Where are they now
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: 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. Man...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Kyle Gelling
It’s rare that you can truly say you work at your dream job. Long Island native and former Division-I baseball player, Kyle Gelling, has the distinction of being able to say that as he has established himself working at Barstool Sports since 2018. While luck certainly plays a part in finding the perfect job, Kyle put himself into that position through relentlessly pursuing his passion of working in sports and has reaped the rewards of that work. But to understand how he got there, you need to know where he started. The Early Days Kyle was born and raised in West Islip, the second of two children, his sister being 10 years older. He always had a love for sports – specifically baseball and football. His father split season tickets with a group of friends and he was able to attend...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Matt Crohan
During the summer of 2012, Matt Crohan had a routine that was unique for a 16-year-old. As one of the top prep left-handed pitchers in the country, everyone wanted to see him play against the best competition and that happened to be in the south. “I used to fly to Florida on Fridays and wait to hear where I was pitching the next day,” said Crohan. “I would pitch a couple innings, then I would hang out for the next couple days until it was time to go home,” he added. That was during a time in his life in which his name became increasingly more synonymous with the best amateurs in the nation. On one particular weekend, he recalled flying to Fort Myers, FL to pitch in a Perfect Game tournament in which he threw four shutout innings with nine strikeouts, allowing just one hit and one walk. His...
Where Are They Now Powered by The BK7 Brand: 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 BK7 Brand: Jack Piekos
In 2013-’14, there was no team more dominant than Bayport-Blue Point and on that team, there was no more dominant player than Jack Piekos. The Phantoms became the first Suffolk County program to capture back-to-back State Championships (that has since been duplicated by Center Moriches). They went a perfect 27-0 in 2013 and followed that up by defending their crown and winning it again in 2014. Piekos was the biggest reason for that success. The menacing left-handed pitcher won every award you can – League VII MVP, All-County, All-Long Island, All-State, Class A Player of the Year, Fred Biangardi Playoff MVP, MSG Varsity Pitcher of the Year, All-Northeast Honor from Perfect Game and 2x Paul Gibson Award winner. With a fastball touching 90 MPH and an unflappable demeanor, he committed to t...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Randy Leek
1 earned run in 78 innings. That’s not a typo that’s what MacArthur LHP Randy Leek posted in 1995 while winning the Diamond Award – given to the top pitcher in Nassau County. His minuscule ERA of 0.09 ranks fourth all-time in the New York State record books. Despite that level of dominance, it was actually the year before that generated more headlines, as he was part of one of the best high school teams in Long Island history. But before that’s we’ll turn back the clock. Early Days Randy Leek was born and raised in Levittown, NY. His father, Rick Leek, was a baseball coach and actually coached at MacArthur HS prior to current legendary coach Steve Costello. He was huge Met fan and he cited Gregg Jeffries as he favorite player. Later on in life, he met Gregg an...
Where Are They Now: T.J. Pecoraro
(Editor’s Note: This story was originally posted in December, 2019. We will be resuming the “Where Are They Now?” Series this offseason) In 2009, Centereach was experiencing a renaissance, enjoying their best season in 18 years. Entering the postseason as the No. 5 seed, surely they would be in position to advance into the winner’s bracket of Suffolk Class AA. As luck would have it, they were stuck facing No. 12 ranked Half Hollow Hills West, a team led by ace T.J. Pecoraro. Centereach matched their ace up against the hard-thrower. It turned out to be a classic game with Hills West winning 4-3 in 10 innings in front of a packed crowd. I remember this game vividly because I was starting opposite of Pecoraro. Even in the midst of the greatest season of my life, I had a feel...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Greg Marino
(Editor’s Note: This is the eighth installment of “Where Are They Now” Powered by the BK7 Brand. You can check out the previous seven by clicking here. In this edition, we catch up with Greg Marino, a former standout pitcher at Centereach HS and Stony Brook University.) 6’6″ Greg Marino is coming off a great year and is up to 88-90 MPH with his heater. Certainly a potential draft candidate pic.twitter.com/d5UKWGTEoS — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 16, 2017 Standing 6’6 and throwing in the low 90s, Greg Marino was an intimidating presence on the mound for Stony Brook University. The hard-throwing RHP pitched three seasons for Matt Senk including starting an NCAA Regional game in 2019 against LSU. Following his collegiate career, Marino foll...
Where Are They Now Powered by BK7 Brand: Jack Piekos
In 2013-’14, there was no team more dominant than Bayport-Blue Point and on that team, there was no more dominant player than Jack Piekos. The Phantoms became the first Suffolk County program to capture back-to-back State Championships (that has since been duplicated by Center Moriches). They went a perfect 27-0 in 2013 and followed that up by defending their crown and winning it again in 2014. Piekos was the biggest reason for that success. The menacing left-handed pitcher won every award you can – League VII MVP, All-County, All-Long Island, All-State, Class A Player of the Year, Fred Biangardi Playoff MVP, MSG Varsity Pitcher of the Year, All-Northeast Honor from Perfect Game and 2x Paul Gibson Award winner. With a fastball touching 90 MPH and an unflappable demeanor, he co...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Jeff Towle
When Jeff Towle set the single-season HR record at Suffolk CC with 10 in 2018 it was an exciting moment for the Ward Melville grad. He was able to accomplish the feat in a mere 28 games. To make it more impressive, Towle graduated high school in 2015 with no intention of playing another game. He had been committed to Pace to play football and did not play even a summer ball game since the county championship against Connetquot. The Early Days Jeff was born and raised in Stony Brook to a sports-loving family. His grandfather coached varsity football at Newfield HS for 15 years, his uncle played baseball at Suffolk CC and his younger brother would grow up loving baseball. For Jeff, his favorite sport was football, calling it his “first love.” When it came to baseball, he grew up ...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: Danny Barnes
by Eddie Lennon Versatility is the ability to adapt and be useful in a variety of different functions or activities. Not just on the pitching mound, but for Danny Barnes, the 2007 Diamond Award winner and former Toronto Blue Jays, becoming versatile has created a unique journey through the different areas of professional baseball. After his years in the Port Washington league, he moved on to play for Manhasset High School for four years under coaches Rich Hess and Bruce Minerley. Barnes was known for his incredible work ethic that he developed from his pitching hero, the great Roger Clemens. He also wanted to be a workhorse that batters feared from 60 feet and 6 inches away. Danny Barnes is as versatile as it gets. He did not just know how to play the sport, but he has an understanding ...
Where Are They Now Powered by the BK7 Brand: 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 Di...
