West Islip baseball
West Islip Takes Game 1 Over Ward Melville With 1-0 Win
West Islip accomplished the main goal in a Class AA Suffolk County semifinal three-game series; win on the road to play tomorrow at home with a 1-0 series lead. Senior RHP Joe Valentino stepped up for WI and earned the W, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings with seven Ks, five walks and four hits. The Patriots called upon LHP Chris Buehler to face WI at home, he was tagged with the tough-luck loss after allowing one earned run over seven innings with seven Ks, four walks and three hits. “It has been like this every game, we’re a team that prides itself on pitching and defense, Ward Melville is a very similar team to us,” said WI head coach Shawn Rush. “Throughout the season we’ve had numerous games like this; this is what we’re bred for, this is our style of play.” Despite being known for stron...
Jake Guercio Diagnosed With Torn ACL, Will Miss Remainder of Season
Another big injury for a top-tier Long Island prospect. West Islip outfielder Jake Guercio, Fordham-commit, was diagnosed with a torn ACL and will undergo surgery on April 24. It is a huge loss for the reigning Long Island Class AA championship and for the young outfielder who was garnering looks from MLB scouts after a tremendous sophomore season. He recorded a hit in all but one game during their championship run and also led the football team to the Long Island Championship as the starting quarterback. While the injury is certainly a terrible break, he will have a chance to return for his senior season next year. His father, Phil, stated that Fordham already acknowledged that they will honor their scholarship and their Head Coach, Kevin Leighton, has been nothing but supportive.
Suffolk Class AA Predictions
We’ve given you the top story lines to follow this year. We’ve given you the top individuals that could get drafted. Now it’s time to take a stab at who will be the league champs when it’s all said and done. League play opens up on Monday. Class AA Player of the Year: Peter Theodorellis (Commack) Pitcher of the Year: Ben Brown (Ward Melville) League 1: There is a ton of parity in the league this year. With the emergence of Longwood last year, the expected improvement of Sachem East and the usual head-butting of Ward Melville and Pat-Med for the league title, things will get interesting. Brentwood could make some noise too with ace pitcher Justin Aviles getting rave reviews as a sleeper pick this year for All-County. Floyd has a pitching staff led by Robert Brust an...
Avoiding Complacency
Each and every season brings high expectations for the upcoming year. Long Island crowned eight county champions in 2016. Center Moriches (Suffolk B), East Meadow (Nassau AA), Mt Sinai (Suffolk A), Smithtown Christian (Suffolk D), Southold (Suffolk C), Wantagh (Nassau A) Wheatley (Nassau B) and West Islip (Class AA) all won county championships last spring. These teams all hope to repeat last year’s success but also must be aware of the potential for complacency due to lofty expectations and being overconfident. Another hurdle these teams will have is that their opponents will all have extra motivation to unseat these champions. As a defending champion or even a team that had an outstanding 2016, you must avoid the thought of being invincible the following year. Many things change each ye...
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