Nick Trabacchi
Smithtown West Hopes To Rebound From Tough 2018 Through Experienced Players
In 2018, Smithtown West failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2007. Returning the top two pitchers in their rotation and key players offensively, they believe this year will be different. “We have a returning group that was able to get a lot of experience in 2018. They understand the work that needs to be put in to have success. We should benefit from that greatly,” said Head Coach Al Nucci. Smithtown West will compete in League III this season. Their opponents consist of Smithtown East, Hills East, Newfield, Centereach, Copaigue and Northport. Last season, Smithtown West struggled to put up runs, resulting in four shutout losses. Returning players with varsity experience, they hope this year is different. “A lot of small ball and manufacturing of runs wi...
Smithtown West Leaning On Young Arms to Lead the Way
They took Ward Melville to the absolute edge before finally getting defeated by a passed ball in the eighth inning of the Suffolk County Class AA quarterfinals. Regardless, winning 17-games is always a tremendous accomplishment for a team. They will, however, have to replace a terrific pitching staff that featured Brandon Lamanna (five wins), Rob Tamarro (four wins) and John Craft (five wins). They will be looking to a group of four young promising arms to fill that void. Nick Trabacchi, Anthony Amato, Nick Grande and Mike Zito will all be counted on to lead the way. Eleventh year Head Coach Al Nucci stated that all four of those arms are capable, but are untested because they were not needed last year, given their dominant rotation. Grande will have a much larger role than a pitcher–...
