Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design<\/a> for sponsoring this year’s series<\/em><\/p>\n

by George Caratzas<\/strong><\/p>\n

The <\/span>Westbury Dragons<\/b> are coming off consecutive winning seasons and their first time topping the Nassau county-wide league since 1972. Without a little league in town, much of head coach Ryan Mulholland\u2019s<\/b> team is new to the sport when entering high school, making the task of winning that much more challenging.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After a 9-8 year in 2023, the Dragons went 11-6 overall and claimed the league title for the first time in over 50 years.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what league you play in, you want to finish first in,\u201d Mulholland said in an interview with <\/span>Axcess Baseball<\/span><\/i>. \u201cIt was really exciting for our program to have some success in baseball. We look up at the banners in the gym that say \u20181968\u2019 and \u20181972,\u2019 it\u2019s really special for us and the community to have \u20182024\u2019 up there with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This year, Westbury is set to combine with another league to create a much tougher, 11 team playing field.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re definitely excited because this will be a much bigger challenge,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIf we do certain things well such as pitching and defense, we will be able to compete with any of those other teams.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This year\u2019s group will look a bit different for the Dragons, as they are without <\/span>Alex Munguia<\/b> and <\/span>Omar Ahmad Ventura<\/b>, who both graduated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Munguia, who bounced between first and second base, was selected as an all-league player after hitting .484 his senior year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAlex was our senior captain and our only captain last year,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe is an incredibly respected young man. He\u2019s such a hard worker and so knowledgeable in the game. We will definitely miss that leadership on and off the field.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With Ventura gone, Westbury will have to replace their starting center fielder. Ventura also held the third spot in the Dragons\u2019 rotation and hit .472 as the leadoff hitter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe picked up baseball in eleventh grade after being a cricket player,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe picked it up so fast that he became our leadoff hitter in one year. We\u2019ll miss him a lot.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the losses, Mulholland does have a few major pieces returning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First off, last season\u2019s league most valuable player \u2014 shortstop and pitcher <\/span>Jonathan Cruz<\/b> \u2014 is back for his junior year. In his MVP campaign, Cruz hit .565 with a team-high three home runs and 23 runs batted in. On the mound, he was 5-1 while pitching to an ERA of 0.68 and striking out 82 batters in 31 innings. Along the way, Cruz picked up a pair of no-hitters.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s safe to say that Cruz is our ace,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s a luxury to have a guy that can go out and give you quality innings every third game. We project him as the third hitter in the lineup and being our best RBI man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Cruz\u2019s magnitude on the team extends off the field as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJonathan is a special player and a special person, no doubt about it,\u201d Mulholland said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Another key piece that Westbury is getting back is <\/span>Abhay Patel<\/b>, who can fill multiple roles on the field. He profiles as Mulholland\u2019s second name in the rotation, as well as an option at first base, third base and shortstop, when Cruz is on the mound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year, Patel hit .395 and drove in 12 runs while also winning three games on the mound and striking out 39 batters in 22 innings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe is such a good leader for us,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cAbhay has done so much for us and developed a lot since his freshman year. He was actually our catcher in the past and it took away from his ability to pitch so we had to move him from behind the plate. You talk about versatility, Patel is as good as it gets.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With Patel no longer catching, the Dragons will likely utilize a tandem of backstops with junior <\/span>Benjamin Raskin<\/b> and senior <\/span>Kevin Solorzano<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Raskin should handle more of the load behind the plate, as he hit .429 last season. Raskin also drove in 16 runs for the Dragons while in a similar playing time split with Solorzano.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRaskin is one of our bigger power hitters,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe might not hit the home runs, but extra base hits and gap-to-gap power is his thing. Without a doubt, he will be a big piece in the middle of our order.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As for Solorzano, he may not play as much behind the plate because of his simple ability to succeed elsewhere on the diamond.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cKevin is a true utility guy,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cYes, he catches, but he can also play all nine positions including pitcher. He may even get some looks in center field.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Maybe the strongest candidate to take over for Ventura in center field though, is senior <\/span>Nabeel Jafar<\/b>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a varsity player last year as a junior and also played a bit with us as a sophomore,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an open battle but he got some time in the outfield last year and did well in center field. He also was in our two-hole last year and has a good contact bat.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

As for another slugger, Mulholland has senior <\/span>Josue Monegro<\/b> coming back as the favorite to be the starting first baseman. Monegro \u2014 who is from the Dominican Republic \u2014 hit .474 last season while driving in 10 runs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI would never make my starting lineup a month before the season, but I\u2019d imagine that Josue would be at first for us on most days,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe\u2019s a big power bat. Very strong kid with extra base power.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While on paper, the Dragons are still trying to recover from the losses of their two seniors, Mulholland is confident in his team\u2019s ability to overcome and is happy with their current spot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys have come in and they\u2019re doing stuff to get better on their own time,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s very obvious to us as a coaching staff that guys are hungry and that they saw the conference championship last year and want to taste more of that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Westbury\u2019s season will start on March 28, as it hits the road to take on Roosevelt.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by George Caratzas The Westbury Dragons are coming off consecutive winning seasons and their first time topping the Nassau county-wide league since 1972. Without a little league in town, much of head coach Ryan Mulholland\u2019s team is new to the sport when entering high school, making the task of winning that much more challenging.\u00a0 After a 9-8 year in 2023, the Dragons went 11-6 overall and claimed the league title for the first time in over 50 years.\u00a0 \u201cNo matter what league you play in, you want to finish first in,\u201d Mulholland said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. \u201cIt was really exciting for our program to have some success in baseball. We look up at the banners in the gym that say \u20181968\u2019 and \u20181972,\u2019 it\u2019s really special for us and the community to have \u20182024\u2019 up there with them.\u201d This year, Westbury is set to combine with another league to create a much tougher, 11 team playing field.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re definitely excited because this will be a much bigger challenge,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIf we do certain things well such as pitching and defense, we will be able to compete with any of those other teams.\u201d This year\u2019s group will look a bit different for the Dragons, as they are without Alex Munguia and Omar Ahmad Ventura, who both graduated.\u00a0 Munguia, who bounced between first and second base, was selected as an all-league player after hitting .484 his senior year.\u00a0 \u201cAlex was our senior captain and our only captain last year,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe is an incredibly respected young man. He\u2019s such a hard worker and so knowledgeable in the game. We will definitely miss that leadership on and off the field.\u201d With Ventura gone, Westbury will have to replace their starting center fielder. Ventura also held the third spot in the Dragons\u2019 rotation and hit .472 as the leadoff hitter.\u00a0 \u201cHe picked up baseball in eleventh grade after being a cricket player,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe picked it up so fast that he became our leadoff hitter in one year. We\u2019ll miss him a lot.\u201d Despite the losses, Mulholland does have a few major pieces returning.\u00a0 First off, last season\u2019s league most valuable player \u2014 shortstop and pitcher Jonathan Cruz \u2014 is back for his junior year. In his MVP campaign, Cruz hit .565 with a team-high three home runs and 23 runs batted in. On the mound, he was 5-1 while pitching to an ERA of 0.68 and striking out 82 batters in 31 innings. Along the way, Cruz picked up a pair of no-hitters. \u201cIt\u2019s safe to say that Cruz is our ace,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s a luxury to have a guy that can go out and give you quality innings every third game. We project him as the third hitter in the lineup and being our best RBI man.\u201d Cruz\u2019s magnitude on the team extends off the field as well. \u201cJonathan is a special player and a special person, no doubt about it,\u201d Mulholland said.\u00a0 Another key piece that Westbury is getting back is Abhay Patel, who can fill multiple roles on the field. He profiles as Mulholland\u2019s second name in the rotation, as well as an option at first base, third base and shortstop, when Cruz is on the mound. Last year, Patel hit .395 and drove in 12 runs while also winning three games on the mound and striking out 39 batters in 22 innings.\u00a0 \u201cHe is such a good leader for us,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cAbhay has done so much for us and developed a lot since his freshman year. He was actually our catcher in the past and it took away from his ability to pitch so we had to move him from behind the plate. You talk about versatility, Patel is as good as it gets.\u201d With Patel no longer catching, the Dragons will likely utilize a tandem of backstops with junior Benjamin Raskin and senior Kevin Solorzano.\u00a0\u00a0 Raskin should handle more of the load behind the plate, as he hit .429 last season. Raskin also drove in 16 runs for the Dragons while in a similar playing time split with Solorzano. \u201cRaskin is one of our bigger power hitters,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe might not hit the home runs, but extra base hits and gap-to-gap power is his thing. Without a doubt, he will be a big piece in the middle of our order.\u201d As for Solorzano, he may not play as much behind the plate because of his simple ability to succeed elsewhere on the diamond.\u00a0 \u201cKevin is a true utility guy,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cYes, he catches, but he can also play all nine positions including pitcher. He may even get some looks in center field.\u201d Maybe the strongest candidate to take over for Ventura in center field though, is senior Nabeel Jafar.\u00a0 \u201cHe was a varsity player last year as a junior and also played a bit with us as a sophomore,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s definitely an open battle but he got some time in the outfield last year and did well in center field. He also was in our two-hole last year and has a good contact bat.\u201d As for another slugger, Mulholland has senior Josue Monegro coming back as the favorite to be the starting first baseman. Monegro \u2014 who is from the Dominican Republic \u2014 hit .474 last season while driving in 10 runs.\u00a0 \u201cI would never make my starting lineup a month before the season, but I\u2019d imagine that Josue would be at first for us on most days,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cHe\u2019s a big power bat. Very strong kid with extra base power.\u201d While on paper, the Dragons are still trying to recover from the losses of their two seniors, Mulholland is confident in his team\u2019s ability to overcome and is happy with their current spot.\u00a0 \u201cThese guys have come in and they\u2019re doing stuff to get better on their own time,\u201d Mulholland said. \u201cIt\u2019s very obvious to us as a coaching staff that guys are hungry and that they saw the conference championship last year and want to taste more of that.\u201d Westbury\u2019s season will start on March 28, as it hits the road to take on Roosevelt.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51730,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,461],"tags":[3463,3462,3325,3324],"class_list":{"0":"post-51726","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archive","8":"category-news","9":"tag-2025-season-previews","10":"tag-george-caratzas","11":"tag-ryan-mulholland","12":"tag-westbury"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n