<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Wade Kelly Archives - Axcess Baseball</title>
	<atom:link href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/tag/wade-kelly/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/tag/wade-kelly/</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 13:15:35 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	

<image>
	<url>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/cropped-x-icon-32x32.jpg</url>
	<title>Wade Kelly Archives - Axcess Baseball</title>
	<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/tag/wade-kelly/</link>
	<width>32</width>
	<height>32</height>
</image> 
	<item>
		<title>Massapequa&#8217;s Quest for a 4th Consecutive Championship</title>
		<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2021/05/04/massapequas-quest-for-a-4th-long-island-championship/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=massapequas-quest-for-a-4th-long-island-championship</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vinny Messana]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 May 2021 03:13:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NEWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2021 Season Previews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Stang]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Connor Kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnny Castagnozzi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massapequa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tom Sheedy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travis Honeyman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wade Kelly]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.axcessbaseball.com/?p=45989</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>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 How unique is 2021? Massapequa &#8211; the three-time reigning Long Island Champs open up their season tomorrow against Port Washington and they don&#8217;t even have their final cuts made. That&#8217;s right, the team coached by one of the greatest coaches in Long Island history will take the field on Tuesday but won&#8217;t have their final roster until Thursday. And it&#8217;s totally plausible. Championships are the norm at Massapequa. They captured the previous three Class AA Long Island Championships before the shutdown in 2020 and Coach Tom Sheedy said 2020 was the best team of the bunch. More on that later. They also won FOUR consecutive Long Island Championships from 2006-2009. This year alone, the football team captured the Nassau County title on Saturday and the soccer and volleyball teams also won their respective titles. So when you are a student-athlete in any sport, chances are you&#8217;ve won a title. The issue with the condensed season in 2021 is that it has prevented Sheedy from having his full team together. He stated that 17 of his players either play football or volleyball &#8211; including his ace &#8211; so it is certainly a year unlike any other. Sheedy stated that he will enter Opening Day with 17 players on his roster and there&#8217;s another 20 players still on the bubble. They are one of the few schools that still have a massive turnout for their tryouts, so they require several days to form a team and they simply haven&#8217;t had enough time. They will have 7 seniors in the lineup and 2 sophomore. But let&#8217;s backtrack a bit and unravel the statement in the second paragraph. Entering 2020, Sheedy had an incredibly talented group. &#8220;I&#8217;ve never had three players like that 1-2-3 in my order &#8211; three players all going to MAJOR Division-I schools. They had the potential &#8211; and that&#8217;s a big word &#8211; but the potential to be the greatest team we&#8217;ve ever had here. 2006 was the best team &#8211; and that&#8217;s not just because we went undefeated but we had Prokopowicz, Scudero and Bartlett and they won a slew of games the previous year. We lost 2-1 twice to East Meadow and if we won we have Proko going in the championship and we would&#8217;ve won. He was the best pitcher we had and we only needed to throw him 8 innings that year so I wouldn&#8217;t have to keep him out of the lineup. We missed the game-tying tie by a matter of inches &#8211; if it&#8217;s fair we probably win that game.&#8221; As you can see from the quote, Sheedy has had a ton of success in his program and he also has an insane memory. To remember minute details from 16 years ago, is rather remarkable &#8211; especially having won several more titles since then. &#8220;Early on in the pandemic I went out in my garage to smoke a cigar and I called Brad Lyons (one of his former players) and we spoke for 3 and a half hours on the phone it was probably 3 am when we hung up and we were talking about every game, every detail, we remember everything. I was a catcher, so I remember everything. You have to it&#8217;s the nature of the job, so now as a coach I remember every play and every count,&#8221; he added. With that being the case, it&#8217;s no surprise he recalled every detail of the final out in the famous 2019 Long Island Championship against Connetquot. The Chiefs trailed 5-0 early on but chipped away and ultimately took the lead on a solo shot in the 6th by Nick Schwartz. In the 7th, Connetquot had the bases loaded and the count was 3-2. The batter sliced one down the right field line and the play was made to secure the final out and the title. The fans in the stands all thought it might drop &#8211; but how about Sheedy in the dugout? &#8220;For a split second I thought it might drop but DeSousa is fabulous in right field. He was throwing up the No. 1 finger before he even caught the ball &#8211; I mean you have to have tremendous moxie to do that!&#8221; he said. With the victory, they captured yet another LIC and moved onto the New York State tournament but they had their season ended in the semifinals. Much of the core of that team is gone &#8211; including the four Division-I players. Entering tomorrow&#8217;s Opening Day, Sheedy noted that he doesn&#8217;t know if the team is ready. He stated that in a normal year they play 15-20 scrimmages including split squads during the week. They also usually go to Florida for a week and play double headers every day. All told, that would give their starters 50 at bats before Opening Day. That was simply not the case this year, although they were able to play a 13-inning scrimmage against  MacArthur yesterday. They only got all their players back this week which doesn&#8217;t give them enough time to make cuts let alone prepare for the season the way they normally would. &#8220;Base running is something you can&#8217;t just talk to the kids about,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They need to go out and do it and get reps, reps, reps. Whenever we are teaching, I say one thing and start to think about 5 other things I need to mention. All these athletes usually play their fall sports then use the winter to prepare for baseball, they just haven&#8217;t done that,&#8221; he added. For that reason, they will go in the opener with their starter on a 50-pitch limit. &#8220;I told the guys, we are going to be the Tampa Bay Rays &#8211; if [Liam] Carroll can give us three innings tomorrow, that&#8217;s fine,&#8221; he added. Carroll is their ace and he is committed to New Haven. Sheedy stated that he would&#8217;ve won plenty of games last year and been in consideration for All-Long Island. &#8220;He&#8217;s our ace and we are leaning on him a lot,&#8221; he said. He added that he&#8217;s a big-time volleyball player and has been competing in that the past two months so hasn&#8217;t been built up. They will look for him and the rest of the pitchers to gradually build and they &#8220;we are hoping to go full bore by May 31 &#8211; that&#8217;s when we want to be ready. So we have 3 or 4 weeks to get ready. We&#8217;ll use this as Spring Training, hopefully we can win some games so we qualify for the playoffs,&#8221; he said. I have a feeling they don&#8217;t need to worry about missing out on the playoffs. After all, they famously started under .500 in 2018 and ran the table from early May on and won the NYS Title. Aside from Carroll, they only have a few players with varsity experience &#8211; like most other teams. Their biggest bat is catcher Bobby Stang. He is a power-hitting catcher with a rocket behind the dish. Sheedy said he&#8217;s about 6&#8217;4 220 lbs and routinely throws sub 2.0 pop times to second &#8220;and they are right on line&#8221; in regards to the throws. He will be batting cleanup for the Chiefs. This will be his last season with the program as he will be transferring to a prep school next year. Should they need to give him any off-days, they have a freshman catcher behind him. Sheedy mentioned LF Danny Sohn as a player they are counting on. He will hit in the middle of the order and play left field. His brother, Tyler, was a big part of the team in 2019. Sheedy played college ball at Brockport with his father, Bob, and he said he is a similar player &#8211; he stated that Danny smacks the ball. He can also pitch but they are trying to hold off in order to keep his bat in the lineup and his glove in the outfield. Their shortstop and 3-hitter is Connor Kelly. He went 8-for-20 with 3 doubles on varsity as a sophomore. Sheedy expressed his frustration that colleges aren&#8217;t giving him a shot. He noted that he&#8217;s a 90-student, and a 6&#8217;2 190 lb shortstop with pop &#8211; &#8220;who wouldn&#8217;t want that?&#8221; he said, adding that he&#8217;s better than some of his other shortstops that have gone on to play at the collegiate level. Their DH will likely be sophomore Frank Kelly &#8211; the younger brother of Wade Kelly. We featured him as part of the &#8216;Up Next&#8217; series back in 2019. Kelly is a premium athlete that can really swing the bat and should be a contributor for the next three seasons. Sheedy said they will hit, the question is how they pitch. That will work itself out over the next several weeks, but there always seems to be someone that emerges from the Massapequa roster &#8211; it&#8217;s just a matter of whom? The last topic that we discussed was his own career. Sheedy has been the head coach since 2003, but coached football since 1995 and coached Kellenberg before that. He is at the top of the mountain when it comes to winning. &#8220;Everyone asks me &#8211; when are you going to retire? I&#8217;ll tell you what &#8211; this is what I&#8217;ve always wanted to do &#8211; I love every day of it, I&#8217;m passionate about it and the kids keep me young. My own son said, &#8216;dad you&#8217;re looking five years older&#8217;, and I told him, &#8216;that&#8217;s because there was no baseball &#8211; there&#8217;s no doubt about it&#8221; he added. They will open up tomorrow against Port Washington. Don&#8217;t expect them to overreact one way or the other based on the results &#8211; as Sheedy made it clear they are using the early part of the season to find the right mix. After all, this is a program that is the three-time reigning champs and enters this unprecedented season with the same expectations as always &#8211; championship or bust.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2021/05/04/massapequas-quest-for-a-4th-long-island-championship/">Massapequa&#8217;s Quest for a 4th Consecutive Championship</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">MASSAPEQUA HAS DONE IT! They are the back-to-back-to-back Nassau County Class AA Champs!!!</p>
<p>FINAL: Massapequa 8 Port Washington 6 <a href="https://t.co/vCR8ZkeiCe">pic.twitter.com/vCR8ZkeiCe</a></p>
<p>— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/axcessbaseball/status/1134943433347538944?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>How unique is 2021?</p>
<p><strong>Massapequa</strong> &#8211; the three-time reigning Long Island Champs open up their season tomorrow against <strong>Port Washington</strong> and they don&#8217;t even have their final cuts made. That&#8217;s right, the team coached by one of the greatest coaches in Long Island history will take the field on Tuesday but won&#8217;t have their final roster until Thursday. And it&#8217;s totally plausible.</p>
<p>Championships are the norm at Massapequa. They captured the previous three Class AA Long Island Championships before the shutdown in 2020 and Coach <strong>Tom Sheedy</strong> said 2020 was the best team of the bunch. More on that later. They also won FOUR consecutive Long Island Championships from 2006-2009. This year alone, the football team captured the Nassau County title on Saturday and the soccer and volleyball teams also won their respective titles. So when you are a student-athlete in any sport, chances are you&#8217;ve won a title. The issue with the condensed season in 2021 is that it has prevented Sheedy from having his full team together. He stated that 17 of his players either play football or volleyball &#8211; including his ace &#8211; so it is certainly a year unlike any other.</p>
<p>Sheedy stated that he will enter Opening Day with 17 players on his roster and there&#8217;s another 20 players still on the bubble. They are one of the few schools that still have a massive turnout for their tryouts, so they require several days to form a team and they simply haven&#8217;t had enough time. They will have 7 seniors in the lineup and 2 sophomore.</p>
<p>But let&#8217;s backtrack a bit and unravel the statement in the second paragraph.</p>
<p>Entering 2020, Sheedy had an incredibly talented group.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve never had three players like that 1-2-3 in my order &#8211; three players all going to MAJOR Division-I schools. They had the potential &#8211; and that&#8217;s a big word &#8211; but the potential to be the greatest team we&#8217;ve ever had here. 2006 was the best team &#8211; and that&#8217;s not just because we went undefeated but we had Prokopowicz, Scudero and Bartlett and they won a slew of games the previous year. We lost 2-1 twice to East Meadow and if we won we have Proko going in the championship and we would&#8217;ve won. He was the best pitcher we had and we only needed to throw him 8 innings that year so I wouldn&#8217;t have to keep him out of the lineup. We missed the game-tying tie by a matter of inches &#8211; if it&#8217;s fair we probably win that game.&#8221;</p>
<p>As you can see from the quote, Sheedy has had a ton of success in his program and he also has an insane memory. To remember minute details from 16 years ago, is rather remarkable &#8211; especially having won several more titles since then.</p>
<p>&#8220;Early on in the pandemic I went out in my garage to smoke a cigar and I called Brad Lyons (one of his former players) and we spoke for 3 and a half hours on the phone it was probably 3 am when we hung up and we were talking about every game, every detail, we remember everything. I was a catcher, so I remember everything. You have to it&#8217;s the nature of the job, so now as a coach I remember every play and every count,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>With that being the case, it&#8217;s no surprise he recalled every detail of the final out in the famous 2019 Long Island Championship against Connetquot. The Chiefs trailed 5-0 early on but chipped away and ultimately took the lead on a solo shot in the 6th by Nick Schwartz. In the 7th, Connetquot had the bases loaded and the count was 3-2. The batter sliced one down the right field line and the play was made to secure the final out and the title. The fans in the stands all thought it might drop &#8211; but how about Sheedy in the dugout?</p>
<p>&#8220;For a split second I thought it might drop but DeSousa is fabulous in right field. He was throwing up the No. 1 finger before he even caught the ball &#8211; I mean you have to have tremendous moxie to do that!&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>With the victory, they captured yet another LIC and moved onto the New York State tournament but they had their season ended in the semifinals.</p>
<p>Much of the core of that team is gone &#8211; including the four Division-I players.</p>
<p>Entering tomorrow&#8217;s Opening Day, Sheedy noted that he doesn&#8217;t know if the team is ready. He stated that in a normal year they play 15-20 scrimmages including split squads during the week. They also usually go to Florida for a week and play double headers every day. All told, that would give their starters 50 at bats before Opening Day. That was simply not the case this year, although they were able to play a 13-inning scrimmage against  MacArthur yesterday. They only got all their players back this week which doesn&#8217;t give them enough time to make cuts let alone prepare for the season the way they normally would.</p>
<p>&#8220;Base running is something you can&#8217;t just talk to the kids about,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They need to go out and do it and get reps, reps, reps. Whenever we are teaching, I say one thing and start to think about 5 other things I need to mention. All these athletes usually play their fall sports then use the winter to prepare for baseball, they just haven&#8217;t done that,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>For that reason, they will go in the opener with their starter on a 50-pitch limit.</p>
<p>&#8220;I told the guys, we are going to be the Tampa Bay Rays &#8211; if <strong>[Liam] Carroll</strong> can give us three innings tomorrow, that&#8217;s fine,&#8221; he added. Carroll is their ace and he is committed to New Haven. Sheedy stated that he would&#8217;ve won plenty of games last year and been in consideration for All-Long Island. &#8220;He&#8217;s our ace and we are leaning on him a lot,&#8221; he said. He added that he&#8217;s a big-time volleyball player and has been competing in that the past two months so hasn&#8217;t been built up. They will look for him and the rest of the pitchers to gradually build and they &#8220;we are hoping to go full bore by May 31 &#8211; that&#8217;s when we want to be ready. So we have 3 or 4 weeks to get ready. We&#8217;ll use this as Spring Training, hopefully we can win some games so we qualify for the playoffs,&#8221; he said.</p>
<p>I have a feeling they don&#8217;t need to worry about missing out on the playoffs. After all, they famously started under .500 in 2018 and ran the table from early May on and won the NYS Title.</p>
<p>Aside from Carroll, they only have a few players with varsity experience &#8211; like most other teams.</p>
<p>Their biggest bat is catcher <strong>Bobby Stang</strong>. He is a power-hitting catcher with a rocket behind the dish. Sheedy said he&#8217;s about 6&#8217;4 220 lbs and routinely throws sub 2.0 pop times to second &#8220;and they are right on line&#8221; in regards to the throws. He will be batting cleanup for the Chiefs. This will be his last season with the program as he will be transferring to a prep school next year. Should they need to give him any off-days, they have a freshman catcher behind him.</p>
<p>Sheedy mentioned LF <strong>Danny Sohn</strong> as a player they are counting on. He will hit in the middle of the order and play left field. His brother, Tyler, was a big part of the team in 2019. Sheedy played college ball at Brockport with his father, Bob, and he said he is a similar player &#8211; he stated that Danny smacks the ball. He can also pitch but they are trying to hold off in order to keep his bat in the lineup and his glove in the outfield.</p>
<p>Their shortstop and 3-hitter is <strong>Connor Kelly</strong>. He went 8-for-20 with 3 doubles on varsity as a sophomore. Sheedy expressed his frustration that colleges aren&#8217;t giving him a shot. He noted that he&#8217;s a 90-student, and a 6&#8217;2 190 lb shortstop with pop &#8211; &#8220;who wouldn&#8217;t want that?&#8221; he said, adding that he&#8217;s better than some of his other shortstops that have gone on to play at the collegiate level.</p>
<p>Their DH will likely be sophomore <strong>Frank Kelly</strong> &#8211; the younger brother of Wade Kelly. We featured him as part of the &#8216;Up Next&#8217; series back in 2019. Kelly is a premium athlete that can really swing the bat and should be a contributor for the next three seasons.</p>
<p>Sheedy said they will hit, the question is how they pitch. That will work itself out over the next several weeks, but there always seems to be someone that emerges from the Massapequa roster &#8211; it&#8217;s just a matter of whom?</p>
<p>The last topic that we discussed was his own career. Sheedy has been the head coach since 2003, but coached football since 1995 and coached Kellenberg before that. He is at the top of the mountain when it comes to winning.</p>
<p>&#8220;Everyone asks me &#8211; when are you going to retire? I&#8217;ll tell you what &#8211; this is what I&#8217;ve always wanted to do &#8211; I love every day of it, I&#8217;m passionate about it and the kids keep me young. My own son said, &#8216;dad you&#8217;re looking five years older&#8217;, and I told him, &#8216;that&#8217;s because there was no baseball &#8211; there&#8217;s no doubt about it&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>They will open up tomorrow against Port Washington. Don&#8217;t expect them to overreact one way or the other based on the results &#8211; as Sheedy made it clear they are using the early part of the season to find the right mix.</p>
<p>After all, this is a program that is the three-time reigning champs and enters this unprecedented season with the same expectations as always &#8211; championship or bust.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2021/05/04/massapequas-quest-for-a-4th-long-island-championship/">Massapequa&#8217;s Quest for a 4th Consecutive Championship</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Q &#038; A With Wade Kelly On IG Live</title>
		<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2020/04/04/q-a-with-wade-kelly-on-ig-live/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=q-a-with-wade-kelly-on-ig-live</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vinny Messana]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 Apr 2020 11:32:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NEWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IG Live]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnny Castagnozzi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massapequa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travis Honeyman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wade Kelly]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.axcessbaseball.com/?p=44197</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Let’s start off with an easy one: How do you like playing for Coach [Tom Sheedy]? It’s great. He always has a get-after-it attitude. He always looks to make us better, but he tries to find the holes in what we have so we can improve on that. Another easy question: Favorite major leaguer? Bryce Harper; I liked him when he first started and made his debut. Just his energy and the way he plays, I always liked following him. Massapequa has three Division I players on the roster right now. But who are some of the younger players that you’re excited to see? Bobby Stang is one of them. He was with us last year. He didn’t get a lot of time because of Nick Schwartz, but the kid can rake and he’s definitely going to be a big part of the team. Also Danny Sohn. He played left field for us last year as a sophomore and he hits. The kid hits and he’s a really good fielder. So, to see where he ends up after most of the seniors leave will be interesting. Let’s talk about the Massapequa International Little League. What’s it like playing there with the amount of talent coming out of there? I was with Massapequa Coast Williamsport Little League and it was the other side. But for both, there’s so many kids. In Little League, you have fun. The travel teams are the travel teams. Everyone knows who’s on those teams. But you all just play with your friends and you have fun. But the main thing is that’s there’s so many numbers. You just played and all the kids made each other better. How did you like the home run call on your walk-off home run against Farmingdale? That’s always a funny one because that’s one of my best friends that called it. So, we always bust his chops over that. But it was great. Just being able to produce for the team, against Farmingdale especially, it’s always great. Who’s the most influential person(s) in your playing career? Well, my dad is number one. He’d be the first one I could say off the top of my head because he taught me, he brought me up. He was actually my coach, too, until I was 12-13. So, he’s really the one that taught me a lot of what I know. How did your commitment to [Coastal Carolina University] come about? Was there anybody that helped you along the way? I wanted to go down south. A couple of years ago, I went down there with Joe Reda and we went into a showcase and toured the school and I fell in love with it. Last year, I was lucky enough to play a tournament on their campus and I did really well and was able to talk to the coach. Any advice on how to standout to coaches at tournaments and showcases? Just play, honestly. They all look for the measurables. But just be a good teammate and just play. If you do good, it’ll stand out on its own. Speaking of measurables, how have you gone about improving your speed? Honestly, I don’t really practice that. I like to maintain my speed and my agility just because I like to go run around in the outfield and stuff. But over the summer you go through so many of these workouts that you just get into a rhythm with it. You got to get comfortable with yourself and just go. What did you do this offseason to improve? I’ve done the same thing forever. I did speed and agility. I did a lot more of the strength training this year, but I always like to keep the agility part just to be able to stay agile and be able to move if needed.  Who are some of the top pitchers that you&#8217;ve faced in your high school career? Justin Rosner is definitely the top. He’s able to throw the fastball in the mid to upper 80s and then he can place his curveball and slider perfectly. What’s it like playing alongside the “handsome” Travis Honeyman? Playing with him, it always makes me better. Especially last year, my hitting group was him, Nick Schwartz, and myself. And I feel like I don’t hit the ball at all compared to the two of them last year. So just watching how the ball comes off his bat, even Johnny Castagnozzi’s bat, it makes me want to work harder to get to their level. Let’s talk about Johnny Castagnozzi. You guys are the same age. When did you realize that this was going to be a special group? We were told in middle school. Our coach sat us down and said, “This group will win a state championship.” Now, I don&#8217;t know if he meant our senior year or when some of us were up as sophomores, but coming up through middle school, they started to get an idea that we would be a good group. We just needed to not let it get to our head. They told us, “You got to keep working and you have to come together as a team more.” But it ended up working out. In 2018, you guys were 5-6 at one point. What clicked after that moment? We had a talk one practice. Coach [Tom Sheedy] and Coach Rob Cafiero took us behind the center field wall and basically ripped us. Just brutally honest. Basically, everyone said that we had to get our heads straight. And then we went on a run. We won 8 of 9. We don’t know what it was, but everyone started getting hot at the same time. Coach [Tom Sheedy] likes to put emphasis on the senior leadership. Is that something that you would agree with? Yeah, there’s no one set captain. Every senior has a role whether it’s the senior committee, who’s picking the uniforms, or even just being there. It’s just the experience – passing it down to the younger guys and knowing what it takes to win. That’s what they emphasize on. Do you feel some responsibility now that you’re a senior and you have all these freshmen coming in? Yeah, I’m the example in the outfield. When you get to be a senior, you’ve been through it. You start to know what they look for and know what they expect from their players. So, that’s what you try to pass on to people. Class A in Nassau County changed to no series. Everyone plays each other once. If Class AA were to do that, is that something that you would be in favor of? Not at all. I like how they have the two conferences. I think that’s great. Even this year, they were going to have us do crossover games. But there’s no need for that just because of the travel distance for some of them. But it’s nice because you get to know who you’re playing against. It’s fun. Massapequa is great at every sport it seems. Is there sort of a civil rivalry within the school or do you all root for one another? We have kids in our school that are multi-sport athletes. It’s always just a “you’re up, it’s your season”. That’s kind of what it is. We all root for each other, we’re all friends in the school. Everyone’s pulling for each other. What’s been the hardest part of this so far? Being a senior, you might not have your senior year. Yeah, there’s still a chance that we may not have a season. That’s the hardest part. Early on, it was “I hope we don’t lose Florida,” and then it’s “I hope we don’t lose this or that,” and then when it starts getting to the point where coach is telling us that this might be the last time on the field as a group together, that’s when I start to realize I may not have a senior day and senior year. Especially after losing last year, you want one last chance at redemption.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2020/04/04/q-a-with-wade-kelly-on-ig-live/">Q &#038; A With Wade Kelly On IG Live</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><b>Let’s start off with an easy one: How do you like playing for Coach [Tom Sheedy]?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It’s great. He always has a get-after-it attitude. He always looks to make us better, but he tries to find the holes in what we have so we can improve on that.</span></p>
<p><b>Another easy question: Favorite major leaguer?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bryce Harper; I liked him when he first started and made his debut. Just his energy and the way he plays, I always liked following him.</span></p>
<p><b>Massapequa has three Division I players on the roster right now. But who are some of the younger players that you’re excited to see?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Bobby Stang</strong> is one of them. He was with us last year. He didn’t get a lot of time because of <strong>Nick Schwartz</strong>, but the kid can rake and he’s definitely going to be a big part of the team. Also <strong>Danny Sohn</strong>. He played left field for us last year as a sophomore and he hits. The kid hits and he’s a really good fielder. So, to see where he ends up after most of the seniors leave will be interesting.</span></p>
<p><b>Let’s talk about the Massapequa International Little League. What’s it like playing there with the amount of talent coming out of there?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I was with Massapequa Coast Williamsport Little League and it was the other side. But for both, there’s so many kids. In Little League, you have fun. The travel teams are the travel teams. Everyone knows who’s on those teams. But you all just play with your friends and you have fun. But the main thing is that’s there’s so many numbers. You just played and all the kids made each other better.</span></p>
<p><b>How did you like the home run call on your walk-off home run against Farmingdale?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That’s always a funny one because that’s one of my best friends that called it. So, we always bust his chops over that. But it was great. Just being able to produce for the team, against Farmingdale especially, it’s always great.</span></p>
<p><b>Who’s the most influential person(s) in your playing career?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, my dad is number one. He’d be the first one I could say off the top of my head because he taught me, he brought me up. He was actually my coach, too, until I was 12-13. So, he’s really the one that taught me a lot of what I know.</span></p>
<p><b>How did your commitment to [Coastal Carolina University] come about? Was there anybody that helped you along the way?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I wanted to go down south. A couple of years ago, I went down there with <strong>Joe Reda</strong> and we went into a showcase and toured the school and I fell in love with it. Last year, I was lucky enough to play a tournament on their campus and I did really well and was able to talk to the coach.</span></p>
<p><b>Any advice on how to standout to coaches at tournaments and showcases?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Just play, honestly. They all look for the measurables. But just be a good teammate and just play. If you do good, it’ll stand out on its own.</span></p>
<p><b>Speaking of measurables, how have you gone about improving your speed?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Honestly, I don’t really practice that. I like to maintain my speed and my agility just because I like to go run around in the outfield and stuff. But over the summer you go through so many of these workouts that you just get into a rhythm with it. You got to get comfortable with yourself and just go.</span></p>
<p><b>What did you do this offseason to improve?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I’ve done the same thing forever. I did speed and agility. I did a lot more of the strength training this year, but I always like to keep the agility part just to be able to stay agile and be able to move if needed. </span></p>
<p><b>Who are some of the top pitchers that you&#8217;ve faced in your high school career?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Justin Rosner is definitely the top. He’s able to throw the fastball in the mid to upper 80s and then he can place his curveball and slider perfectly.</span></p>
<p><b>What’s it like playing alongside the “handsome” Travis Honeyman?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Playing with him, it always makes me better. Especially last year, my hitting group was him, <strong>Nick Schwartz,</strong> and myself. And I feel like I don’t hit the ball at all compared to the two of them last year. So just watching how the ball comes off his bat, even <strong>Johnny Castagnozzi</strong>’s bat, it makes me want to work harder to get to their level.</span></p>
<p><b>Let’s talk about Johnny Castagnozzi. You guys are the same age. When did you realize that this was going to be a special group?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We were told in middle school. Our coach sat us down and said, “This group will win a state championship.” Now, I don&#8217;t know if he meant our senior year or when some of us were up as sophomores, but coming up through middle school, they started to get an idea that we would be a good group. We just needed to not let it get to our head. They told us, “You got to keep working and you have to come together as a team more.” But it ended up working out.</span></p>
<p><b>In 2018, you guys were 5-6 at one point. What clicked after that moment?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We had a talk one practice. Coach [<strong>Tom Sheedy</strong>] and Coach <strong>Rob Cafiero</strong> took us behind the center field wall and basically ripped us. Just brutally honest. Basically, everyone said that we had to get our heads straight. And then we went on a run. We won 8 of 9. We don’t know what it was, but everyone started getting hot at the same time.</span></p>
<p><b>Coach [Tom Sheedy] likes to put emphasis on the senior leadership. Is that something that you would agree with?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yeah, there’s no one set captain. Every senior has a role whether it’s the senior committee, who’s picking the uniforms, or even just being there. It’s just the experience – passing it down to the younger guys and knowing what it takes to win. That’s what they emphasize on.</span></p>
<p><b>Do you feel some responsibility now that you’re a senior and you have all these freshmen coming in?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yeah, I’m the example in the outfield. When you get to be a senior, you’ve been through it. You start to know what they look for and know what they expect from their players. So, that’s what you try to pass on to people.</span></p>
<p><b>Class A in Nassau County changed to no series. Everyone plays each other once. If Class AA were to do that, is that something that you would be in favor of?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Not at all. I like how they have the two conferences. I think that’s great. Even this year, they were going to have us do crossover games. But there’s no need for that just because of the travel distance for some of them. But it’s nice because you get to know who you’re playing against. It’s fun.</span></p>
<p><b>Massapequa is great at every sport it seems. Is there sort of a civil rivalry within the school or do you all root for one another?</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">We have kids in our school that are multi-sport athletes. It’s always just a “you’re up, it’s your season”. That’s kind of what it is. We all root for each other, we’re all friends in the school. Everyone’s pulling for each other.</span></p>
<p><b>What’s been the hardest part of this so far? Being a senior, you might not have your senior year.</b></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yeah, there’s still a chance that we may not have a season. That’s the hardest part. Early on, it was “I hope we don’t lose Florida,” and then it’s “I hope we don’t lose this or that,” and then when it starts getting to the point where coach is telling us that this might be the last time on the field as a group together, that’s when I start to realize I may not have a senior day and senior year. Especially after losing last year, you want one last chance at redemption.</span></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2020/04/04/q-a-with-wade-kelly-on-ig-live/">Q &#038; A With Wade Kelly On IG Live</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Up Next Powered By The Yard Sports Academy: Frank Kelly</title>
		<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/12/09/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-frank-kelly/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-frank-kelly</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vinny Messana]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Dec 2019 12:43:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NEWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Frank Kelly]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massapequa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Team Beast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Up Next]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wade Kelly]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.axcessbaseball.com/?p=43355</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>(This is the seventh installment of our popular &#8216;Up Next&#8217; 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.) &#8220;How do they do it?&#8221; That&#8217;s a common question you hear when discussing Massapequa&#8216;s unprecedented run of success. They&#8217;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 his staff. But it would be foolish not to credit the Little League for developing the fundamental skills from the time the kids are in elementary school so that when they are in high school, the rudimentary skills are second nature. When you combine natural talent with great coaching, it&#8217;s a winning combination. Additionally, some kids are just special. So if you add that intangible trait of thriving when the chips are on the table, then you have the potential for a game-changing player. Up Next is Frank Kelly, younger brother of Coastal Carolina-commit Wade Kelly. He&#8217;s the type of player that people rave about. I&#8217;ve gotten recommendations from several people saying he could be an impact player immediately. After missing most of last year due to an injury, he didn&#8217;t put up the gaudy numbers but he&#8217;s back to 100 percent and is a name to remember. I had a chance to speak with him and here&#8217;s what he had to say&#8230; Who are your biggest role models in life and why?   My biggest role models in life are my dad and my brother because my dad taught me all I know about the game, and my brother always pushes me to do my best whether I&#8217;m just hitting in the cage or working out. Who are your favorite players in Major League Baseball and why? My favorite player in the MLB is Javier Baez. I love watching the way he plays and as a shortstop I learn so many little things from watching the way he moves around on the field. Can you discuss the impact of your brother, Wade, on your playing career? Mostly in the past couple years, Wade has really helped me out on and off the field. He was always a great role model for me on the way I should act and always hustle. But especially now as I&#8217;m getting older and beginning high school, Wade teaches me about what I should expect as I play at the next level. It has impacted my playing career greatly because he has gone through the process already so now I know what I need to do and how hard I have to work to succeed. How have you enjoyed your time with Team Beast ? I have chosen to play for the Beast 2023 team for next season. The very competitive schedule and tournaments that they&#8217;re traveling to caught my interest. I&#8217;ve only had a few workouts with the team so far, but I know that I made the right choice after seeing the talent level of all my teammates and I&#8217;m really looking forward to playing for Coach Gibson.    Favorite musical artists? Florida Georgia Line Favorite type of food? Chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A and my Mom&#8217;s Lemon Chicken.   Favorite app on your phone? Snapchat Do you have any private instructors ? Over the past couple of winters, and then becoming my coach in 2019, PJ Antoniato, really helped me become a better infielder and overall player from his experiences at St. Johns University and in the Phillies organization. What are your goals for 2020? What are you planning to work on this winter ? After getting hit by a Pitch that fractured my forearm and losing most of the summer season, I&#8217;m working out to come back better and stronger in 2020. I&#8217;m also really looking forward to starting my high school career at Massapequa.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/12/09/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-frank-kelly/">Up Next Powered By The Yard Sports Academy: Frank Kelly</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>(This is the seventh installment of our popular &#8216;Up Next&#8217; Series in which we spotlight the next wave of superstars on Long Island. Previously, we have featured <em><a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/12/03/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-charles-west/">Charles West,</a> <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/11/09/up-next-presented-by-the-yard-sports-jayden-stroman/">Jayden Stroman</a>, <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/11/12/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-liam-stemmler/">Liam Stemmler</a>, <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/11/22/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-paul-napolitano/">Paul Napolitano</a> , <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/11/28/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-sadier-vicioso/">Sadier Vicioso</a> and <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/11/23/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-matt-gileno/">Matt Gileno</a>. 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<a href="http://www.theyardsportsacademy.com/"> here</a>.)</em></p>
<p>&#8220;How do they do it?&#8221;</p>
<p>That&#8217;s a common question you hear when discussing <strong>Massapequa</strong>&#8216;s unprecedented run of success. They&#8217;ve won the past three Class AA Long Island Championships. They also had a streak of four in a row from 2006-2009.</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-37076 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/longislandthunder-300x47.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="47" /></p>
<p>The easy answer is that it starts at the top with some terrific coaching from <strong>Tom Sheedy</strong> and his staff. But it would be foolish not to credit the Little League for developing the fundamental skills from the time the kids are in elementary school so that when they are in high school, the rudimentary skills are second nature. When you combine natural talent with great coaching, it&#8217;s a winning combination. Additionally, some kids are just special. So if you add that intangible trait of thriving when the chips are on the table, then you have the potential for a game-changing player.</p>
<p>Up Next is<strong> Frank Kelly</strong>, younger brother of Coastal Carolina-commit <strong>Wade Kelly.</strong></p>
<p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-35232 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p>He&#8217;s the type of player that people rave about. I&#8217;ve gotten recommendations from several people saying he could be an impact player immediately. After missing most of last year due to an injury, he didn&#8217;t put up the gaudy numbers but he&#8217;s back to 100 percent and is a name to remember.</p>
<p>I had a chance to speak with him and here&#8217;s what he had to say&#8230;</p>
<p><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-35275 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/unnamed.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>Who are your biggest role models in life and why?</strong></em></div>
<div><span style="color: #000000;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;">My biggest role models in life are my dad and my brother because my dad taught me all I know about the game, and my brother always pushes me to do my best whether I&#8217;m just hitting in the cage or working out.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-42608 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/all-pro.jpg" alt="" width="242" height="208" /></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>Who are your favorite players in Major League Baseball and why?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">My favorite player in the MLB is Javier Baez. I love watching the way he plays and as a shortstop I learn so many little things from watching the way he moves around on the field.</span></span></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>Can you discuss the impact of your brother, Wade, on your playing career?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;">Mostly in the past couple years, Wade has really helped me out on and off the field. He was always a great role model for me on the way I should act and always hustle. But especially now as I&#8217;m getting older and beginning <span style="font-size: small;">high school, Wade teaches me about what I should expect as I play at the next level. It has impacted my playing career greatly because he has gone through the process already so now I know what I need to do and how hard I have to work to succeed.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-40079 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="218" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1-300x218.jpg 300w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1-768x558.jpg 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1-1024x744.jpg 1024w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1-800x582.jpg 800w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/strength-heals-jpeg-1.jpg 1267w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>How have you enjoyed your time with Team Beast ?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">I have chosen to play for the Beast 2023 team for next season. The very competitive schedule and tournaments that they&#8217;re traveling to caught my </span><span style="font-size: small;">interest. I&#8217;ve only had a few workouts with the team so far, but I know that I made the right choice after seeing the talent level of all my teammates and I&#8217;m really looking forward to playing for Coach Gibson. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.usabaseball.com/events/national-team-identification-series"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-41346 size-full" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USABaseballlogo.png" data-rel="prettyPhoto[image-43355]" alt="" width="150" height="122" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #cd232c; font-size: small;"><b> </b></span></div>
<div><em><strong>Favorite musical artists?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">Florida Georgia Line</span></span></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>Favorite type of food?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken sandwich from Chick-Fil-A and my Mom&#8217;s Lemon Chicken. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr"></div>
<div dir="ltr"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-40078 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/max-effort-baseball.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="200" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/max-effort-baseball.jpg 200w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/max-effort-baseball-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/max-effort-baseball-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" /></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong> Favorite app on your phone?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;">Snapchat</span></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>Do you have any private instructors ?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">Over the past couple of winters, and then becoming my coach in 2019, PJ Antoniato, really helped me become a better infielder and overall player from his experiences at St. Johns University and in the Phillies </span><span style="font-size: small;">organization.</span></span></div>
<div></div>
<div><em><strong>What are your goals for 2020? What are you planning to work on this winter ?</strong></em></div>
<div></div>
<div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: small;">After getting hit by a Pitch that fractured my forearm and losing most of the summer season, I&#8217;m working out to come back better and stronger in 2020. I&#8217;m also really looking forward to starting my high school career at Massapequa.</span></span></div>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/12/09/up-next-powered-by-the-yard-sports-academy-frank-kelly/">Up Next Powered By The Yard Sports Academy: Frank Kelly</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Wade Kelly Commits to Coastal Carolina</title>
		<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/08/15/wade-kelly-commits-to-coastal-carolina/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=wade-kelly-commits-to-coastal-carolina</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Vinny Messana]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 15 Aug 2019 12:42:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Archive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[FEATURES]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NEWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massapequa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wade Kelly]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.axcessbaseball.com/?p=42648</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;s latest dynasty has been a potent offense&#8211;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&#8217;s what he had to say&#8230; Can you explain your experience with the college recruiting experience and how you made your decision? The main thing for me was wanting to play down south. The difficulty in that was that none of the coaches would come to watch during the high school season or even the summer in NY. So it meant traveling a lot and having to make a new name for myself outside of my region. But the goo side to the traveling was that I got to see a lot of different schools and realized that was where I wanted to play. Who are your favorite athletes and why? Bryce Harper because of the way that he plays the game with enthusiasm and also Yadier Molina because he gives me someone to look at to model for defense behind the plate. Who are your biggest role models in life and why? My dad because he was the one that taught me how to play since I was little and has been a part of all the extra work in the cages and on the field. I have also been lucky to have great coaches over the years. Jim Orlando from the Ducks has helped me the past two years in growing as a person on-and-off the field and as a player. Also, Joe Reda from the Massapequa Redmen was the one who gave me the first introduction with Coastal Carolina and helped me to maintain a relationship with the coaches the last couple of years. Can you tell our audience about that Long Island Championship game, the mood in the dugout when you went down early and how exciting it was to hold off Connetquot&#8217;s comeback? The coaches were saying the whole game that winners always come back and to never get too high or too low no matter what the score was at what point. After we started to rally back, we all started to gain confidence and started knowing we would win. What are your goals for 2020? The goal is to get back to States and come home with a second ring this year. We have a strong team with many players returning that are hungry after the tough loss in the semis. What&#8217;s your favorite app on your phone? Snapchat Who are your favorite musical artists? Florida Georgia Line &#160;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/08/15/wade-kelly-commits-to-coastal-carolina/">Wade Kelly Commits to Coastal Carolina</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Wade Kelly launches a 2-run shot to LF to provide Massapequa with a 6-spot in the top half of the first. <a href="https://t.co/7vevLBU1Za">pic.twitter.com/7vevLBU1Za</a></p>
<p>— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/axcessbaseball/status/999044591750959107?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2018</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>One of the main ingredients to Massapequa&#8217;s latest dynasty has been a potent offense&#8211;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.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-40682 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_1442-287x300.jpg" alt="" width="287" height="300" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_1442-287x300.jpg 287w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_1442-768x802.jpg 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_1442-981x1024.jpg 981w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/IMG_1442.jpg 1054w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 287px) 100vw, 287px" /></p>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I had a chance to speak with him and here&#8217;s what he had to say&#8230;</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-35275 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/unnamed.png" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></p>
<p><strong><em>Can you explain your experien</em></strong><strong><em>ce with the college recruiting experience and how you made your decision?</em></strong></p>
<p>The main thing for me was wanting to play down south. The difficulty in that was that none of the coaches would come to watch during the high school season or even the summer in NY. So it meant traveling a lot and having to make a new name for myself outside of my region. But the goo side to the traveling was that I got to see a lot of different schools and realized that was where I wanted to play.</p>
<p><em><strong>Who are your favorite athletes and why?</strong></em></p>
<p>Bryce Harper because of the way that he plays the game with enthusiasm and also Yadier Molina because he gives me someone to look at to model for defense behind the plate.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-35232 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color-768x768.jpg 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/LI_JrDucks_color.jpg 1024w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></p>
<p><em><strong>Who are your biggest role models in life and why?</strong></em></p>
<p>My dad because he was the one that taught me how to play since I was little and has been a part of all the extra work in the cages and on the field. I have also been lucky to have great coaches over the years.<strong> Jim Orlando</strong> from the Ducks has helped me the past two years in growing as a person on-and-off the field and as a player. Also, <strong>Joe Reda</strong> from the Massapequa Redmen was the one who gave me the first introduction with Coastal Carolina and helped me to maintain a relationship with the coaches the last couple of years.</p>
<p><em><strong>Can you tell our audience about that Long Island Championship game, the mood in the dugout when you went down early and how exciting it was to hold off Connetquot&#8217;s comeback?</strong></em></p>
<p>The coaches were saying the whole game that winners always come back and to never get too high or too low no matter what the score was at what point. After we started to rally back, we all started to gain confidence and started knowing we would win.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-37076 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/longislandthunder-300x47.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="47" /></p>
<p><em><strong>What are your goals for 2020?</strong></em></p>
<p>The goal is to get back to States and come home with a second ring this year. We have a strong team with many players returning that are hungry after the tough loss in the semis.</p>
<p><em><strong>What&#8217;s your favorite app on your phone?</strong></em></p>
<p>Snapchat</p>
<p><em><strong>Who are your favorite musical artists?</strong></em></p>
<p>Florida Georgia Line</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/08/15/wade-kelly-commits-to-coastal-carolina/">Wade Kelly Commits to Coastal Carolina</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Game of the Week Presented by Muddy Locker Sports: Massapequa Overcomes 5-0 Deficit, Wins Third Consecutive LIC</title>
		<link>https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/06/09/massapequa-overcomes-5-0-deficit-wins-third-consecutive-lic/?utm_source=rss&#038;utm_medium=rss&#038;utm_campaign=massapequa-overcomes-5-0-deficit-wins-third-consecutive-lic</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Mike Connors]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jun 2019 05:07:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Game Recaps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NEWS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Connetquot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joey Savino]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Johnny Castagnozzi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Massapequa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nick Schwartz]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travis Honeyman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wade Kelly]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.axcessbaseball.com/?p=42089</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>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&#8217;t. With the bottom of the order due up in the 5th inning, all Massapequa needed to do was get base runners to set the table for the top of the lineup. They did just that. With the bases loaded and two outs, Wade Kelly delivered a bases clearing triple, followed by a Nick Schwartz RBI double. In the blink of an eye, this was a one-run game. Knowing they needed a larger cushion, Connetquot tacked on another in the bottom of the 5th, providing them with a two-run lead on an RBI double by Lucas Quinlan. Much like they have all season, Massapequa came alive in the late innings. Nick Schwartz launched a go-ahead solo HR in the top of the 7th inning to complete a five-run comeback, capturing Massapequa’s third consecutive Class AA Long Island Championship. For that reason, he’s the @BsbLifestyle101 player of the game. pic.twitter.com/inv7nn4fuz — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 8, 2019 Heading into the 6th inning, Massapequa&#8217;s bottom of the order came through again. Danny Sohn and Tyler Sohn both delivered RBIs, tying the game at 6-6. After the Thunderbirds couldn&#8217;t scratch any more across in the bottom frame, it was evident Massapequa had momentum on their side. Sure enough, Nick Schwartz came through again for the Chiefs, crushing a solo HR that gave his team the lead in the 7th inning. &#8220;6-6 game I had the go-ahead home run here it was a great time I just do it for the team we have a lot of grit and we came back to win it. Got the bus ride back to Binghamton and hopefully we can take home the trophy we deserve,&#8221; said Schwartz. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Connetquot loaded the bases with two outs and a chance to win it. Kenny Galvin entered to pitch and worked himself into one of the toughest situations you can imagine. 3-0 count, tying run on third and the bases loaded. Galvin was able to get two strikes in a row, followed by a fly out to end the game. Even the flyout was anxiety-inducing as much of the crowd gasped thinking it could be a walk-off hit. As predicted by many before the season began, Massapequa was dog piling on home plate for the third consecutive year in the Long Island Championship. With the victory, Massapequa isn&#8217;t done yet. They head to Binghamton next week where they look to defend their state title.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/06/09/massapequa-overcomes-5-0-deficit-wins-third-consecutive-lic/">Game of the Week Presented by Muddy Locker Sports: Massapequa Overcomes 5-0 Deficit, Wins Third Consecutive LIC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Massapequa holds on, 7-6, to win the Long Island Class AA Championship for the third consecutive season ! <a href="https://t.co/KEF44EkuVo">pic.twitter.com/KEF44EkuVo</a></p>
<p>— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/axcessbaseball/status/1137426335792582656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Once again, <strong>Massapequa</strong> has done it. They are your back-to-back-to-back Class AA Long Island Champions. This time, they defeated <strong>Connetquot</strong> 7-6 in one of the best games of the year.</p>
<p>In a rather curious decision, neither team decided to throw their ace for the Long Island Championship.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-41907 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69A9AF0E-0427-41DE-A514-550A3DCA19C8-240x300.png" alt="" width="240" height="300" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69A9AF0E-0427-41DE-A514-550A3DCA19C8-240x300.png 240w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69A9AF0E-0427-41DE-A514-550A3DCA19C8-768x960.png 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69A9AF0E-0427-41DE-A514-550A3DCA19C8-819x1024.png 819w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/69A9AF0E-0427-41DE-A514-550A3DCA19C8.png 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px" /></p>
<p>Connetquot jumped on the board first in the bottom of the 2nd inning, thanks to a <strong>Jared Yalon</strong> 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.</p>
<p>When it seemed like Massapequa was down and out, they most certainly weren&#8217;t.</p>
<p>With the bottom of the order due up in the 5th inning, all Massapequa needed to do was get base runners to set the table for the top of the lineup. They did just that. With the bases loaded and two outs, <strong>Wade Kelly</strong> delivered a bases clearing triple, followed by a <strong>Nick Schwartz</strong> RBI double. In the blink of an eye, this was a one-run game.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-41908 aligncenter" src="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D55F341A-4592-4222-B7F7-25C31EDA7FB2-232x300.jpeg" alt="" width="232" height="300" srcset="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D55F341A-4592-4222-B7F7-25C31EDA7FB2-232x300.jpeg 232w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D55F341A-4592-4222-B7F7-25C31EDA7FB2-768x994.jpeg 768w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D55F341A-4592-4222-B7F7-25C31EDA7FB2-791x1024.jpeg 791w, https://www.axcessbaseball.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/D55F341A-4592-4222-B7F7-25C31EDA7FB2.jpeg 1200w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 232px) 100vw, 232px" /></p>
<p>Knowing they needed a larger cushion, Connetquot tacked on another in the bottom of the 5th, providing them with a two-run lead on an RBI double by<strong> Lucas Quinlan.</strong></p>
<p>Much like they have all season, Massapequa came alive in the late innings.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Nick Schwartz launched a go-ahead solo HR in the top of the 7th inning to complete a five-run comeback, capturing Massapequa’s third consecutive Class AA Long Island Championship. For that reason, he’s the <a href="https://twitter.com/BsbLifestyle101?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BsbLifestyle101</a> player of the game. <a href="https://t.co/inv7nn4fuz">pic.twitter.com/inv7nn4fuz</a></p>
<p>— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/axcessbaseball/status/1137428960843841536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2019</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Heading into the 6th inning, Massapequa&#8217;s bottom of the order came through again. <strong>Danny Sohn</strong> and <strong>Tyler Sohn</strong> both delivered RBIs, tying the game at 6-6.</p>
<p>After the Thunderbirds couldn&#8217;t scratch any more across in the bottom frame, it was evident Massapequa had momentum on their side.</p>
<p>Sure enough, <strong>Nick Schwartz</strong> came through again for the Chiefs, crushing a solo HR that gave his team the lead in the 7th inning.</p>
<p>&#8220;6-6 game I had the go-ahead home run here it was a great time I just do it for the team we have a lot of grit and we came back to win it. Got the bus ride back to <strong>Binghamton</strong> and hopefully we can take home the trophy we deserve,&#8221; said Schwartz.</p>
<p>In the bottom of the 7th inning, Connetquot loaded the bases with two outs and a chance to win it. <strong>Kenny Galvin</strong> entered to pitch and worked himself into one of the toughest situations you can imagine. 3-0 count, tying run on third and the bases loaded. Galvin was able to get two strikes in a row, followed by a fly out to end the game. Even the flyout was anxiety-inducing as much of the crowd gasped thinking it could be a walk-off hit.</p>
<p>As predicted by many before the season began, Massapequa was dog piling on home plate for the third consecutive year in the Long Island Championship.</p>
<p>With the victory, Massapequa isn&#8217;t done yet. They head to Binghamton next week where they look to defend their state title.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com/2019/06/09/massapequa-overcomes-5-0-deficit-wins-third-consecutive-lic/">Game of the Week Presented by Muddy Locker Sports: Massapequa Overcomes 5-0 Deficit, Wins Third Consecutive LIC</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.axcessbaseball.com">Axcess Baseball</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>