to COVID.” Coach Sanfilippo had plenty of thoughts about his team’s 2021 season, which was very successful considering the circumstances. “After a slow start, we won 3 of our final 4 games, including an important win over Plainedge to qualify for the ...
Sachem North Returns Talented Roster from Playoff Appearance
By Michael Malaszczyk Sachem North has come out swinging in the first Back-to-back doubles by Billy Bullock and Steven Kiendle followed by a 2-R shot by sophomore Brandon O’Neill and the Arrows have a 3-0 lead pic.twitter.com/kWIsRgWq9f — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 24, 2021 The 2022 varsity baseball season is almost upon us, and Coach Tom Gambino of Sachem North is getting right down to business this season. Sachem North finished with an 8-11 overall record, which included a playoff appearance. They lost in the playoffs to Longwood, but Coach Gambino returns plenty of talent for this year. “A couple of injuries hurt us at the end of the year,” Coach Gambino said. Sachem North did see a few players graduate last year. Those players were Sean Kruse (now at Gettysburg Col...
Smithtown West Looking to Build off Success of Second Half of ’21
By Michael Malaszczyk Smithtown West RHP Tyler Lawrence struck out three in a complete game win over West Babylon. He also went 3-for-4 with four RBI pic.twitter.com/MK68Nbp12R — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 6, 2021 The 2022 varsity baseball season is almost here, and Coach Al Nucci is starting the season confident that his team learned the right lessons in 2021. Smithtown West had a good season in 2021; they finished with an 11-8 overall record and made it into the playoffs before losing to Eastport-South Manor. According to Coach Nucci in an interview with Axcess Baseball, it was a remarkable comeback season. “We had a difficult start to the season, losing six of our first nine games and digging ourselves into a pretty big hole,” said Nucci. “Our offense was struggling, our ...
After Graduating 17 Seniors, Northport Will Rely Heavily on Younger Players
By Michael Malaszczyk Northport 4, Smithtown East 0 WP: Liam Fodor (1-hit shutout, 11 Ks, 1 BB, 92 pitches) pic.twitter.com/hczy782jXN — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 8, 2021 Coach Sean Lynch of Northport is looking ahead to 2022 with a team of mostly young players. Northport played a great season in 2021. They finished with a 13-5 overall record, and made it to the playoffs. In the playoffs, they were able to defeat Smithtown East before ultimately losing to the county champs in Huntington. That is in Northport’s rear view mirror now, however; most of last year’s team graduated. “We graduated 17 seniors last year,” said Coach Lynch. “Including our entire pitching staff led by All-County Liam Fodor and All-Leaguer’s Liam Darrigo and Jason Schwartz.” In addition to those th...
John Glenn Returns 3 Key Pieces from Playoff Team
By Michael Malaszczyk Cole Lindquist loaded the bases with nobody out and proceeded to struck out the next three batters to avoid any damage End of 1: Center Moriches 0, John Glenn 0 pic.twitter.com/CyC78ugrcy — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 11, 2021 Coach Matt Rocchio of John Glenn High School is looking forward to another year of baseball. John Glenn had a successful season in 2021 despite the loss of the 2020 season. They made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2015 before losing to Mattituck in the extra innings 2-1. Coach Rocchio gave a special shoutout to John Glenn’s class of 2021 in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “We had a good mix last year but our seniors really carried us,” said Rocchio. “Joe Patane batted over 500. Ryan Desmond pitched to under a 1.00 E...
Coming Off First County Title Since ’83, Bethpage Eager to Get Back on the Field
By Michael Malaszczyk Here’s the final out of the Bethpage victory to capture their first county championship since 1983 pic.twitter.com/skTtGBufZx — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 19, 2021 Coach Rob Fisher of Bethpage wants to see last year’s success come again. Bethpage won the County Championship in 2021 – their first since 1983. They played with a vengeance and finished with an 18-3 overall record. Coach Fisher was happy to share his thoughts on the 2021 season in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “I was extremely happy with how it ended,” he said. “Kids gave everything they had last year. I was so proud of them and so happy for them.” When it comes to repeating last year’s success, Coach Fisher feels two things will be key: firstly, his returning players, and s...
Roslyn Enters 2022 As Reigning Conference Champs for First Time in Almost 30 Years
By Michael Malaszczyk Coach Daniel Freeman of Roslyn is looking ahead to the 2022 baseball season with confidence. Roslyn had a great season in 2021. They finished with a 14-2 overall record, were the champions of their conference, and made it into the playoffs. In the playoffs, they lost to South Side; the team who would go on to win the County Championship. Considering 2021 was the first season in two years, with the 2020 season lost to the pandemic, this was an impressive feat by Roslyn. “Last season was one of the most successful years that we have had in school history,” said Freeman. “We were conference champions for the first time in almost 30 years and finished on a twelve game winning streak. We stayed undefeated at home, had three All-County players (Jordan Zucker, Danny Rosman, ...
Led by One of the Top Power Pitchers on the Island, Cold Spring Harbor Hungry for a Title
By Michael Malaszczyk Coach Richard Greeney of Cold Spring Harbor is looking to lead his team to a championship in 2022. Cold Spring Harbor made it to the playoffs in 2021, an impressive feat considering the amount of field time the players lost to the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview with Axcess Baseball, Coach Greeney was happy to share his thoughts on 2021. “2021 ended with a loss in the County Finals,” said Greeney. “We had a lead with 9 outs to go in the game and coughed it up. I was pleased to see the guys push themselves during the COVID played baseball season, but wish we could’ve held onto the game for the guys.” Despite that last game, Cold Spring Harbor should be proud that they made it as far as they did under the circumstances. Come-from-behind wins and losses happe...
Led by Outstanding Pitching Staff, Kings Park Ready to Make Noise
By Michael Malaszczyk Final: Kings Park 14, Miller Place 11 WP: Declan Cumming S: Jason Sacks pic.twitter.com/bTNWXUyeXz — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 10, 2021 Coach Andrew Abreu is ready to take his team to new heights in 2022. Long Island baseball suffered immensely from the coronavirus pandemic. All sports did, of course, but baseball was in a uniquely unfortunate position as a premier spring sport. LI Baseball didn’t get a season in the 2019-2020 academic year, unlike fall and winter sports, and had to come back for the 2020-2021 season with all that time off the field. With all of these factors in consideration, Kings Park played a great season in 2021. Coach Abreu felt strongly about this in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “After losing the year prior due to the pand...
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