Wantagh
Wantagh Looks To Regain Postseason Magic of 2016-2018
From 2016-2018, Wantagh was the epitome of a team. Each year they went into the postseason with detractors, and each time they came out as the last team standing – not just in the loaded Nassau Class A, but on Long Island. They even captured the State Championship in 2016. Things didn’t go that way in 2019 – after they graduated five All-State players in a three-year span, they featured a much less experienced roster and it showed in the first-round of the playoffs in a 3-2 loss to Mepham. In any event, they are entering 2020 poised to make a deep postseason run and head coach Keith Sachs – who knows a thing or two about winning- sees some positive signs entering the season. “They have an insane level of commitment – 12 months out of the year,” he ...
Who Was The Best Team of The 2010s?
When it comes to being considered the best–the bar is set high. Over the course of the past 10 seasons, there have been undefeated seasons, there have been back-to-back state champs, there have been pitching staffs loaded with Division-I talent and pro pitchers. But there can only be one team considered the best. I have watched a lot of baseball, but I didn’t trust my own instinct so I solicited the help of some trusted sources to put together my definitive list of the best teams of the decade. To make it a bit easier, we narrowed it down to teams that have won a Long Island Championship, because plenty of talented teams have made it to the finish line only to come up short. We also did not list any school more than once on purpose because many of the back-to-back champions fea...
Get to Know Aidan Bardi
Aidan Bardi, who hit 18 HRs in Cooperstown, getting his swings in. He’s hit 73 HRs this season. He’s in the Wantagh school district pic.twitter.com/TJxzXPLZmN — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 19, 2019 Move over Barry Bonds–your record has been tied. Eighth grader Aidan Bardi has made a name for himself this season by smacking 73 HRs in astounding performance of power. The young slugger hit 18 HRs in one week in Cooperstown, with more than half of those going to the opposite field. I had a chance to speak with him at MaX Effort Baseball in Farmingdale, NY to watch him hit and ask him some questions after–here’s what he had to say: Who’s your favorite player in Major League Baseball? Mike Trout. Who’s your favorite team? The Angels. W...
Mepham Knocks Off Wantagh, 3-2, Behind Gianni Macchio’s Walk Off Double
Gianni Macchio walks it off with a 2RBI double and Mepham eliminates Wantagh!!!!!! FINAL: Mepham 3 Wantagh 2 WP: Tyler O’Neill (CG) Gianni Macchio: Walk off pic.twitter.com/KWbKBq1QJ9 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2019 There is nothing quite like the atmosphere of a win-or-go home playoff game. In any given sport, emotions are always at their peak and anything can happen. Sure enough, this ballgame lived up to the hype. In a game for the ages, Mepham knocked off the three-time defending Long Island Champion Wantagh Warriors on a two strike, walk off 2 RBI double courtesy of Gianni Macchio. Heading into Monday, nobody predicted this outcome. Considering the fact Wantagh was sending their ace, Mason McLane, to the mound, it seemed even more unlikely. Tyler O’Neill got ...
Nassau County Class A Playoff Preview (Plus Predictions)
As always, the Class A playoffs will be a roller coaster of emotions. It brings high energy, closely contested match ups and upsets. The factor that makes these playoffs so great, is that there’s 18 teams competing for the ultimate goal of a county championship. As we’ve seen in previous years, there’s been clear favorites heading into the postseason. However, this year, it’s anybody’s title to win. With that being said, let’s take a look at the Class A playoffs. Play-In Games: #18 South Side vs. #15 Island Trees For several reasons, this is a great match up. Not only do both teams have great arms, but they both struggle to hit high-end pitching. For South Side, expect Dan Kelleher to take the mound. Kelleher features a lively fastball, along with the ab...
Wantagh Defeats Valley Stream North 2-1 Behind McLane’s Gem
Mason McLane talks about what he did to keep the Valley Stream North lineup in check and how he got out of crucial jams in the 6th & 7th inning. pic.twitter.com/t93tPIajp0 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 6, 2019 In game one of the series, Wantagh got the best of Valley Stream North, as they squeaked out a 2-1 victory. From the get go, Wantagh wasted no time getting out in front. In the top of the first inning, Dylan Scott gave the Warriors an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly. From this point forward, Wantagh never surrendered the lead. Mason McLane got the start in game one of the series and was phenomenal. Entering the game, he had 70 strikeouts through 38.2 innings pitched. It’s safe to say he looked as good as advertised. McLane finished allowing five hits, one ear...
Class A Mid-Season Power Rankings
With six games left to play in the regular season, there are a ton of teams that are competing for playoff spots. For the first time in awhile, there’s no such thing as a team that’s clearly better than everyone else. Right now, a number of teams can win the County Championship. There have been some surprises thus far, but these next two weeks will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the race for the postseason. Here are the mid-season power rankings for Class A. 10. Carey (7-2) Under Doug Robbins first year as head coach, things are looking bright for Carey heading into the back end of the season. They hold a 7-2 record with a chance to win their conference. However, they still have to beat an extremely talented Garden City team if they wish to do so. They play a win...
Nassau County Class A Preseason Power Rankings
Spring has sprung which means the varsity baseball season is officially underway. After Wantagh won their third consecutive County Championship in 2018, things are expected to be a little different in Class A this season. While there will be new teams emerging as contenders, there’s also going to be plenty of teams that come into the season with a chip on their shoulder, ready to prove they are worthy of winning. With that being said, here are the preseason power rankings for Class A. 10. Valley Stream North Competing in an extremely tough conference, Valley Stream North enters the season as “sleepers” in Conference A4. With a lineup consisting of Albany-commit Joe Gisonda and James Saracino, they can give opposing teams nightmares. They also return Chrs Manzi and Colin M...
Wantagh Enters 2019 With A Target On Their Back After Winning Three Straight Long Island Championships
The first word that comes to mind when discussing Wantagh is dynasty. As everyone should know, Wantagh has won three consecutive Class A Long Island Championships. They not only demoralized every one of their opponent’s dreams in the making, but now go down in Long Island history as one of the most dominant teams to ever do it. Aside from the 2016 State Championship and the three Long Island Championships, Wantagh portrays an incomparable resume among that three year period. The core of these championship teams were made up of star ballplayers who went on to play baseball at the next level. Winning the most prestigious award in Nassau County is just one of the awards they took home in back-to-back seasons. In 2017, Jimmy Joyce (Hofstra) won the Diamond Award for best hitter, batting ...
Garden City Enters 2019 With A Chip On Their Shoulder
Final: Garden City 12 Wantagh 3 WP: Andrew Nagel Winner take all game Tueaday @ 4PM. pic.twitter.com/D3JLUtDuLz — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 28, 2017 Among the most impressive teams in Nassau Class A over the last two years is the Garden City Trojans. After taking Wantagh to Game Three of the County Championship two years ago and losing to them in the semifinals last season, it’s evident they came up just short of something special. The question of “what if” will linger around the locker room this off season, but expect the Trojans to turn the page and be a threat once again in 2019. As far as Garden City’s conference opponents, it’s hard to envision anyone preventing them from being conference champions once again. Their 2019 schedule includes N...
North Shore Ready For Another County Championship Run In 2019
If you have been following Nassau County Baseball for the last 4-5 years, you know who the top teams are. Since 2015, North Shore, Wantagh and Division have each appeared in the semifinals at least twice and the county championship a combined six times. In 2018, the three teams combined for a record of 45-9. This year, all three teams will be in the same conference. Stacked? I think so. However, there is one team in particular that stands out the most in Conference A4 and that is the North Shore Vikings. With Wantagh and Division graduating a significant amount of seniors in 2018, North Shore is on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. They enter the 2019 season returning several amount of key players that led them to a 14-4 record last year. Their only playoff losses came to the bac...
