Where are they now
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: B.J. LaMura
(Editor’s Note: This is the ninth of a 10-part “Where Are They Now” series in which look back on some of the top players in Long Island history. Previously, we featured James Bailin, Jeff Tyler, Jake Thomas, Luke Stampfl, Nick Trabacchi, Thomas Roulis, Billy Alvino and Matt Prokopowicz. Special thanks to Prime Performance for sponsoring this year’s series.) Had Instagram and TikTok been around, there’s no doubt there would’ve been a barrage of content built around Connetquot in the late 80s and all of the 1990s. They were the premier baseball program in Suffolk County, capturing the State Championship in 1989 and 1995 and were always contending for a County Championship under the late, great Bob Ambrosini. In 1999, Connetquot did not win the County Champ...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Matt Prokopowicz
When Massapequa lost to East Meadow in the 2005 County Championship, there was a picture of the team celebrating on the mound. That picture was hung up in the locker room at Massapequa in the locker room. “That picture of them lit the fire for the next 20 years,” said Matt Prokopowicz. Hypernole or not, Massapequa went 29-0 in 2006 winning the Class AA Nassau County, Long Island and NYS Championships. Prokopowicz was a major part of that success as he was named All-State and hit a clutch HR in the Long Island Championship in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut into a 5-0 deficit. Prokopowicz will go down as one of the best hitters in Long Island history, as he wound up attending Hofstra University where he is still the all-time hit king. But before we get to that, let’s...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Billy Alvino
(Editor’s Note: This is the seventh part of a 10-part series in which we re-visit the careers of some of the top players in Long Island history. Previously, we featured James Bailin, Jeff Tyler, Jake Thomas, Luke Stampfl, Nick Trabacchi and Thomas Roulis. Special thanks to Prime Performance for sponsoring this year’s series.) In what remains their only County Championship in program history, Sachem East defeated Smithtown in the Suffolk Finals at Baseball Heaven by the score of 5-3. That Sachem team was a powerhouse, compiling a record of 24-5, despite it being the first year of the school. A major reason for their success was the presence of senior catcher Billy Aguiar (now Alvino). He batted .575 (12-for-19 in the playoffs) with 7 HRs, 17 doubles, 44 RBIs, 35 runs scored and ...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Thomas Roulis
Chaminade has had many dominant seasons in their program’s rich history. You don’t have to turn back the clock too far to look at their 2022 season as possibly their greatest season. If that’s Number 1, then right behind it is their 2011 team. They won the CHSAA Championship over St. Dominic in a thrilling 3-game series and had 13 players that went onto play collegiately. They finished the season 21-5. It was a team that was accustomed to winning, who had won their championship as freshmen and sophomores but came up short in the 2010 playoffs. While the years have gone on, their legacy will go down as one of the best teams that Long Island has seen. Their starting shortstop, Thomas Roulis, would be named Co-Player of the Year along with Holy Trinity’s Jack Parenty. ...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Chris Gannon
In what was the first County Championship for Hauppauge, Chris Gannon put together one of the finest seasons in Long Island history. He played CF and batted leadoff – hitting .483 with 5 HRs, 10 triples, 7 doubles, scoring an incredible 55 runs, drawing 27 walks, 42 hits and drove in 32 runs. The Eagles went 21-5 for the second straight year and successfully defended their title as Suffolk County Champs, this time against future MLB draft pick Tim Layden from Deer Park at Ducks Stadium. Surely, a player of that ilk would go on to play Division-I baseball before continuing his career in pro ball. For Gannon, however, his true love was not baseball, but soccer. He also starred on the Hauppauge boy’s soccer team where he was a two-time Long Island Champ. Ultimately, those two years were the p...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Luke Stampfl
Flying out to left field in your final collegiate at bat is not the Hollywood ending most imagine. Especially not when you were already 3-for-4 with a home run over 400 feet in that game. And it’s in an elimination game at Clemson in the NCAA Regional. But St. John’s grad student Luke Stampfl still smiled as he rounded first base. Partially because he said it was his hardest hit ball of the day – even factoring in the home run – and partially knowing that he gave absolutely everything that he had – and that included months of grueling pain that he endured from a cyst on his tailbone, which overlapped with his recovering from a deep bone bruise on his knee after fouling a ball off. Stampfl had a career that most players dream of – playing five years of Division-I at two of New York’s finest...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Chris Cappas
It’s been over 7 years since Kellenberg’s thrilling 1-0 victory over St. John the Baptist at Hofstra University in which their sophomore stud, Jason Diaz, was electric and struck out the final batter to secure the second straight title for the Firebirds. It remains the last championship for Kellenberg. The Catholic League Player of the Year was senior LHP Chris Cappas who went 6-1 on the mound and allowed just 1 run over 39.1 innings (0.18 ERA) with 53 strikeouts. He ended the season on a 25.1 inning scoreless streak. He was equally as impactful at the plate, he batted .434 with 3 HRs, 23 RBIs and just one strikeout. Cappas, along with a group of seniors, formed a bond that he believes is the reason they were so successful on the field. It doesn’t hurt, however, that they...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Jake Thomas
(This is the third installment of “Where Are They Now” in which we catch up with some of the great players in Long Island history. Previously, we featured James Bailin and Jeff Tyler. Thank you to Prime Performance for sponsoring this year’s series.) The Early Days Jake Thomas was raised in Merrick, NY. He is the youngest of two children, his sister being one year older. After moving a few times during his youth, Jake’s family settled in Merrick when he was in 3rd grade. He was a die-hard sports fan, he also played hockey and football until high school. His favorite team was the New York Yankees. At the first baseball game he attended in 2nd grade, he was fortunate enough to get Jorge Posada to give him his game used bat when he wished him a Happy Birthday prior to ...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: Jeff Tyler
Jeff Tyler always found a way to win. Whether it was during his storied high school career for the MacArthur Generals or in college for the Adelphi Panthers there was often a W next to his name in the box score. In fact, even long after his career ended he still found a way to be the winning pitcher. That’s right, even at Adelphi’s Alumni day many years after his final competitive pitch, he was able to hawk a win against Adelphi’s current team. Jeff Tyler owns Long Island’s record for the most wins in a varsity career with 32. He played during the height of Levittown’s special run in which he led the Generals to back-to-back Long Island Championships in 1993 and 1994. But to understand the full story, you must start from the beginning. The Early Days Tyler was...
Where Are They Now Powered by Prime Performance: James Bailin
(Special thanks to Prime Performance for sponsoring this year’s “Where Are They Now” You can check them out by clicking here.) Photo Credit: Newsday/Bill Davis 29-0. There’s a beauty in perfection. It is elusive in the game of baseball – a game that is designed to include failures and to humble every player. For Division Ave HS in 1996, there was no such failures. The Blue Dragons went wire-to-wire not losing one game. In fact, they only played in one game that was decided by one run. They scored 325 runs during the regular season and often were up by double digits before their starting pitcher took the mound. And their starting pitchers usually only needed one or two runs to begin with. One of their starters, James Bailin, was untouchable that season as he fi...
Where Are They Now: Bryan Verbitsky
Bryan Verbitsky has a claim for the best high school career on Long Island of this century. He was a two-time Diamond Award recipient – given annually to the top player in Nassau County. He led Island Trees to a County Championship in 2007 over Clarke. He ended his career with his name all over the record books at Island Trees – finishing first in home runs (30), hits (136), ABs (319), runs (129), second in SBs (45) and fourth in ERA (1.90). Simply put, he had one of the finest careers a high school player can have. Additionally, and this is something that often gets forgotten – he did so when the conference was talent-based, meaning he performed exceptionally against the best players in the county. “There were no gimme wins in the league,” said Verbitsky. Many people that played baseball ...
Where Are They Now: Chris Gannon
(Editor’s Note: This article was originally published on February, 13, 2024.) In what remains the last County Championship for Hauppauge, Chris Gannon put together one of the finest seasons in Long Island history. He played CF and batted leadoff – hitting .483 with 5 HRs, 10 triples, 7 doubles, scoring an incredible 55 runs, drawing 27 walks, 42 hits and drove in 32 runs. The Eagles went 21-5 for the second straight year and successfully defended their title as Suffolk County Champs, this time against future MLB draft pick Tim Layden from Deer Park at Ducks Stadium. Surely, a player of that ilk would go on to play Division-I baseball before continuing his career in pro ball. For Gannon, however, his true love was not baseball, but soccer. He also starred on the Hauppauge boy’s soccer...
