Patrick Duryea
Center Moriches: How Do They Do It?
by Patrick Duryea Center Moriches does it! Back-to-back New York State Class B Champs Undefeated season. 26-0. pic.twitter.com/wfJQ56wNm6 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 15, 2019 All great ballplayers have to start somewhere. For most, it’s playing little league baseball in their hometown. For players in Center Moriches, it all starts at “Beachfern”. “A hidden gem for several decades now,” as Center Moriches Head Coach Paul Gibson described it, Beachfern is the town’s storied little league field. Gibson went on to explain the small town, old school charm that Beachfern emits. With an ice cream shop and pizza parlor less than 100 feet away, a press box down the third base line, community sponsorships on the outfield fence, and a vintage scoreboard to top it all off. Center Moric...
How Do They Do It: Commack
(Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of a 6-part series in which we highlight the top baseball towns on Long Island. Previously, we featured Massapequa, Bayport-Blue Point and Shoreham-Wading River. You can view them all by clicking here.) by Patrick Duryea Commack captures their 4th consecutive Suffolk County Championship behind a complete game gem by Evan Kay against Sachem North 
pic.twitter.com/ElDOlV4Qlz — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2024 There is no shock factor in seeing “Commack” written in as champions of Suffolk County or Long Island as a whole. Every year, great teams emerge all over the Island. The stars align, and a program will have a stacked group of seniors all playing at the next level with some young talents mixed in, and they’ll have a season ...
Bayport-Blue Point: How Do They Do It?
(Editor’s Note: This is the third of a 5-part in which we dive into the top baseball towns on Long Island. Previously, we featured Massapequa and Shoreham-Wading River.) by Patrick Duryea You may be familiar with the proverb “it takes a village”. Nowhere is that more evident than in the tight-knit baseball community of Bayport-Blue Point. Coach Victor Manzella’s program is all about coming together and working towards a common goal. The ties run from current players and coaches through alumni who it is bever a surprise to see still hanging around during the season. The success of Bayport-Blue Point starts at the bottom with the little leagues and works all the way up to Athletic Director Tim Mullins who Manzella praised for his consistent support. At their little league parade the JV...
Shoreham-Wading River: How Do They Do It?
by Patrick Duryea Consistency is a key to success no matter who you ask. You’d be hard pressed to find a program more consistent than Shoreham-Wading River. In addition to making the playoffs every season from 1986-2022, they have had only two coaches in their baseball program’s entire history. The current head coach is Kevin Willi, who took over for the legendary Coach Sal Mignano. He started the program at SWR and it did not take long for them to become a prominent figure in Long Island baseball. Under Mignano, SWR won 582 games, which makes for an average of over 15 wins per season, not to mention 12 league titles and 8 Suffolk County titles. Before taking over Willi coached under Mignano for several years and noted “he was my mentor” and “he took me under his wing”. The tradition...
Massapequa: How Do They Do It?
(This is the first part of a 5-part series in which we take a deep dive into the best baseball towns on Long Island. First up is Massapequa.) ERIK PAULSEN JR WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM TO WIN IT FOR MASSAPEQUA!! ARE YOU KIDDING?! pic.twitter.com/XxVwkXrBMY — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 31, 2023 by Patrick Duryea Nestled in between a few neighborhoods on the South Shore of Long Island, you’ll find Massapequa High School and its beloved baseball diamond. Looking out from the bleachers standing behind home plate you’ll see one of two things. One may be the Massapequa water tower looming over the neighborhood and trees, on the other side, you’ll see pennants all over the school buildings. Those pennants represent Massapequa High School’s long history of cross-sport dominance in Nas...
