baseball player magazine

LITTLE LEAGUEMassapequa Coast

LIFE IN THE MINORSFeaturing Scott Gaffney

PLAYERS SPOTLIGHTSteve McQuail and Effrey Valdez

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES • NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTY HIGH SCHOOLS •

CATHOLIC LEAGUE •

BPM ONE ON ONE

WITH BRANDON STAHL

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:BK’S PLAYERS TO WATCHBPM’S STARTING LINEUP

PRESEASON STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Hofstra Pitcher Jeff Guthridge looking to be Hofstra’s top closer in 2010.

Photography by Brian BallwegLEADINGOFF

T.J. Grieg, Molloy College

74 Massapequa Coast Little LeagueBy: Catherine McGeeA look into the structure and success of the Massapequa Coast Little Leaque program.

80 Heater’s CornerBy:Ashley MichaelsIs the radar gun king? BPM got Neal Heaton’s opinion and what he thinks it takes to get to the next level.

92 Players SpotlightBy: Brett MauserSteve McQuail (Canisius College) and Effrey Valdez (New York Institute of Technology)

62 Life In The Minors: Scott GaffneyBy: Ashley MichaelsAll around athlete and star baseball player, BPM talks with Scott Gaffney about his journey into the Pros and his experiences so far.

87 Preseason Strength & ConditioningBy: Patrick Maguire, M.S., CSCSFrom warm-ups to resistance training, Patrick walks you through workouts that will allow improvements in lean body mass, strength and power.

8 Cover STory:one on one with Brandon StahlBy: Jennifer JaegerAn interview with Brandon Stahl as he prepares for his senior year season and packs for Old Dominion University.

2010 Baseball PreviewBPM’s inside look at things to come for the upcoming 2010 baseball season.

1012 Colleges and Universities 44 Nassau and Suffolk High Schools57 Catholic League61 BPM’s Starting Lineup

68 Preseason Training for HittersBy: Joe FranciscoIndoor drills to hone your skills, improve your stance, and prepare for the upcoming season.

Contents Winter 2010

Dear Reader

”Don't let the fear of striking out hold you back – Babe Ruth

Thanks for picking up the first 2010 issue of Baseball Player Magazine or BPM, as we like

to call it. In this issue you will find previews for the upcoming season, profiles of great

players throughout the local Little League, High School and College programs, nutrition

tips, instructional columns, Scott Gaffney’s experiences in the minor leagues thus far, a

few things you probably didn’t know about MLB pitcher, Dan Runzler, and so much more.

BPM isn’t just about the game and technique, it is about you; the player, the coach, the

parents, the umpires, the volunteers. It’s about the people without whom this publication

would have no meaning. Our first issue is dedicated to all of you.

Our goal is to educate, inform, inspire and interact with you. The BPM team is a group of

athletes that understand the dreams and aspirations, the hard work and determination, and

the passion that you all have. We want to know about your experiences, your accomplishments,

and what you’d like to see in upcoming issues. Please send your thoughts, stories and ideas to

[email protected].

BPM would like to wish each of you the best on your upcoming season. We hope you

enjoy the New & Improved Baseball Player Magazine. Stay tuned as there are great things

to come!

Sincerely,

The BPM Team

Brandon KurzOwner/Chairman

Michael AmbortVice President

Jennifer JaegerVice President/Editorial Director

Lauren JaegerVice President/Publisher

Art DirectorsJames KonatichKeith Reilly

Staff PhotographerEllen Schuerger

BPM/Contributing EditorsJoe Francisco, Jimmy Goelz, Matt Lemanczyk,Danielle LaFata, Brett Mauser, Catherine McGee, Patrick Mcguire, Ashley Michaels The BPM team would like to extend special thanks to all our friends and family that we haven’t seen over the past few weeks; we love you all and appreciate your support. We would also like to especially thank: Athletes Performance, Joe Bonin, Brian Botos, David Ferraro, Gregg Foster, Scott Gaffney, Craig Garland, Caryn Gordon, Haig Graphics, Artie Herrmann, Cam Maron, Suzanne Mitchell, Thomas Konatich,

Kevin O’Keefe, Sebestian Paul, Dan Runzler, Andrew Russell, Kelsey Walker, Samantha Yodowitz and all of the SID’s, coaches, players and editors.

Copyright ©2010 Baseball Player Magazine is published under Baseball Player Magazine, NY & NJ Inc. All rights reserved. Baseball Player Magazine is published quarterly. and printed by Haig Graphics, 90 Old Willets Path Hauppauge, NY 11788.

Tel 631-582-5800. Fax 631-582-2806.

For questions and comments, please email [email protected]

Official Printer of BPM

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6 Running The Bases By: Matt Lemanczyk

85 Winter DefenseBy: Jimmy Goelz

84 25 Things You Didn’t KnowBy: Michael AmbortSan Francisco Giants Pitcher, Dan Runzler tells us a few things we didn’t know.

100 Nutrition Tips to Live ByBy Danielle LaFata, MA, RD, CSSD10 rules to follow and you’ll be on your way to optimizing your nutrition and performance.

96 “Baseball NY Style” Crossword PuzzleBy: Ellen Schuerger

In The DugoutBy: Lauren JaegerBPM’s tribute to coaches that make a difference. This month’s feature: Chris Celano, Head Coach of the Dowling Golden Lions.

Contents Winter 2010

6 BASEBALL PLAYER MAGAZINE WINTER 2010

unning the bases correctly can be

the difference between winning

and losing close ball games.

Some games your team will be on

fire, score tons of runs and it’s a

boat race. Other games the opponent just seems

to have the upper hand. Then, there’s the rest of

the games; close battles that are within seven

runs. These are the games where running the

bases correctly can be the difference between a

victory and a defeat. Go back to October of 2000.

The Mets and the Yankees are beginning the best

of seven series. All of NY is watching. Timo

Perez is on first. Todd Zeille drills the ball to left.

Timo takes off. Timo’s focus: scoring. He’s tagged

out at home. Call it inexperience, or better yet,

call it poor base running. Yankees win game one,

4-3. That series went on to five games, three of

the games being the difference of one run.

One thing in the game of baseball will dictate

how one should run the bases; the scoreboard.

I understand that not all fields have a working

and functional scoreboard, but each player and

coach need to keep a mental scoreboard. A

constant awareness of the score, how many outs ,

what inning it is, and the hitter’s count. All of these

things added up will dictate the aggressiveness

in which the base runners should be moving

around the bases. In the next few articles, I’lll

take you around the bases and explain how you,

the baserunner, should be moving. We’ll look at

different baserunning scenarios and situations,

as well as the thought process that should be

taking place, while rounding the bags.

Running the bases doesn’t start once you have

reached first base, or any base for that matter. It

starts once you enter the on-deck circle and are

getting loose. At this time, you, the on-deck hitter

should be reviewing the game’s scoreboard

(mentally), and strategically visualizing your at

base and base running strategies. This is a

mandatory process that only takes a few seconds

to go through and can be the differnce between

getting base or heading back to the dugout. This

mental process is critical for the success of not

only the batter, but ultimately the entire team.

Once it’s time for the batter to enter the batter’s

box and hit, the batter needs to put those mental

thoughts aside; zone in and focus on the task at

hand, hitting the baseball. After the ball is hit,

the batter becomes a base runner. The mental

preparation that was done while in the on-deck

circle will now come into play and assist in

proper game speed reactions towards running

the bases.

Assuming the ball is hit, there are three

different ways to approach 1st base (refer to

visuals on the right hand page). All three of these

ways require maximum effort at all times. In

some cases the level of aggressiveness may

change when deciding on whether or not to take

the extra base (this would be determined in the

batter-box, based on the scoreboard). The first

way to approach, referred to as “full steam

ahead”, is running as fast as you can down the

first base line. When your foot touches the

FRONT of the bag, look to your right to see if the

baseball got past the first baseman. This occurs

“Lou Brock was a great base stealer, buttoday, I am the greatest of all-time.”

- (May 1991) Ricky Henderson, 12-time stolen base champion, 1,406 career steals

WINTER 2010 BASEBALL PLAYER MAGAZINE 7

when the ball is hit on the ground in the infield.

You peek towards the field, 3-5 steps after you

leave the box. It will then be apparent that an

infielder is going to field the ball. The second way

to approach 1st base is referred to as the

“Question Mark” turn. This occurs when the ball

is hit on the ground. Initially the runner is

thinking “full steam ahead”, but after peeking

towards the field after the first 3-5 steps out of the

box, he realizes the ground ball has “eyes”,

meaning it found a hole through the infield for a

hit. Once the ball rolls through the infield,

forcing an outfielder to field the ball, the runner

needs to belly-out to the right in order to round

1st base, as if he’s going to advance to 2nd. This

will help create a shorter distance from 1st to 2nd

base, increasing the chance of being safe at 2nd

base if the opportunity is there to advance.

Finally, the third way to approach 1st base is to

simply start rounding 1st base right out of the

box. Meaning, once the hitter makes contact

with the ball, and he knows the ball is headed to

the outfield, the hitter can begin to circle around

first out of the box. The hitter does not run

directly towards 1st base. Instead he takes a long

wide path (to the right) in order to pre-round 1st

base. It is important to do this so the hitter

creates a straight path from 1st base to 2nd base,

in case he has the opportunity to advance. This

straight path may be the difference between

being safe on a potential double or being

thrown out.

Stay tuned, next column we will discuss leads

and base stealing off of first base.

BY MATT LEMANCZYK

1ST WAY

2ND WAY

3RD WAY

A 5'11", 160 lb. left-handed hitting

senior shortstop from St. Dominic

High School in Oyster Bay, New York. He hit .348 with 21 stolen bases and an on-base percentage of

.454 last season. Stahl was selected as an All-County League player as a sophomore and a junior and

ranks in the Top 25 players on Long Island. He was selected to play on the Under Armour National

Team in the Arizona Fall Classic and was selected as a 2010 Under Armour Pre-season All-American.

BPM: First off, congratulations on signing early

with Old Dominion University. Can you tell us

about how you made your decision to attend ODU?

Stahl: My decision to attend

Old Dominion University

was very hard. It came

down to ODU and UConn

and I was so happy with

both schools. I really took

the time to look at certain

little things that would give

one the advantage over the

other. For me personally,

the biggest question that I

had was what school would

the best choice for reaching

the next level. In the end

ODU came out on top and

from that point I have not

regretted it.

BPM: You've been lucky

enough to be a part of a

winning baseball program

at St. Dominic High School.

How has playing for St.

Dominic helped you prepare

for the next level of baseball?

Stahl: Playing for St. Dominic

has been an experience in

itself. I learned to play with

wood bats at a high level and

I was put into top competition

here. From my sophomore year

on up my coach told me that

starting on varsity was my job to

lose. I learned from that to always

have the mentality of working hard

and making sure I keep the spot I

earned which is something I will

definitely value at the next level.

BPM: You've been selected the captain

of your varsity baseball team for the

2010 season. Being a captain means

being a good leader. Are there any professional

baseball players that have the qualities you'd like to

have in being a captain?

Stahl: Definitely the way that

Jeter goes about his game

everyday is someone I look up

to as a captain. He plays the

game the right way and that’s

what I set out to do everyday

on the field.

BPM: What kind of work-

out regimen do you have

throughout the year?

Stahl: Throughout the year

especial during the offseason,

I mainly focus on running and

getting my 60 yard dash time

down, lifting, hitting and

fielding. I spread these out

over 6 out of the 7 days of the

week leaving a day to do my

academics. One thing I have

been told is to do something

everyday to make myself a better ballplayer and I take

that to heart by doing what I can when I can.

BPM: Brandon, we'd like to wish you the best of

luck in the upcoming season. Before you go back to

working out, please answer this last question.

What advice would you give the younger

ballplayers out there who want to start on

their high school baseball team?

Stahl: I would definitely say that the sky is the

limit with this game. If you want to start on

a high school team and even play at

higher levels, the tools to do that are there

its just what you as a player make of them.

I learned quick at a young age from

playing older kids that this is

something you have to want. If you

want it, go get it because there is

definitely always going to be

someone watching.

withBRANDON STAHL

BPM ONEONE

We are extremely excited thatBrandon will be joining us here

at Old Dominion in the fall of 2010. He is a great fit for our program anduniversity in many ways. He is one ofthe finest shortstops on the East Coastand is a very good student in theclassroom. He is a very focused youngman and comes from a fantastic family.”

“He has the type of character and talentthat will allow him to be very successfulon the field and beyond. We areconfident Brandon will make a strongimpact as a part of the tradition of Old Dominion University Baseball.”

- Jerry MeyersHead Coach

Old Dominion University

“

BY JENNIFER JAEGER

USA Baseball has announced

that St. John's head coach Ed

Blankmeyer has been named to

the coaching staff for the 2010

USA Baseball Collegiate National

Team. Blankmeyer will be making

his first appearance in the red,

white and blue.

Blankmeyer and Nino Giarratano

(San Francisco) will join manager

Bill Kinneberg (Utah) and pitching

coach Dave Serrano (Cal State

Fullerton).

"It is an absolute honor to be

selected to the USA coaching staff," said

Blankmeyer. "I am excited for the opportunity to

wear our Nation's colors, while working with an

excellent group of coaches and representing St.

John's baseball."

Blankmeyer is in his 15th season at the helm

of the Red Storm. The four-time BIG EAST

Coach of the Year is 470-285-3 and has taken St.

John's to five NCAA Tournaments. The skipper

has led St. John's to three BIG EAST regular

season titles, one conference tournament crown

and 10 BIG EAST Tournament appearances. A

four-time ABCA Northeast Region Coach of the

Year, Blankmeyer has seen 47 of his players sign

professional contracts.

"I am thrilled to have Ed join the Collegiate

Team coaching staff," said Ed

Campbell, General Manager of

USA Baseball's Professional and

Collegiate National Teams.

"I enjoy watching the way his

St. John's teams play. We are

fortunate to add another great

BIG EAST head coach to our coaching pool."

- www.redstormsports.com

BPM would like to congratulate

Coach Blankmeyer and wish him

and USA Collegiate Team best of

luck this year.

Blankmeyer Named To 2010 USA Baseball Collegiate Team Staff

Ed Blankmeyer

BPMNEWS


t is almost that time again, baseball

season is upon us and BPM wanted to

give you a little insight into things to

come for the 2010 season. So breakout

your blankets and travel mugs of hot

chocolate, because February will be here

before you know it. We certainly aren’t blessed

with warm weather and can’t guarantee it will

be above 50 degrees for game day, but what

BPM can guarantee is that you will see some

great baseball on both the college and high

school levels.

What will 2010 bring? Will the Dowling

Golden Lions make it back to the NCAA

division II College World Series? Will St. Dom’s

have a Catholic High School victory repeat?

Will Patrick Anderson be able to turn his

16 new freshmen into a collegiate power-

house? Will New York Tech be a dominate

force in their first season in the Great West

Conference? All we know is that anything is

possible and we are certain that we have

some good baseball ahead of us.

A very special thank you from the BPM

team, to all of the coaches and sports

information directors at each of the colleges,

universities and high schools. We appreciate

all of your hard work and efforts in helping

us to compile the information that is found

within the 2010 BPM Baseball Preview.

To all of the athletes and coaches,

BPM wishes you your best season to

date, both on and off the field!

I

BPM2010

INSIDE LOOKAT COLLEGE & HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL


Dowling College’s Pitcher Gabriel Duran,

who was Daktronics and NCBWA National

Pitcher of the Year celebrates with catcher

David Wendt, who was a 50th round draft

pick of the Tampa Bay Rays.

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The Adelphi University

baseball team is fresh off an

East Coast Conference regular

season and tournament titles

in 2009. The Panthers fell to

Dowling College in the NCAA

East Regional Championship

game, 1-0, ending their season with a 34-16

overall record.

Adelphi will look to continue their success in

2010 in their first year in the Northeast-10

Conference. Franklin Pierce University and

Assumption College, who are members of the NE-

10, both made the NCAA Tournament last year.

Even with the Panthers losing three guys who hit

over .300 to graduation, they return a very

solid pitching staff, as well

as some key offensive

contributors.Seventh-year Head Coach Dom Scala feels that

the Panthers pitching staff could be as deep as

eight starters and Scala is comfortable throwing

any one of them at any given time. "I am a firm

believer in pitching and defense," said Scala. "We

have that and I am confident that it will be our

cornerstone this year."

Junior starting pitcher Keith Couch is coming

off a dominating 2009 campaign. Couch went 9-2

last season with an ERA of just 1.31, striking out

a team-high 75 batters in 89.1 innings of work.

He was also an All-ECC selection, while also

being named All-Region. Senior pitcher Mike

Bartlett posted a record of 5-2 during the 2009

season with an ERA of 2.53, striking out 39 in 64

innings pitched.

Senior third basemen Weidlein, a Third-Team

All-Conference selection in 2009, hit .265 with 22

RBI, 14 runs scored and 41 hits, while slugging

.361 and posting an on base percentage of .328.

Senior pitcher Mike Scudero missed the 2009

season due to injury, but was an All-Conference

honoree in 2008 after appearing in 10 games,

throwing 48.2 innings and striking out 50,

with an ERA of 2.40. The first game of

the 2010 season is February 23 vs.

Concordia (NY), 3pm EST on the

Panther’s home field in Garden

City, NY.

BPM2010 COLLEGE PREVIEW

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CHRIS WEIDLEIN

ADELPHI UNIVERSITYPANTHERS



ADELPHI UNIVERSITY 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.adelphi.edu.

Adelphi University • Garden City, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference Event

NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Justin Farnum SO 1B 6-3 Glendale, NY/Monsignor McClancy HS2 Craig Matteo SO 2B 5-11 Herricks, NY/St. Mary's HS3 T.J. Humrich SO Catcher 5-11 Franklin Square, NY/Carey HS/Franklin Pierce University4 Justin Ciamillo SR Catcher/Outfield 6-2 Sayville, NY/Sayville HS/Suffolk CCC6 Michael Sarni FR Infield 5-10 Shelton, CT/Shelton HS7 Anthony Anzalone SR 1B 5-11 Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point HS/York College of PA8 Matt Barle JR Infield 5-8 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS9 Richard McCarren JR Catcher/1B/OF 6-0 Seaford, NY/Seaford HS/Nassau CC10 Thomas Torregrossa FR Infield/Outfield 5-11 Franklin Square, NY/Carey HS11 Salvatore Persico JR Pitcher 6-0 Staten Island, NY/Tottenville HS13 Lucas Romeo SO Infield 5-11 Queens, NY/St. Francis Prep14 Nick Pomo-Roman FR 2B 5-7 North Bellmore, NY/Kellenberg Memorial HS16 Eddie Owsinski JR Catcher 6-1 Smithtown, NY/Kings Park HS16 Jonathan Gonzalez JR Pitcher 6-0 New York, NY/Cardinal Hayes HS/Monroe CC18 Oren Rasowsky JR Pitcher 6-2 Glenmont, NY/Bethlehem Central HS19 Dillon McNamara FR Pitcher 6-5 Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic HS20 J.J. Giordano SO Pitcher 6-2 West Nyack, NY/Clarkston South HS21 Robert Nixon JR Pitcher 6-2 Welland, Ontario/Notre Dame College School22 Chris Bozza FR Catcher 6-0 Setauket, NY/Ward Melville HS23 Frank Staib SR Catcher 5-9 Bohemia, NY/Connetquot HS24 Chris Weidlein SR 3B/Pitcher 6-4 Merrick, NY/Calhoun HS25 Trevor Thorstensen JR Outfield 5-11 Holbrook, NY/Sachem East HS/Suffolk CCC26 Jimmy Milani FR Pitcher 6-1 Centereach, NY/Centereach HS28 Robert Eysel SO Outfield 5-10 Staten Island, NY/Tottenville HS34 Chris Pabisch SO Pitcher 6-3 Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills HS35 Mike Bartlett SR Pitcher 5-11 Massapequa Park, NY/Massapequa HS37 Teddy Rohrs SR Pitcher 6-1 Baldwin, NY/Kellenberg Memorial HS42 James McCormack FR Pitcher 6-3 Jericho, NY/Jericho HS44 Michael Carletti SO Pitcher 6-3 Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic HS46 Chris Murphy SO Pitcher 5-10 New Hyde Park, NY/Chaminade HS47 Jason Intelisano SR Pitcher 6-2 Shoreham, NY/Shoreham Wading River HS48 Mike Scudero SR Pitcher 6-3 Massapequa Park, NY/Massapequa HS55 Keith Couch JR Pitcher 6-2 Elmont, NY/Holy Trinity HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Dom ScalaAssociate Head Coach - Bob MalvagnaAssistant Coaches - Ryan Boelsen, Mike Myers, Al Sontag and Casey Twibell

February 23 Concordia 3:00 PMFebruary 25 C.W. Post 3:00 PMFebruary 27 Franklin Pierce (DH) 11:00 AMMarch 3 Mercy 3:00 PMMarch 5 St. Thomas Aquinas 3:00 PMMarch 6 St. Thomas Aquinas (DH) 11:00 AMMarch 9 Queens 3:00 PMMarch 19 Dominican 3:30 PMMarch 20 Bentley (DH)* 12:00 PMMarch 25 New Haven* 3:30 PMMarch 28 Assumption* 1:00 PM

March 30 Mercy 3:30 PMApril 5 Caldwell* 3:30 PMApril 8 American International* 3:30 PMApril 10 UMass-Lowell (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 11 St. Rose (DH)* 2:00 PMApril 20 S. Connecticut St.* 3:30 PMApril 21 Kutztown* 3:30 PMApril 24 S. New Hampshire* 12:00 PMApril 28 Pace* 3:30 PMApril 29 Wilmington (DE) 3:30 PM

ADELPHI UNIVERSITY 2010 ROSTER BPM2010 COLLEGE PREVIEW

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The Briarcliffe baseball program will shoot for

their fifth straight USCAA National Tournament

bid in 2010. The Seahawks, who won the USCAA

National Title in 2006, will count on strong

pitching and defense along with timely hitting.

Captain and All-American Lee Ranta, who enters

the season with a lifetime 18-5 mark, will anchor a

pitching staff that head coach Gary Puccio calls,

“one of the best I have ever had”. Sophomore Vin

Aprano had a sensational freshman campaign and

figures to be even better in 2010. A healthy Rick

Doht fills Briarcliffe’s 3rd spot in the rotation. Both

Aprano and Doht pitched for North Babylon High

School. The fourth starter will be Chris Brezinski,

a freshman from Farmingdale High School.

Brezinski had an outstanding fall, giving up just

one run in eleven innings of work. The bullpen is

much stronger than last year, with seventh inning

man Jeff DeLuca the only holdover. Kurt Stettner, a

freshman from Comsewogue has been named the

closer. Dan Harty, Rich Ireland and Rafael Perez are

battling for the eighth inning role as well as the fifth

starter spot.

The infield returns Reggie Smith at second

base, someone Puccio calls, “the best overall

second baseman I have ever coached”. Third

baseman Dave Darcy hit over .300 last year in

his freshman campaign, and should be a

major RBI guy for the Seahawks. Tom

Locrotondo and Gabe Ermarrino are

battling for the shortstop position. Freshman

sensation Kevin Licul, the cleanup hitter for

Levittown Division last year, will man first base.

Kevin Burke will also see time at first while also

securing the lefty-hitting designated hitter role.

In the outfield, the Seahawks defensive

strength, captain Tim Coglietta will once again

man centerfield. He will be flanked by Sean

O’Malley in left (second on the team in on base

percentage last year) and the return of Sam

Braverman in right. Braverman, who was out all

of last year after Tommy John surgery, hit 6 home

runs and had 31 runs batted in his freshman

campaign in 2008. Anthony Mele, an All County

graduate of Island Trees High School, is expected

to see a lot of outfield play as well.

Behind the plate is where the Seahawks lack

experience, but if the fall was any indication, it

shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Freshman Joe

Solomeno of Sachem High School, Eric Weiner of

Deer Park High School and Dave Haskin of

Seaford High School all figure to get time. The

catchers combined to throw out over 50% of

potential base stealers in the fall.

The team plays its home games at PAL Complex

in Holbrook, NY. The road schedule this year

includes a four game series at the University of

Dallas as well as trips to Virginia, Massachusetts,

and Ohio. So does Puccio expect the Seahawks to

get bid #5 despite the tough schedule? “We’ve been

there before. We will be there again. I have a lot of

faith in this team.”

The road back to the National Championships

begins for Briarcliffe in Virginia on February 19,

2010. The first home game for the Seahawks will

take place March 13 against SUNY Old Westbury.

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NO NAME YR POS HT High School/Last College2 Dave Hoskin SO Catcher 6-0 Seaford HS/Transfer from Nassau CC3 Reggie Smith JR 2B 5-9 Kings Park HS4 Tom Locrotondo SR Infield/Outfield 5-7 Kings Park HS/Suffolk CC6 Rich Ireland FR Pitcher/Catcher 5-11 Mattituck HS/SUNY Oswego7 Anthony Mele FR Outfield 6-0 Island Trees HS8 Sam Braverman JR Pitcher/Outfield 6-0 WT Clarke HS12 Tim Coglietta SR Outfield 5-10 Smithtown HS/Suffolk CC13 Joe Solomeno FR Catcher 5-9 Sachem East HS16 Jeff Deluca SO Pitcher 6-2 WT Clarke HS17 Rick Doht JR Pitcher 6-2 North Babylon HS18 Dan Harty SO Pitcher 6-0 St. Dominic HS/Nassau CC19 Vin Aprano SO Pitcher 6-1 North Babylon HS20 Chris Brezinski FR Pitcher 6-5 Farmingdale HS23 Eric Weiner FR Catcher/Infield 5-6 Deer Park HS24 Gabe Errmarino SO 3B/Pitcher 5-11 Glen Cove HS25 Kevin Burke SO 1B/Pitcher 6-0 North Babylon HS31 Kevin Licul FR 1B/Pitcher 6-3 Levittown Division HS32 Kurt Stettner FR Pitcher/Outfield 6-1 Comsewogue HS34 Sean O'Malley JR Outfield 5-8 Farmingdale HS/Nassau CC37 Rafael Perez JR Pitcher/1B 6-2 Valley Stream Central H.S38 Lee Ranta SR Pitcher 6-1 Sir Allen MacNab HS, Canada44 Dave Darcy SO 3B/Pitcher 6-0 Island Trees HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Gary PuccioAssistant Coaches - Enver Lopez, Matt Rocchio, Justin McKay and Keith Kenny

BRIARCLIFFE COLLEGE 2010 ROSTER BPM2010 COLLEGE PREVIEW

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BRIARCLIFFE COLLEGE 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.bcl.edu.

Briarcliffe College • Holbrook, NY(DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 12 Penn State Albington (DH)* 1:00 PMMarch 13 Penn State Brandywine* TBAMarch 13 Old Westbury 1:00 PMMarch 14 Penn State Brandywine (DH)* 12:00 PMMarch 16 Suffolk West 3:30 PMMarch 19 Southern Maine 4:00 PMMarch 20 Southern Maine 11:00 PMMarch 23 Globe 3:30 PMMarch 26 Maine-Presque Isle 3:30 PMApril 2 Fisher College(DH) 12:00 PMApril 6 ASA 3:30 PMApril 7 Globe 3:30 PMApril 14 ASA 4:00 PMApril 20 St. Joseph* TBAApril 27 Suffolk West 3:30 PMApril 29 Aprentice* 3:30 PMApril 30 Aprentice (DH)* 3:30 PM

TIM COGLIETTA


The C.W. Post baseball team

looks to rebound after a

disappointing, injury-plagued

2009 season that saw them

post a 13-32 record. However,

with a strong core of the lineup returning, the

Pioneers will look to return to the form of 2008,

where they won an East Coast Conference title and a

berth in the NCAA East Regional. Head coach Pete

Timmes believes his squad will be quicker and more

athletic this season.

“In the ECC, it could be anyone’s year,” Timmes

stated. “Obviously Dowling is the team to beat,

advancing to the College World Series last season.

But we had a strong fall, and we are looking to

come out and compete right away.”

Pitching will be the team’s first and foremost

strength, with a good mix of veteran and rookie

hurlers that should be one of the top rotations in

the ECC. Seniors Bobby Kay and Pete Budkevics

look to head up the rotation, both have previous

all-conference and all-region accolades that can

attest to their talent. Senior Brian Saldana will

also look to cap a strong career, with Timmes

looking to use him exclusively out of the bullpen.

Fellow senior Mark Czerniawski posted strong

numbers last season, earning a second-team all-

conference nod, and looks to repeat the

performance this spring. The Pioneers are strong

up the middle, with

catcher Brian

Anderson

returning

for his fifth

year after

losing last year

due to injury. The

veteran backstop

has outstanding

defensive abilities

and handles the

pitching staff very

well, in addition

to being a solid

bat in the middle

of the lineup.

At shortstop for his final season will be senior

Bryan Bonin. A standout on defense and a solid

bat at the top of the lineup for the past three

seasons, Bonin will look to put up strong numbers

in his last season. With a career fielding

percentage of .937, the shortstop will anchor an

otherwise young infield.

Vying for spots in the Pioneer infield will be

several freshmen, starting with Anthony Corona,

who looks to earn a spot at first base and behind

the plate, splitting time with Anderson at both

positions. Casey McKay is slated as the second

baseman, taking over for a graduated Kyle Walker.

Highly touted freshman Kevin Chenicek will

likely see a majority of the action at the hot corner,

and also see time on the mound and possibly in

the DH slot.

In the outfield, senior Mike Callaghan

will make the move to right field, taking

advantage of a strong throwing arm that

will limit runners looking to take the

extra base. Freshman speedster Zack

Graczyk will take over in center field,

and several players will compete for

time in left field, with freshman Joe

Armenti, sophomore Eddie Bartley and senior

Kyle Dean as the leading candidates for the

starting job.

C.W. Post’s first home game is February 28 vs.

Franklin Pierce. Conference play kicks off March

19 vs St.Thomas Aquinas, and continues vs.

Dowling in a five-game series beginning March 23.

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C.W. POST-LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITYPIONEERS


NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Zack Graczyk FR Outfield 5-10 Carmel, NY/Carmel HS3 Steve Plochochi SO Pitcher 5-9 Sayville, NY/Sayville HS4 Kyle Dean SR Infield/Outfield 5-8 Southbury, CT/Pomperaug HS5 Casey McKay FR Infield 5-11 North Massapequa, NY/St. John the Baptist HS6 Steve Mare FR Infield 5-7 Whitestone, NY/Holy Cross HS7 Paul DelGiacco SO Catcher 5-11 Levittown, NY/Levittown HS9 Brian Tardif FR Pitcher/Outfield 6-2 Cutchogue, NY/Mattituck HS/Monmouth University10 Brian Saldana SR Pitcher 5-11 Deer Park, NY/Deer Park HS11 Pete Budkevics SR Pitcher 6-1 Deer Park, NY/Deer Park HS13 Nick Compito SO Infield 6-0 Jericho. NY/Syosset HS15 Bo Budkevics SO Pitcher/IF/OF 6-2 Deer Park, NY/Deer Park HS16 Mark Czerniawski SR Pitcher 6-2 Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove HS/Nassau CC17 John Swertfager FR Pitcher 5-10 Kotonah, NY/John Jay HS19 Michael Behar SO Pitcher 6-0 Staten Island, NY/Tottenville HS 20 Glen Hudson SO Pitcher 6-0 West Sayville, NY/Sayville HS21 Brett Belsky SR Pitcher 6-1 Brooklyn, NY/Midwood HS22 Joe Mare FR Infield 5-10 Whitestone, NY/Holy Cross HS24 Bryan Bonin SR Infield 6-0 Commack, NY/Commack HS25 Brian Anderson SR Catcher 6-1 Nesconset, NY/Sachem HS26 Mike Callaghan SR Outfield 5-8 East Meadow, NY/East Meadow HS27 Josh Laufer FR Pitcher 5-11 East Northport, NY/East Northport HS28 Bobby Kay SR Pitcher 5-11 Stony Brook, NY/Ward Melville HS29 Anthony Corona FR 3B/OF/C 5-9 Carmel, NY/J.F.K. Catholic HS30 Zachary Badanes FR Pitcher/IF 6-0 Syosset, NY/Syosset HS31 David Saldana FR Outfield 5-5 Deer Park, NY/Deer Park HS32 Greg Byrnes SO Pitcher 5-9 Mount Sinai, NY/Mount Sinai HS33 Kevin Chenicek FR 3B/Pitcher 6-1 Levittown, NY/Division Ave. HS34 Edward Bartley SO Outfield 6-2 Bethpage, NY/Bethpage HS35 Stephen Orefice SR Catcher/1B/3B 5-11 Wappingers Falls, NY/Roy C. Ketcham HS/Dutchess CC36 Chris Armstrong JR Pitcher/Outfield 6-2 Highland Mills, NY/Monroe Woodbury HS37 Ryan O'Kelly FR Pitcher 5-11 New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS39 Joseph Armenti FR Outfield 6-1 Dix Hills, NY/Half Hollow Hills West41 Marshall Kapson JR Pitcher 6-6 Commack, NY/Commack HS/Suffolk CC42 Jordan Epstein FR Pitcher 5-11 Port Washington, NY/Port Washington HS43 Terrence Macken FR 5-11 Sayville, NY/Sayville HS44 Dan Burnett RFR

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Pete TimmesAssistant Coaches - Hector Aristy, Bill Gaffney, Dick Vining and Matt Whittington

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C.W. POST-LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITY 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.cwpostpioneers.com.

C.W. Post-Long Island University • Brookville, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventFebruary 28 Franklin Pierce (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 2 Pace 3:00 PMMarch 6 Concordia TBAMarch 13 S. New Hampshire (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 14 S. New Hampshire (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 19 Saint Thomas Aquinas* 3:00 PMMarch 20 St. Thomas Aquinas (DH)* 12:00 PMMarch 26 Dowling College* 3:00 PMMarch 27 Dowling College* (DH) 12:00 PM

March 31 Bridgeport* 3:00 PMApril 5 Bridgeport* 3:00 PMApril 9 Queens* 3:00 PMApril 10 Queens (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 14 Caldwell 3:00 PMApril 20 Mercy* 3:00 PMApril 25 Mercy* 12:00 PMApril 28 Molloy* 3:00 PMMay 2 Molloy* 1:00 PM


The 2009 season will

go down as the most

successful campaign in

program history to date

for the Dowling College

baseball team. After

making their first ever trip to the World Series, the

Golden Lions finished the season with a 35-16

record. The 35 victories were a single season

program record, eclipsing the 34 victories of the

2004 squad.

So what should we expect in 2010? With only

4 seniors graduating off the record breaking 2009

squad, the 2010 edition of the Dowling Baseball

team should be positioned for a deep run into

the NCAA Tournament to defend their East

Region crown.

Dowling will return seven starters and four

pitchers who tossed more than 45 innings

including Daktronics and the National Collegiate

Baseball Writers Association National Pitcher of

the Year, Gabriel Duran.

Also a First Team All-American by three

different publications, Duran returns after an

outstanding sophomore season in which he set the

program’s single season record for wins. The

righty from Brooklyn, NY, finished the 2009

season with a 10-2 record (including a no-hitter

with 14 strikeouts against Felician College), a 1.30

ERA, and 83 strikeouts in 89.1 innings.

East Regional Most Outstanding Player Buddy

Cipoletti, Marc Rutledge, and

Nicholas Albero are also back

on the pitching staff that led the

nation in earned run average.

Among returning position

players, the Golden Lions have

four all-conference players back.

Frank Intagliata and Colin

Barnathan, both all-conference first

teamers in ’09, are back after tying for the

team lead in hitting with a .314 average.

Barnathan, who was also a Daktronics All-Region

selection, also finished third on the team with 28

RBI. First baseman Daniel Pembroke returns for

his last season after a breakout junior campaign

in which he hit .304 and led the team in

homeruns (4) and RBI (34). Eddie Squeri, a slick

fielding shortstop who also hit .284 with 28 RBI,

is the Golden Lions fourth returning all-

conference player.

Dowling’s biggest hole to fill will come behind

the plate after the graduation of four year starter

and Tampa Bay Rays’ 50th round draft pick, David

Wendt. Taylor Bargiacchi, who hit .352 in 54 at-

bats and threw out 33% of attempted base-stealers

in 2009, and newcomer Daniel Masiello will fight

for time to replace Wendt.

Other newcomers who could make an impact in

their first season in navy blue and gold are Joe

Candela, and All-League player from Westhampton

High School, and Sean Craig, also and All-League

selection from Rocky Point High School.

Dowling will start their season with a double

header vs. Franklin Piece on February 20 at the

Golden Lion sports complex in Brookhaven, NY.

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The Golden Lions celebrate after clinching the 2009

Northeast Regional Championship.

DOWLING COLLEGEGOLDEN LIONS

COLIN BARNATHAN



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Justin Brooks JR Pitcher 5-10 West Sand Lake, NY/Averill Park HS2 Erik Cabrera JR Infield 5-7 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS3 Colin Barnathan JR Infield 6-4 Massapequa, NY/St. Anthony's HS6 Peter Scianna SO Infield 6-0 Chicago, IL/St. Mary's HS7 Frank Intagliata SR Infield 6-1 Franklin Square, NY/Frank Carey HS8 Marc Rutledge SO Pitcher 5-11 Ridge, NY/Longwood HS9 Eddie Squeri JR Infield 5-8 Shirley, NY/William Floyd HS10 Joel Duverge SR Infield/Outfield 6-0 Brooklyn,NY/LaSalle Academy11 Andrew Varela SR Infield/Pitcher 6-0 Brooklyn, NY/LaSalle Academy15 Mike Courtney SR Pitcher 6-1 Bronx, NY/Salesian HS16 Taylor Bargiacchi SO Catcher 5-8 Chester, NJ/Northern Highlands HS20 Joe Trainor SR Pitcher/Infield 5-10 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS21 Buddy Cipoletti SR Pitcher 5-9 West Islip, NY/St. John the Baptist22 Nicholas Albero SO Pitcher 6-0 New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle HS25 Daniel Pembroke SR Infield 6-1 Shoreham-Wading River, NY/Shoreham-Wading River26 Gabriel Duran JR Pitcher 5-10 Brooklyn, NY/La Salle Academy27 Rob Faulkner JR Pitcher/Outfield 5-8 West Islip, NY/West Islip HS28 Brian Ferguson JR Outfield 5-10 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS29 Anthony De La Rosa SO Pitcher 6-0 Brooklyn, NY/Lasalle Academy31 Ralph Tufano JR Outfield 5-9 Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea HS- Joe Candela FR Infield/Outfield 5-11 East Quoge, NY/Westhampton HS- Tim Comiskey SR Pitcher 6-5 Great River, NY/East Islip HS- Sean Craig FR Infield 5-10 Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point HS- Kevin Kerman FR Infield 5-10 Mastic, NY/William Floyd HS- P.J. Lenz FR Infield/Pitcher 6-2 Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields HS- Daniel Masiello FR Catcher 5-6 Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's HS- Chris Mendoza FR Pitcher 5-9 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS- Steve Shea SO Catcher 6-2 East Islip, NY/East Islip- Andrew Smith SO Pitcher 6-1 Sound Beach, NY/Miller Place HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Chris CelanoAssistant Coach - Jim FarrellAssistant Coach - George LoftGraduate Assistant - Kevin Reese

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DOWLING COLLEGE 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.dowlingathletics.com.

Dowling College • Brookhaven, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventFebruary 20 Franklin Pierce (DH) 12:00 PMFebruary 21 Franklin Pierce 12:00 PMFebruary 27 Stonehill (DH) 12:00 PMFebruary 28 Stonehill 12:00 PMMarch 2 Bloomfield 3:00 PMMarch 4 Pace 3:00 PMMarch 6 New Haven (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 7 S. New Hampshire (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 9 Dominican TBAMarch 21 Queens* 1:00 PMMarch 23 C.W. Post* 3:30 PM

March 24 Queens* 3:30 PMMarch 28 C.W. Post* 1:00 PMApril 1 Mercy* 3:30 PMApril 3 Mercy (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 9 STAC* 3:30 PMApril 10 STAC (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 14 Molloy* 3:30 PMApril 18 Molloy* 1:00 PMApril 23 Bridgeport* 3:30 PMApril 24 Bridgeport (DH)* 1:00 PMApril 27 Concordia 3:30 PM

The Farmingdale State Rams

baseball team gears up for the

2010 season ranked #13 in

Collegiate Baseball Newspaper's

NCAA Division III Pre-season

Poll. In 2009, the Rams captured

their second consecutive Skyline Conference

Championship and their first-ever New York Region

Championship to advance to the NCAA Division III

College World Series for the first time in school

history. As one of just eight teams to appear in the

World Series, Farmingdale faced DIII powerhouses

Shenandoah and Chapman.

With a final season record of 30-17 and a

D3baseball.com ranking of #18 in the Nation, the

Rams graduated seven players but will look towards

the 15 returning upperclassmen (including 12

seniors), along with some key transfers, to continue

the Championship streak under fifth year head

coach Keith Osik. Osik holds a career coaching

record of 96-69 and was named the 2009 ECAC

Metro and New York Region Coach of the Year.

Highlighting the returnees, junior first baseman

and 2009 Skyline Conference Player of the Year,

Kevin Curtis, batted .407 last season, leading the

team in hits (55), RBI (44) and total bases (70).

Senior outfielder Frank Ennis, batted .336 with 34

RBI and 11 doubles. Senior outfielder Donny

Moscatelli, finished the year batting .342, was

second in RBI with 38 and had a

team-high 152 at-bats.

Senior designated hitter

Mike Labrozzi, led the team

with 39 runs scored. Senior

centerfielder Frank Yera, led

the team with a .415 batting

average and held a perfect

1.000 fielding percentage to

win the 2009 New York

Regions ABCA/Rawlings

Gold Glove Award. Junior

outfielder Matt Weingartner,

who hit .484 with a .742

slugging percentage over

17 games, will be a key

asset once again this year.

Senior catcher Zak

Nersesian and sophomore

catcher Frank Scarlato had

solid years in '09, both

offensively and defensively. Nersesian (.333) and

Scarlato (.354) split time behind the plate, catching

for a pitching staff that had a low ERA of 3.03 in

Skyline Conference games.

The pitching staff will feature key returnees in

sophomore right hander Chris Phelan and senior

right hander Steve King. Phelan finished his

rookie season with a 5-1 record and 3.97 ERA in

six starts and 18 appearances. King held batters to

a .189 average and went 5-4 overall in seven starts,

posting a 4.12 ERA. Senior Patrick Gilbride, will

help out the bullpen.

Notable transfers for this season are sophomore

second baseman Danny Devito, junior third

baseman Nick Wiwczar, junior outfielder Ryan

Rubenstein and senior pitcher Ian Solomon.

Devito and Rubenstein, transfers from Suffolk

West, helped the Longhorns capture their third

straight Region XV Championship in '09.

Wiwczar, a transfer from Suffolk East, will look to

see his way into the starting lineup at third base.

Soloman, a transfer from Division II New Haven,

will help stack the rotation with some talent. He

threw for two years at UNH, making eight

appearances his freshman season and seven

appearances last year.

Some freshman recruits for the Rams include

Ron Remi, a shortstop from St. Anthony's; Terrance

Bohanen, an outfielder from Patchogue-Medford;

Vinny Messana, a pitcher from Centereach; Matt

Holder, an infielder from Connetquot; and Eddie

Balzer, a pitcher from William Floyd.

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FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGERAMS

DONNY MOSCATELLI




NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Vincent Sanquini SO Outfield 5-11 Levittown, NY/MacArthur2 Jonathan Matteo SR 3B 6-0 Searingtown, NY/St. Mary's/Nassau CC7 Frank Yera SR Outfield 6-2 Manhattan, NY/Grand Street Campus HS/Clarendon CC8 Zak Nersesian SR Catcher 6-0 Nyack, NY/Nyack HS12 Steve King SR Utility 6-1 Freeport, NY/Freeport HS19 Frank Ennis SR Outfield 6-1 Commack, NY/Commack HS21 Kevin Curtis JR 1B 6-3 Riverhead, NY/Riverhead HS22 Frank Scarlato SO Catcher 5-10 Holbrook, NY/Sachem North HS23 James Raimondi SR Pitcher 6-0 Medford, NY/Patchogue HS25 Mike Labrozzi SR Outfield/DH 5-10 Sag Harbor, NY/Pierson HS26 Patrick Gilbride SR Pitcher 5-8 East Meadow, NY/East Meadow HS/Nassau CC28 Ryan McAllister SO Infield 6-2 Miller Place, NY/Rocky Point HS31 Vinny Block SR Outfield 5-11 Mineola, NY/Chaminade HS/St. Peter's36 Gary Troy JR Pitcher 5-11 Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point HS43 Matt Weingartner JR Outfield 5-10 Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke HS45 Don Moscatelli SR Outfield/DH 6-0 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS55 Chris Phelan SO Pitcher 6-0 Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford HS- Eddie Balzer FR Pitcher 6-3 Shirley, NY/William Floyd HS- Terrence Bohanen FR Outfield 6-0 Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford HS- Ray Carmel FR Outfield 5-7 Waterford, NY/Waterford-Half Moon HS- George Daw SO Pitcher/3B 6-0 West Babylon, NY/West Babylon HS- Dan Devito SO 2B 5-10 Plainview, NY/Holy Trinity HS/Suffolk West- Zach Gardner FR Pitcher 6-2 Waterford, NY/Waterford-Half Moon HS- Cameron Kohn FR Pitcher 6-2 Deer Park, NY/Half Hollow Hills West HS- Rob Macaluso FR Pitcher 5-11 Deer Park, NY/Deer Park HS- Joe Marino FR SS 5-11 Dix Hills, NY/Hills West HS- Vinny Messana FR Pitcher 6-0 Lake Ronkonkoma, NY/Centereach HS- Ron Remi FR SS 6-0 Massapequa, NY/St. Anthony's HS- Ryan Rubenstein JR Outfield 6-2 Deer Park, NY/St. Anthony's HS/Suffolk West- Ryan Rusoff FR RHP/2B 5-10 Albertson, NY/Herricks HS- Nick Ventricelli FR Outfield 5-11 Woodbury, NY/St. Anthony's HS- Bobby Vollmer FR Catcher 5-11 Patchogue, NY\Patchogue-Medford HS- David Zilnicki FR 3B 5-10 Riverhead, NY/Riverhead HS- Nick Wiwczar JR 3B 5-11 Kings Park, NY/Kings Park HS/Suffolk East- Chris Longo JR Pitcher 6-4 Commack, NY/Commack HS/St. Louis Univ.- Ian Solomon SR Pitcher 6-0 Northport, NY/Northport HS/New Haven- Matt Holder FR 3B 5-9 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Keith OsikAssistant Coaches - Steve Hassan, Dan Maccagli and Tom CaputoVolunteer Assistant - John Anarumo and Brian Benvenuto

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Farmingdale State University • Farmingdale, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 6 Western New England 2:00 PMMarch 7 Cortland State 12:00 PMMarch 13 Eastern Connecticut TBAMarch 14 Southern Maine TBAMarch 21 Old Westbury (DH)* 12:00 PMMarch 24 Kean 3:30 PM

April 1 Nassau CC 4:00 PMApril 7 Oneonta St. 3:30 PMApril 10 St. Joseph's (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 11 Maritime (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 20 Yeshiva (DH)* 5:00 PM


Upon the Ram’s fourth

Atlantic 10 Championship

in six seasons, the 2010

Fordham baseball team

has plenty of young and

experienced veterans to

make another strong run in the Atlantic 10,

challenging Charlotte, Xavier, and Dayton for the

league crown.

The Rams, who finished with a record 22-31

overall last season, 16-11 in the conference, are led

by sixth year head coach Nick Restaino, who has

put together a nice mix of young arms with

experienced fielders and hitters.

The pitching staff will welcome back senior

captain J.P. Mack for a fifth season into the rotation

for 2010. Mack, a 6’3” left hander, led the Rams'

starters in innings pitched (97.0) and strikeouts (48),

while earning Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the week once

during the season. Other returning impact pitchers

are senior Brando Casalicchio, John Flanagan, Max

Krakowiak, Jordan Grangard and Daniel Munday.

Flanagan established himself in the starting

rotation by midseason in 2009, posting a 6-3 record,

while Krakowiak has had an impressive offseason,

looking to improve on his 2009 numbers, where he

suffered through an injury plagued season.

Casalicchio, Grangard, and Munday will head up

the bullpen. Grangard was the team leader in ERA at

4.47, appearing 21 games with two

saves, while Munday made 20

appearances, recording

39 strikeouts in 52 2/3

innings and three saves.

After battling elbow

problems, Casalicchio

will move to the

bullpen with a slightly

altered delivery that

was very effective in the

fall, and is relishing his

new role.

The pitching staff

will also get a boost

from the additions of

junior transfer Brian

Prendergast (6’4”, RHP)

and freshmen left-

handers Rich Anastasi

and Ryan DeMartino.

Pendergast, brings an imposing frame to the hill

and was a freshman All-American at Manhattan,

while the addition of Anastasi and DeMartino

gives the Rams' depth in their ability to match-up

with left-handed hitters, while bring very good

velocity to the hill.

Despite losing two All-Atlantic 10 caliber players

in utility player Danny Leach and first baseman

Bobby DiNardo, the Rams still return seven starters,

including all three outfielders and middle infielders.

The Rams' return middle infield sophomores

Nick Martinez and Brian Kownacki after starting

most of their freshmen season. Second baseman

Martinez is coming off a .356 batting average in

conference play. Kownacki, a staple at shortstop,

bat .284 with 29 RBI.

The biggest key to the Rams' success will be the

return of Como to heart of Fordham's line-up,

having played in just three games last season

before going down with a season-ending knee

injury. In his lone series, Como was a big offensive

contributor, collecting six hits and five runs

scored at Florida Atlantic.

Behind the dish the Ram's will mainly see senior

Angelo Ponte and junior Chris walker get most of

catching duties. Walker had a breakout season as a

sophomore in 2009, leading the Atlantic 10 with

eight pickoffs and rating seventh in base runners

caught stealing. Ponte brings a pretty good bat,

hitting three home runs and 21 RBI in 2009.

Ryan McCrann is also back and will see time at

both first base and as DH this season. The left-

handed hitting senior registered a team-high 15

double, four home runs and 23 RBI. The Rams first

home game is March 3 vs. Manhattan.

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ANGELO PONTE

J.P. MACK



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Ryan Maghini SO Infield 6-0 Madison, CT/Daniel Hand HS2 Mike Mauri FR Infield 5-8 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS4 Chris Walker JR Catcher 5-9 Bethpage, NY/St. Anthony’s HS5 Daniel Munday SO Pitcher 6-0 Rockaway Park, NY/Xavier HS6 Matt DeSilva FR Infield 5-8 Buchanan, NY/Hendrick Hudson HS7 Ryan Lee FR Outfield 6-0 Attleboro, MA/Bishop Feehan HS9 Angelo Ponte SR Catcher/Pitcher 5-11 Old Tappan, NJ/Northern Valley Reg.10 Nick Martinez SO Infield 6-0 Miami, FL/Belen Jesuit Prep12 Ryan DeMartino FR 1B/Pitcher 6-0 Clifton, NJ/Montclair Kimberley Academy13 Michael Taddei SR Infield 6-3 Medford, NY/Patchogue Medford HS15 Mike Mobbs SR Outfield 6-2 Stony Point, NY/Don Bosco Prep16 Stephen McSherry SO Outfield 5-11 Red Bank, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy17 Brian Kownacki SO Infield 5-11 Woodbridge, CT/Amity Regional HS18 Dan Camano SO Catcher 5-10 Wall, NJ/Wall HS19 John Flanagan JR Pitcher 6-1 Andover, MA/Boston College High20 J.P. Mack SR Pitcher 6-2 Plano, TX/Jesuit College Prep21 Rich Anastasi FR Pitcher 6-5 Waldwick, NJ/St. Joseph Regional HS22 James Stone JR Pitcher 6-0 Massapequa, NY/Chaminade HS23 Alex Kenny JR Outfield 6-3 Chester, NJ/West Morris Mendham HS24 Joe Russo JR Infield 6-0 Lancaster, PA/Conestoga Valley HS25 Daniel Sorine FR Infield/Outfield 6-2 Eastchester, NY/Eastchester HS26 Jordan Grangard SO Pitcher/IF 6-3 Jupiter, FL/Jupiter HS27 Shane Fox JR Catcher 6-0 Mt. Laurel, NJ/Bishop Eustace HS28 Brian Thompson JR Pitcher 6-3 Hingham, MA/Phillips Academy30 Max Krakowiak JR Pitcher 6-3 Westport, CT/Staples HS31 Jeremy Adel FR Pitcher 6-2 Newberry, FL/St. Francis HS32 P.J. Como SR Outfield 6-2 Sea Cliff, NY/North Shore HS33 Ryan David JR Catcher 6-1 Meriden, CT/O.H. Platt HS34 Joseph Charest FR Pitcher 6-0 Swansea, MA/La Salle Academy (RI)35 Brian Pendergast JR Pitcher 6-4 Unionville, CT/Farmington HS/Manhattan College36 Ryan Fedak FR Pitcher 6-2 Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep40 Ryan McCrann SR Infield 6-4 Needham, MA/Needham HS/Boston College41 Brando Casalicchio SR Pitcher 6-3 Huntington, NY/Cold Spring Harbor HS/Wallace State

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Nick RestainoAssistant Coaches - Trevor Brown and Mark StevensDir. Of Baseball Operations - Tony MellaciVolunteer Assistant - Andrew Lang

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FORDHAM UNIVERSITY 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.fordhamsports.com.

Fordham University • New York City, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 3 Manhattan 3:00 PMMarch 10 NYIT 3:00 PMMarch 24 Stony Brook 3:00 PMApril 1 Rhode Island* 2:00 PMApril 2 Rhode Island* 11:00 AMApril 3 Rhode Island* 1:00 PMApril 16 St. Louis* 4:00 PMApril 17 St. Louis* 1:00 PM

April 18 St. Louis* 12:00 PMApril 20 Iona 7:00 PMApril 30 La Salle* 7:00 PMMay 1 La Salle* 4:00 PMMay 2 La Salle* 1:00 PMMay 20 Duquesne* 2:00 PMMay 21 Duquesne* 12:00 PMMay 22 Duquesne* 7:00 PM

The Hofstra University

Baseball team will take

on a younger look this

season with 16 freshmen

and six transfer players

competing for positions all over the diamond. Just

nine players return from last season's squad that

finished 11-32.

Entering his second season, Head Coach

Patrick Anderson thinks his first recruiting class

could help Hofstra post its first 20-win season

since 2007. The Pride returns two of its .300

hitters – Matt Prokopowicz and Scott A'Hara,

closer Jeff Guthridge and ace Rob Kumbatovic,

who both tied for a team best four wins.

The Pride will try and help reverse last

season's 6-18 conference record in order to

compete for a spot in the Colonial Athletic

Association Championship. After watching his

fresh-faced team in fall exhibition games,

Anderson said the team's skill and depth should

be improved from his first campaign.

“I want our mentality to be aggressive,”

Anderson said, “We want to create a positive;

energetic atmosphere and have everyone compete

for all nine innings.”

Kumbatovic will likely be the team's

#1 starter in 2010, and a

trio of freshmen in

Jared Rogers, Cody

Normand and Joe Burg

will follow him in the

rotation. Guthridge, a

junior, returns to his

closer role after posting

three saves in 2009.

Freshman John Krause

and junior transfer Sean

Monaghan will fill key

relief roles for the Pride.

The Pride’s infield

sees Matt Prokopowicz

slide to second base after

spending the first three

years of his Hofstra

career at third. Coming

off a season where he

batted .344 with 30 RBIs,

the Massapequa, NY,

native will once again be an important cog in the

Hofstra lineup. Jared Hammer, a power-hitting

freshman from New Jersey, should be the opening

day first baseman and a middle of the order hitter.

Slick fielding shortstop Matt Ford has won the

shortstop job, while Iona transfer Mike Walraven

gets the nod at third base.

Senior catcher Elliot Hagburg will be pushed by

County College of Morris transfer Kevin Flynn,

who was a junior college All-American last season.

The outfield returns starter John Kenny in

centerfield. The senior batted .288 last season

with 16 steals and should bat in the leadoff spot.

A'Hara, a junior, hit .373 in limited action last

season, but should get the majority of time in left

field in 2010. Senior Ethan Paquette, a transfer

from Vermont will get the starting nod in right

field and will provide a steady presence in the

middle of the batting order. Junior EJ Smith, a

transfer from Delaware, and freshman Matt

Hancock will likely share the designated hitter

role. Both could also see action in the infield.

Hofstra opens CAA play with a three-game

series at Northeastern April 2-4. The Pride's

longest home stand is a seven-game stretch

featuring conference series versus VCU and

William and Mary sandwiched around a game

versus local rival Stony Brook March 21.

"Our expectations in the CAA are simple: to

battle and compete every time a ball is thrown in

the air," Anderson said. Hof

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HOFSTRA UNIVERSITYPRIDE

MATT PROKOPOWICZ

ROB KUMBATOVIC




NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Matt Ford FR Infield 6-0 Lansing, NY/Lansing HS2 Anthony Nelson JR Outfield 5-10 Wellington, FL/Glades Day School HS3 John Kenny SR Outfield 6-0 Franklin Square, NY/Valley Stream HS5 Matt Watkins FR Infield 6-0 San Carlos, CA/St. Lawrence Academy6 David D'Errico FR Pitcher 6-0 North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown HS7 E.J. Smith JR Infield/Outfield 6-0 Bethpage, NY/Bethpage HS/Delaware/St. John's River CC8 Gregg Sarra FR Pitcher 5-9 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS10 Mike Walraven JR Infield 5-9 Thompson Ridge, NY/Pine Bush HS/Iona11 Kevin Flynn JR Catcher 5-10 Morristown, NJ/Morristown HS/County College of Morris12 Darrin Dawber FR Infield 6-1 East Northport, NY/St. Anthony's HS13 Andrew Barbarino FR Pitcher 6-3 Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell HS15 Peter Magistrale FR Infield/Outfield 6-1 St. James, NY/Smithtown East HS16 Greg Lettini FR Pitcher 5-11 Hempstead, NY/Kellenberg Memorial HS17 Jordan Bredehoeft FR Outfield 6-1 Morgan Hill, CA/St. Francis HS18 Jeff Guthridge JR Pitcher 6-3 Bel Air, MD/Calvert Hall HS19 John Krause FR Pitcher 6-4 Wantagh, NY/MacArthur HS20 Matt Prokopowicz SR Infield 6-0 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS22 Sean Monaghan JR Pitcher 6-3 East Meadow, NY/Kellenberg Memorial HS/Nassau CC23 Scott A'Hara JR Pitcher/Outfield 5-11 Downingtown, PA/Coatesville HS24 Jared Hammer FR Infield 6-1 Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central HS25 Matt Hancock SO Catcher/Infield 6-1 Old Lyme, CT/Xavier HS/East Carolina26 Joe Burg FR Pitcher 5-10 Lindenhurst, IL/Carmel HS27 Elliot Hagburg SR Catcher 6-1 East Hanover, NJ/Hanover Park HS28 Jared Rogers FR Pitcher 6-3 Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central HS29 Ethan Paquette SR Infield/Outfield 6-3 West Burke, VT/St. Johnsbury Academy/Vermont30 Drew Liebert FR Pitcher 6-5 Baltimore, MD/Towson HS31 Michael Beers FR Catcher 6-3 Danbury, CT/Danbury HS33 Cody Normand FR Pitcher 6-0 North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown HS34 Kevin Rigopoulos JR Pitcher 6-2 Athol, MA/Athol HS35 Rob Kumbatovic SR Pitcher 6-4 Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough HS41 Ryan Radke SR Pitcher 6-5 Frankfort, IL/Lincoln-Way East HS- T.J. Thomas JR Infield/Outfield 6-3 Hicksville, NY/St. Dominic's HS/San Diego State

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Patrick AndersonAssistant Coach - John RussoAssistant Coach - James LallyVolunteer Assistant - Kelly Haynes

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Hofstra University • Hempstead, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 20 Fairfield (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 21 Fairfield (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 24 Manhattan 3:00 PMApril 6 New York Tech 3:00 PMApril 16 Virginia Commonwealth* 3:00 PMApril 17 Virginia Commonwealth* 2:00 PMApril 18 Virginia Commonwealth* 1:00 PMApril 20 Army 3:30 PMApril 21 Stony Brook 3:30 PMApril 23 College of William & Mary* 3:00 PM

April 24 College of William & Mary* 2:00 PMApril 25 College of William & Mary* 1:00 PMMay 4 Long Island University 3:30 PMMay 14 James Madison* 3:00 PMMay 15 James Madison* 2:00 PMMay 16 James Madison* 1:00 PMMay 21 Old Dominion* 3:00 PMMay 22 Old Dominion* 2:00 PMMay 23 Old Dominion* 1:00 PM


The Jaspers are coming

off another great season

competing in the MAAC

Conference. The 2009 season

found the Jaspers on top of

the Conference, winning their

second straight regular season

title with an 18-6 record in conference play. Overall

the Jaspers were 35-18, putting up a 14-3 record at

home, in Riverdale, NY. This past year was

Manhattan’s fourth consecutive 30+ win season.

This year they hope to make it their 5th and

earn another bid to the NCAA Tournament.

2009 highlights include both Division I and

Conference Rankings. In Division I baseball

standing, the Manhattan Jaspers claim 5th in

batting averages (.349), 12th in scoring (9.1 runs

per game) and 22nd in doubles (2.45 per game). In

MAAC Conference play, the Jaspers are first in

seven out of nine categories (batting average,

slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs

scored, hits, RBI, doubles) and 2nd in the

remaining two (home runs, total bases). Batting

average (.349), slugging percentage (.529), On-

base percentage (.439), runs scored (480), hits

(657), RBI (439), doubles (130) are the lengthy list

where the Jaspers come out on top as conference

leaders. They were second in home runs (61) and

total bases (694). And looking to keep this going

for the 2010 season.

The 2010 roster will

include recently named

2010 PING! Baseball Pre

Season All American

Third Team, All-MAAC

outfielder and 2010

Louisville Preseason All

American Kevin Nieto,

along with juniors Mike

McCann, 2009 First

Team All- MAAC and

Mark Onorati, 2009

First Team All-MAAC.

Last year Neito led all

of Division I with a

remarkable average of

1.57 runs per game, as

well as breaking the

program record of single

season runs with 72 and

6 triples. Mike McCann steps up to the plate this

season as the new record holder for most hits in a

single season with 85, batting .393 last year with 13

homeruns.

Manhattan returns seven starters this season and

18 letter winners. Workouts have started and the

Jaspers are looking forward to the start of the 2010

season. Slugger Anthony Armenio will most likely

DH this season while Austin Sheffield will be at

first and Chad Salem at the third. On the mound

will be MAAC Pitcher of the Year, Mike Gazzola

who posted a 7-1 record last year with four

complete games. His last complete game came

against Rider College in the opening game of the

MAAC Championships.

The Jaspers have a lot to live up to this year and

are getting ready for a solid 2010 season. With

Kevin Leighton as head of the Jasper club the

ballplayers are in a good position. Kevin and his

staff have coached the Jaspers to the four team

MAAC Tournament field each of his four years. In

2006 the Jaspers won their first MAAC title and

advanced to the Regional Finals of the NCAA

Tournament where they defeated Joba Chamberlain

and the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

At the end of February Coach Leighton and the

Jaspers are heading down to Miami to play the

Hurricanes for their opening weekend. The Jaspers

will battle with teams from the ACC, Big East,

Colonial Athletic Association and Conference USA

outside of a challenging MAAC Conference.

The Jaspers home game opener is. Saturday, April

3rd against St. Peters in Riverdale, New York.

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KEVIN NIETO

MANHATTAN COLLEGEJASPERS



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College5 Tom Moran SR Pitcher 6-7 Farmington, CT/St. Paul Catholic HS6 Taylor Sewitt SO Infield 6-2 Highland Mills, NY/Monroe-Woodbury7 Kevin Nieto SR Outfield 5-9 Miami, FL/Christopher Columbus HS8 Will DeRuve SO Infield 6-0 Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central9 Jamie Fitzgerald SR Catcher 6-2 Ottawa, Canada/Monroe Community11 Tom Costigan SR Pitcher 6-3 Cold Spring, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes14 Chad Salem JR Infield 6-0 Rye, NY/Iona Prep17 Kyle Waddell JR Pitcher 6-5 Tucson, AZ/Sahuaro HS18 Matt Troisi SO Pitcher 6-5 Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian22 Mark Onorati JR Outfield 5-10 Williston Park, NY/Herricks HS24 Mike Giordano SO Pitcher 5-10 Bedford, NY/Fox Lane25 Zac Goyer SR Pitcher 6-3 Cropseyville, NY/Berlin HS27 Mike Gazzola SR Pitcher 5-10 White Plains, NY/Iona Prep29 Mike McCann JR Outfield 5-10 Belle Harbor, NY/Archbishop Molloy HS30 Matt Jordan SO Pitcher 6-2 Kingston, NY/Kingston31 Anthony Armenio SR Catcher 6-2 Dix Hills, NY/Half Hallow Hills West HS33 Ramon Ortega SO Catcher 5-11 Miami, FL/Christopher Columbus34 Austin Sheffield JR Infield 6-4 Augusta, GA/Gulliver Prep- Rob Ardino JR Pitcher 5-10 White Plains, NY/Iona Prep- Nick Camastro FR Infield 5-11 Lagrangeville, NY/Arlington HS- Julian De La Rosa FR Infield 5-11 Staten Island, NY/Lawrenceville School- Mike Gonzalez FR Pitcher 5-9 Miami, FL/Christopher Columbus HS- Eric Luksis FR Pitcher 6-2 Wappingers Falls, NY/John Jay HS- Alvin Mata SO Pitcher 6-3 Tuckahoe, NY/George Washington- Kyle Murphy FR Infield 6-3 Waterbury, CT/Holy Cross HS- Joe Rock FR Outfield 5-10 Carmel, NY/Kennedy Catholic HS- Giancarlo Santillo FR Outfield 5-10 Flushing, NY/Holy Cross HS- Brian Simmons FR Infield 5-11 Cortlandt Manor, NY/Lakeland HS- John Soldinger FR Pitcher 6-3 Bay Shore, NY/Bay Shore HS- Eddie Spitaletta FR Outfield 6-0 Hackensack, NJ/Paramus Catholic HS- Anthony Vega FR Outfield 6-0 Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Kevin LeightonAssistant Coaches - Ryan Darcy and Jason SpauldingVolunteer Assistants - Mark Russell and Douglas O'Lear

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Manhattan College • Riverdale, NY(DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventApril 3 St. Peter's (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 5 St.Peter's* 12:00 PMApril 7 Albany 3:30 PMApril 21 Columbia (DH) 2:00 PMMay 1 Niagara (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 2 Niagara* 12:00 PMMay 4 NYIT 3:30 PMMay 15 Iona (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 16 Iona* 12:00 PMMay 20 Siena (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 21 Siena* 12:00 PM

MIKE MCCANN

Briarcliffe’s Dave Darcy applying tag to Adelphi’s Anthony Bunomo (09’ Graduate).

Photography by William SheaYOU’REOUT!


The 2009 Molloy squad

finished the season with an

overall record of 26-19, an East

Coast Conference ledger of

16-8, a second-place finish in

the league, and head coach

Fucarino earning recognition

as the East coach Conference Coach of the year.

They headed to the ECC Baseball Championships

confident and ready to bring a title home. The

Lions lost to St. Thomas Aquinas College (10-3)

and Dowling College (4-2), who went on to win

the Division II National Championship.

For the Lions, 2010 brings back a trio of

pitchers. Leading the way is senior Steven Stewart,

All-East Coast Conference first-team player and

2009 National Collegiate Baseball Writers

Association All-America honorable mention. Last

season the right-hander went 4-5 with an earned-

run average of 1.63, ranking him seventh in the

nation. He also ranked 11th in hits allowed per

nine innings, at a ratio of 6.4. Stewart struck out

32 hitters in 71.2 innings pitched.

The other two returners are sophomores Justin

Jorgensen and Chuck Fontana. The slinging side-

arm hurler, Jorgensen, posted a record of 7-4 with

a 3.09 ERA, while Fontana registered a 9-6 ledger

with 39 strikeouts.

In 2009, freshman pitcher Fontana was pitches

away from becoming one of a select few to pitch a

perfect game for the Lions. Fontana took the

mound in the ninth, Queens connected. Fontanas

chance at a perfect game. was robbed. Michael

Mongiardo was able to come in and save the game

for Molloy, which secured Fontana's first win as a

Lion. Also expected to make up the mix of the

starting rotation are red-shirt freshman Larry

Ulip in addition to seven newcomers.

With the bat, Molloy brings back a majority of

its leading hitters from a year ago. Senior, and

2009 East Coast Conference Player of the Year, T.J.

Greig batted a team-high .364 with five homers

and 33 RBI. He also posted a .492 slugging

percentage and a .425 on-base percentage. Junior

Robert LaRusso was another .300-plus swinger

(.313) for the Lions. He also raked seven homers

and 33 RBI and LaRusso was selected to the All-

ECC third-team.

Senior catcher Brian Benes and sophomore

outfielder Carmine Pellechia will be key defense

factors. Last year, Benes recorded 239 putouts and

threw out 16 runners, owning a fielding

percentage of .993. Pellechia was named the 2009

East Coast Conference Rookie of the Year, had 92

putouts and two assists over the course of 45

games played.

Fucarino and the Lions kick off their 2010

season on February 26 when they head to Myrtle

Beach, S.C. for the Northeast Challenge.

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MOLLOY COLLEGELIONS

ROBERT LARUSSO

T.J. GREIG



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Joseph DeGennaro JR Infield 6-0 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS3 Juan Borbon FR Infield 6-2 Plainview, NY/St. Dominic HS4 Frank Marchisello SO Infield 5-8 South Hempstead, NY/Moore Catholic HS5 Gary Bitetto FR Pitcher 5-9 Franklin Square, NY/Kellenberg HS6 Dominic Alongi FR Catcher/Outfield 5-11 Island Park, NY/West Hempstead HS7 Steven Stewart SR Pitcher 6-1 Levittown, NY/W.T. Clarke HS8 Greg Walsh FR Infield/Outfield 5-8 Bellmore, NY/Holy Trinity HS9 Robert Inzerillo SO Outfield 5-10 Valley Stream, NY/Stony Brook10 T.J. Greig SR Outfield 5-10 Staten Island, NY/Xaverian11 Chuck Fontana SO Pitcher 6-1 Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell HS12 Dominick Martelli FR Pitcher 5-11 Franklin Square, NY/Valley Stream North HS14 Kris Kelly FR Infield 5-11 Shirley, NY/Longwood HS16 Anthony Luisi SR Infield/Catcher 5-9 Bethpage, NY/Nassau Community17 Brian Benes SR Catcher/1B 6-1 Omaha, NE/Omaha Central HS18 Erik Pyle FR Outfield 6-0 Atlantic Beach, NY/Kellenberg HS19 Larry Ulip RFR Pitcher 5-11 East Rockaway, NY/East Rockaway HS20 Michael Mongiardo SR Pitcher 6-0 Franklin Square, NY/Holy Trinity HS21 Peter Rieger-Maresca SR Pitcher 6-0 Baldwin, NY/Baldwin HS23 Patrick Brown FR Pitcher 6-1 Howard Beach, NY/Archbishop Molloy HS24 Robert LaRusso JR Catcher/1B 6-4 Bayside, NY/St. Francis Prep25 Carmine Pellechia SO Outfield 5-10 Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic HS26 Keith Dolega FR Pitcher 6-1 Seaford, NY/Seaford HS27 Justin Jorgensen SO Pitcher 6-1 Bethpage, NY/St. Dominic HS28 Joseph Menendez JR Infield 5-9 New York, NY/Xaverian HS29 Joseph Masone SO Outfield/1B 6-1 Island Park, NY/Holy Trinity HS32 Steven Popielarski JR Pitcher 6-3 Massapequa, NY/St. Joseph's33 Tom Szenczy FR Outfield/Pitcher 5-10 Baldwin, NY/Kellenberg HS35 Joe Gallucci FR Pitcher 6-0 West Islip, NY/West Islip HS44 Matthew Metz FR Pitcher 6-0 West Hempstead, NY./West Hempstead HS45 Daniel Pelan SO Pitcher 6-4 East Meadow, NY/East Meadow HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Joe FucarinoAssistant Coach - Freddy ZamojcinAssistant Coach - Mike CallahanAssistant Coach - A.J. DiMicheleAssistant Coach - Peter Weinbaum

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Molloy College • Rockville Centre, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 6 S. New Hampshire (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 7 New Haven (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 10 Dominican 3:00 PMMarch 23 Bridgeport* 6:00 PMMarch 28 Bridgeport* 1:00 PMMarch 31 Queens* 6:00 PMApril 5 Queens* 6:00 PM

April 6 Mercy* 6:00 PMApril 10 Mercy (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 16 Dowling* 3:30 PMApril 17 Dowling (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 20 St. Thomas Aquinas* 6:00 PMApril 30 C.W. Post* 3:30 PMMay 1 C.W. Post (DH)* 4:00 PM

2010 will mark NYIT’s 28th

season in the NCAA Division I

competition and its first season

in the Great West Conference.

Bob Hirschfield, head coach

since 1982, is looking forward

to the challenges that lie ahead.

“We have some talented players on this year’s roster;

they’re all eager to get to the conference

championship.” As usual, the Bears face a difficult

schedule, but are certainly up for the challenge.

The Bears return seven players to their lineup and

ten pitchers, so they do have the experience to

contend in their first year in the Great West.

Captain and left hand pitcher, Andrew Guarrasi

anchors this veteran staff. Andrew “really came on

last year to prove that he is one of the more talented

pitchers in the Northeast.” Guarrasi came off a

strong summer performance in the New England

Collegiate League to help his increase his reputation

in the Northeast. Next in the rotation will be Preston

Wasmund and right hand pitcher Frank Ryan.

After both being placed on the DL in 2009, look for

these two to be ready to go this spring. The bull pen

will be anchored by two sidearm specialists, Mike

Roth and Jon Costa. The top newcomer on the

mound is Tom Cardona who looked very

impressive during the fall workouts.

From an offensive and defensive standpoint, the

Bears’ have two key veterans returning to the

lineup, third baseman Effrey Valdez and shortstop

Brian Smith. Valdez is a real offensive threat and as

“tough an out as there is in the Northeast.” Smith is

the table setter in the lead off position in the Bears’

lineup. He not only has the

ability to consistently get

on base, but he possesses

excellent speed and is a constant stolen base

threat. Defensively, he is adapting well to

shortstop after being moved there in the middle of

last season. Rounding out the infield at first base

is Chris Dienna and at second base, Ryan

Campbell. Steve McNamara looked excellent this

fall and may fit in nicely as the extra infielder or

could earn a starting spot as the year progresses.

In the outfield, there are plenty of players, but

the real question is who will be a starter. Early in

the season the only mainstay will be center fielder

Jerry Smith, who will return to the starting lineup

after being out all last spring with a broken ankle.

The other choices in the outfield are Eric Cos, Dan

Lackner, Dane Hardy and Sebastian Grazziani.

The corner positions are up for grabs, so look for a

rotation in the outfield early in the season until

things get settled. “The lefty/righty combinations

might bode well for us early in the season.”

Behind the plate will be Greg Gilroy who will

take over the full time duty behind the plate due to

the loss of fellow senior George Carroll (DL for

2010). Transfer Vin Caposio will be a more than

capable to relieve Gilroy on a daily basis.

No matter who scores what position, look for a

great 2010 season from the Bears. NYIT will start

their 2010 season on February 26 vs. Georgetown

University in Washington, D.C NY

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NEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYBEARS

BRIAN SMITH

ANDREW GUARRASI




NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN1 Dane Hardy FR Outfield 6-1 Willingboro, NJ2 Effrey Valdez JR Infield 6-0 Flushing, NY3 Tom Cardona FR Pitcher/1B 6-3 Bronx, NY4 Eric Cos JR Outfield 6-1 Coral Gables, FL5 Ryan Campbell SO Infield 5-8 Bellmore, NY7 Brian Smith SR Infield 5-11 Nesconset, NY8 Jerry Smith JR Outfield 5-11 Nesconset, NY9 Robert Loftus FR Outfield 6-1 Massapequa, NY10 Steve McNamara SO Infield 5-10 Levittown, NY11 Steve Faulkner SR Pitcher 6-1 Bayshore, NY12 Sebastian Grazziani SO Infield 5-10 Whitestone, NY15 Ali Rodriguez FR Infield 6-1 Yorktown, VA17 Mike Roth SR Pitcher 6-6 Rockville Centre, NY18 Steve Cotov FR Pitcher 6-2 Ozone Park, NY21 Christian Dienna SR Infield 6-3 Old Bethpage, NY22 Greg Gilroy SR Catcher 5-9 Nesconset, NY23 Vin Caposio JR Catcher/1B/OF 5-10 Long Island City, NY24 Preston Wasmund JR Pitcher 6-1 Ajax, Ontario, Canada25 Anthony Puma FR Catcher 6-1 Hicksville, NY28 Jon Costa JR Pitcher 6-2 Flushing, NY29 Greg Sinacori FR Pitcher 5-10 Wantagh, NY30 Louie Bernardi SR Pitcher 6-2 New Hyde Park, NY31 Michael Fermin SO Infield 6-0 Astoria, NY32 Dan Lackner FR Outfield 6-4 New Hyde Park, NY33 Bobby Magnuson FR Pitcher 6-1 Glen Head, NY34 Frank Ryan SR Pitcher 6-4 Lindenhurst, NY39 Andrew Guarassi SR Pitcher 6-0 Long Island City, NY42 Brennen Forster FR Pitcher 6-3 Dix Hills, NY44 Matthew Carr SO Outfield 6-2 Westbury, NY45 Jose Checo FR Pitcher 5-8 Rockville Centre, NY- Jason Chin RFR Pitcher 5-10 Baldwin, NY

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Bob HirschfieldAssistant Coaches - Mike Caulfield, Ron Mckay and Jamie Loeb

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New York Institute of Technology • Old Westbury, NY (DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 11 Albany 3:00 PMMarch 12 Albany (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 13 Albany 1:00 PMMarch 20 Siena (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 21 Siena 1:00 PMMarch 23 Iona 3:00 PMMarch 28 Yale 1:00 PMApril 7 Fordham 3:00 PMApril 9 Chicago State* 3:00 PMApril 10 Chicago State (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 11 Chicago State* 1:00 PMApril 13 Long Island University 3:30 PM

April 16 Houston Baptist* 3:00 PMApril 17 Houston Baptist (DH)* 12:00PMApril 18 Houston Baptist* 1:00 PMApril 20 Seton Hall 3:30 PMApril 27 St. John’s 3:30 PMApril 28 Hofstra 3:30 PMApril 30 NJIT* 3:30 PMMay 1 NJIT (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 5 Army 3:30 PMMay 7 Utah Valley St.* 3:00 PMMay 8 Utah Valley St. (DH)* 1:00 PMMay 9 Utah Valley St.* 1:00 PM


After making its 10th-straight

BIG EAST Tournament appearance,

the St. John's baseball team will look

to continue its run of success in 2010

with head coach Ed Blankmeyer at

the helm. In 14 seasons at St. John's,

the four-time BIG EAST Coach of

the Year and four-time ABCA Northeast Region

Coach of the Year has compiled a 470-285-3

record. The Red Storm returns 17 letterwinners

from a 2009 squad that set new school records in

batting average (.349), runs (473), RBI (440) and

doubles (149), and finished the season 30-22 (16-

11 BIG EAST).

The squad welcomes a 14-man recruiting class

that was nationally-recognized by Baseball

America. Among this year's group of newcomers

are four 2009 MLB draft picks in pitchers Matt

Carasiti (36th round) and Kyle Hansen (40th

round), and outfielders Jimmy Brennan (45th

round) and Jeremy Baltz (45th round).

Offensively, the Red Storm should be powerful

once again this season. Despite losing third team

All-American Tim Morris (.415, 12 HR, 62 RBI)

and two-time All-BIG EAST selection Brian

Kemp (.379, 68 runs, 16 stolen

bases), St. John's returns five

starters that batted .321 or

better. Among the top

returnees are ABCA All-

Northeast Region

selection Jimmy Parque (.360, 17 2B, 61 RBI) and

second team NCBWA Freshman All-American oe

Panik (.332, 11 2B, 47 RBI). Two-time All-BIG

EAST selection Paul Karmas (.331, 16 2B, 31

RBI), Greg Hopkins (.349, 7 HR, 45) and Matt

Wessinger (.347, 15 2B, 31 RBI) round out the

offensive returnees.

The staff also returns nine arms from a year ago,

including four pitchers that logged at least 49.2

innings. Righties Nick Cenatiempo (5.17 ERA),

Bruce Kern (57 strikeouts, one complete game) and

Eddie Medina (3.81 ERA) each finished the season

with five wins, while lefties Kevin Kilpatrick (42

strikeouts, two saves) and Brendan Lobban (30

strikeouts) combined for seven wins. Ryan Cole (2-

0, 3.49 ERA) anchors the bullpen and had a team-

best five saves a year ago.

St. John's has once again put together a difficult

schedule, which includes contests against four

teams that qualified for the 2009 NCAA

Tournament. Among the squad's non-conference

opponents are Michigan, North Carolina and

Boston College, while the 27-game BIG EAST

slate includes three-game sets against Notre Dame

and Louisville on the road and USF at home.

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JIMMY PARQUE

GREG HOPKINS


NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College0 Matt Wessinger SO 2B/SS 6-0 Liverpool, NY/Liverpool HS2 Joe Panik SO SS/3B 6-1 Hopewell Junction, NY/John Jay HS3 Sean O’Hare FR Infield 6-0 Morristown, NJ/Seton Hall Prep4 Jimmy Parque SR Outfield 5-9 Pacifica, CA/Skyline JC5 Tim McCormick RFR Outfield 6-0 Fairfax, VA/Paul VI Catholic HS7 Bruce Kern SR Pitcher 6-1 Yaphank, NY/Suffolk County CC8 Miguel Valcarcel SR Pitcher/Infield 6-2 Carolina, Puerto Rico/Perkiomen School HS9 Joe Witkowski SR Catcher 6-2 Middletown, CT/Xavier HS10 Ryan Cole SR Pitcher 6-0 North Syracuse, NY/Cicero North Syracuse HS11 Greg Hopkins JR 3B 6-1 Mansfield, MA/Bishop Feehan HS12 Eddie Medina SO Pitcher 6-1 Staten Island, NY/Moore Catholic HS13 Josh Daniel JR Catcher 6-4 Lakewood, CO/Feather River College14 Matt Carasiti FR Pitcher 6-3 Berlin, CT/Berlin HS15 Scott Ferrara JR Outfield 5-11 Farmingdale, NY/St. Anthony's HS16 Steve Forster SR Pitcher 6-7 Webster, NY/Monroe CC17 Pat Talbut FR Infield 6-1 Vestal, NY/Vestal HS18 Jeremy Baltz FR Outfield 6-3 Vestal, NY/Vestal HS20 Sterling Frand FR Pitcher 5-11 Magnolia, TX/Woodlands Christian HS22 Stephen Rivera SO Pitcher 6-0 Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell HS23 Kevin Grove FR Outfield 6-4 Manhattan Beach, CA/Loyola24 Jimmy Brennan FR Outfield 6-0 Airmont, NY/Suffern HS25 Cameron Black FR Pitcher 6-4 Conestoga, PA/Penn Manor HS27 Mike Lonsdale FR Catcher 6-0 Castro Valley, CA/Castro Valley HS28 Kevin Needham FR Pitcher/1B 6-1 Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial HS29 Robert Case FR Catcher 6-2 Miami, FL/South Dade HS30 Sean Hagan FR Pitcher 6-6 Larchmont, NY/Mamaroneck HS31 Paul Karmas JR 1B/Outfield 6-3 Douglaston, NY/St. Francis Prep32 Anthony Cervone FR Pitcher 6-4 Beacon, NY/Beacon HS33 Jose Rodriguez JR Pitcher 5-10 Bronx, NY/Mount St. Michael HS34 Brendan Lobban SO Pitcher 6-2 Ramsey, NJ/St. Joseph Regional HS36 John Schilt FR Pitcher 6-1 Westbury, NY/W.T. Clarke HS38 Daniel Burawa JR Pitcher 6-3 Rocky Point, N.Y./Suffolk County CC.39 Kyle Hansen FR Pitcher 6-7 Glen Gove, NY/St. Dominic HS40 Nick Cenatiempo SR Pitcher 6-4 Manchester, NH/West HS44 Kevin Kilpatrick SO Pitcher 6-2 College Point, NY/Holy Cross HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Ed BlankmeyerAssistant Coaches - Mike Hampton and Scott Brown Volunteer Assistant - Jeffrey Quiros

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ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.redstormsports.com.

St. John’s University • Queens, NY (DH) Doubleheader *BIG EAST EventMarch 16 Fairfield 3:00 PMMarch 19 Albany 3:00 PMMarch 20 Albany 1:00 PMMarch 21 Albany 1:00 PMMarch 23 Columbia 3:00 PMMarch 30 LIU 3:00 PMApril 1 Seton Hall (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 3 Seton Hall* 1:00 PMApril 9 West Virginia* 3:00 PMApril 10 West Virginia* 1:00 PMApril 11 West Virginia* 12:00 PMApril 14 Hofstra 3:00 PM

April 20 Princeton 7:00 PMApril 21 Fordham 6:00 PMApril 23 Georgetown* 6:00 PMApril 24 Georgetown* 1:00 PMApril 25 Georgetown* 12:00 PMApril 28 FDU 6:00 PMMay 4 Iona 6:00 PMMay 7 USF* 6:00 PMMay 8 USF* 1:00 PMMay 9 USF* 12:00 PMMay 11 NYIT 6:00 PM


The Eagles of St.

Joseph’s have set

their goals high for

the 2010 season. In 2009,

the Eagles finished 11-

5, just two games behind Farmingdale State and

SUNY Old Westbury and they don’t plan on that

happening again. With an 81-29 record, the Eagles

have recorded the highest winning percentage in

the conference over the past six years. That’s a

great statistic, but for the players on the team it

isn’t enough.

Although the Eagles graduated valuable talent

last year, this years roster appears to have the

ability to vie for the Conference title. This years

club will be lead by All-American second

baseman Mike Gerdes (Wantagh), Ryan Caroll

(Patchogue) and Jeff Coyle (Mastic), the latter two

named to the Third Team ABCA/Rawlings All

New York Region Teams and Frank DiPresso, a

solid defense man at third base. Also returning are

All Conference Players Joe Benkert (Lindenhurst)

junior pitcher, Ron Eichhorn (Sayville) senior

pitcher, Jason Dierkes

(Mt. Sinai), sophomore

pitcher. St. Joseph’s will also rely on outfielder Mark

Cisek (Sayville) and Chris Wright (Hicksville), a

junior first baseman.

St. Joseph's will also be counting on sophomore

transfer Parteek Thamen out of Hauppague, New

York. He's an impact player in the outfield, first

base and at the plate. The talent at shortstop is

deep, so the position will be split between two

sophomores, James Carey (St. John the Baptist)

and Dennis Nover (St. Francis Prep). On the

mound for the Eagles will be Ryan Scarsbeck

(Massapequa), a freshman pitcher and senior

Frank Tucker. They both have experience playing

in big games and handling pressure, but one of

Tuckers biggest wins was over Kean State, the

Division III champions in 2008.

The Eagles have impressed their fans with

offensive records, but most impressive may

be that the last two seasons they have hit

over .330 each year. They know that this is a

record they want to stay in possession of. If

this record is going to be broken, the Golden

Eagles plan on breaking it themselves.

The upcoming season brings many

challenges as their schedule includes 10 teams

that made the regional world series in 2009. The

Eagles are very aware of the challenges in the

upcoming season, but with a great crop of

freshman ball players and a healthy pitching staff,

this team is ready to play ball. St. Joseph’s first

home game is March 6 vs. Stevens Tech at the

Gregg Alfano Field in Patchogue, New York. St.

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MARK CISEK

MIKE GERDES



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School2 Frank Tucker SR Pitcher 5-8 Shirley, NY/William Floyd HS3 Jeff Coyle SR Infield 5-10 Mastic Beach, NY/Upper Room HS4 James Carey SO Infield 6-0 Patchogue, NY/St. John the Baptist HS5 Mike Copobianco FR Outfield - Northport, NY/Northport HS6 Brian Harrigan FR Outfield - West Babylon, NY/St. John the Baptist HS7 Tim Caden SO Pitcher 5-11 Setauket, NY/Ward Melville HS8 Jake Brown FR Pitcher - Bayport, NY/Bayport HS11 Ron Eichhorn SR Pitcher 6-4 Sayville, NY/Chaminade HS12 Charles Zilnicki JR 2B 5-9 Riverhead, NY /Riverhead HS14 Jason Dierkes SO Pitcher 5-10 Mt Sinai, NY/Mt Sinai HS17 Seth Pileggi SO Infield 5-10 Smithtown, NY/Smithown Christian HS18 Frank DiPresso JR 3B 5-8 Medford, NY/Patchogue/Medford HS19 John Okerblum SR Pitcher 5-8 Oakdale, NY/Upper Room HS20 Jon Imbriani SO Catcher 5-8 Miller Place, NY/Miller Place HS21 Kenny Williams FR Outfield - Centereach, NY/Centereach HS22 Ryan Carroll SR Outfield 6-0 Patchogue, NY/Patchogue/Medford HS23 Paul Marino JR Catcher 5-6 Centereach, NY/Centereach HS25 Anthony Delvry JR Outfield - East Rockaway, NY/Easy Rockaway HS26 Mike Gerdes SR 2B 5-10 Wantagh, NY/MacArthur HS27 John Harrison-Acosta JR Catcher 6-1 West Hempstead, NY/St. Mary's HS28 Parteek Thamen SO Pitcher - Hauppauge NY/Hauppauge HS29 Ryan Scarsbrick FR Pitcher - Massapequa, NY/Massapequa HS31 Mark Cisek SR Outfield 6-0 Sayville, NY/Sayville HS32 Andrew Draghi SO Outfield 5-8 Center Moriches, NY/William Floyd HS33 Nick Rizzo JR 3B 6-1 Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale HS34 Joe Benkert JR Pitcher 6-0 Lindenhurst, NY/Lindenhurst HS36 Vincent Reda FR Pitcher - Middle Village, NY/St Francis Prep37 Bobby Hommel FR Catcher - Bohemia, NY/Connetquot HS39 Curt Egloff FR Pitcher - Middle Island, NY/Longwood HS40 Dennis Nover SO Infield 5-5 Fresh Meadows, NY/St Francis Prep41 Dave Sommo JR Pitcher 5-10 Kings Park, NY/Kings Park HS43 Joe Reinhardt SO Pitcher 5-10 Wantagh, NY/MacArthur HS44 Justin Maravegins JR Pitcher 6-0 Ronkonkoma, NY/Connetquot HS45 Chris Wright JR 1B 6-3 Hicksville, NY/Holy Trinity HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Randy CadenAssistant Coaches - Sal Alfano, Sean Kammerer, Mike McCabe and John Fennessy

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St. Joseph’s College • Brooklyn, NY(DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 6 Stevens Tech (DH) 12:00 PM March 7 Western New England (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 20 Mt. St. Mary's College (DH) 12:00 PMMarch 21 St. Joseph's Maine (DH) 11:00 AMMarch 27 Plattsburgh State (DH) 12:00 PMApril 8 Baruch 3:30 PMApril 18 Purchase (DH) 12:00 PMApril 20 Ramapo 3:30 PMApril 24 Mt. St. Vincent (DH) 12:00 PM

JEFF COYLE



Stony Brook University is looking

forward to the opportunity to bring

an America East Championship back

to Long Island. Entering his 20th

season, Coach Matt Senk returns a

solid mix of veteran leaders as well

as a new crop of talented freshmen.

The Seawolves made an appearance in the

America East Tournament in 2009 and look to not

only return to the playoffs, but also bring home

the hardware.

Success for Stony Brook will start on the

mound. Nick Tropeano is fresh off a great summer

in the Hamptons League and will look to be the

ace of the staff. Tyler Johnson is a promising

righty who experienced summer success in the

land of the midnight sun. He was a key part of the

pitching staff that brought an Alaska League Title

to the Mat-Su Miners. Jordan Purrington, Chris

Maier, Mike Barbot, and Anthony Luciano will

help bolster the staff with a veteran presence.

Several newcomers will see significant time on the

hill at University Field. Among these freshmen

include local products Willy Carmona, Thor

Miller and Adam Brown. James Campbell, Jasvir

Raakar, G.C. Yerry and Patrick O'Leary will be

expected to contribute on the mound.

Two freshmen are expected to see significant

time in the outfield for the Seawolves in

2010. Travis Jankowski, a freshman from

Lancaster, PA, is hoping to show off the

athleticism that earned

him all-state accolades

in both football and

baseball. A player who

hails from North of the

Border, Tanner Nivins

displayed good power in

his swing in the fall.

Sophomore Sal Intagliata

is another promising

athlete who will see his

name in the lineup.

In the infield, Junior

Chad Marshall, another

Canadian import, will

help solidify the shortstop

position. At second base,

Maxx Tissenbaum, a Blue

Jays draft pick, and fellow

freshmen Vinny Cesear and John Ardonetto will

all compete for time. Veterans Robert Dyer and

Mike Stephan will both see time at first base and

DH. Stephen Marino, a junior from nearby

Selden, will man the hot corner for the Seawolves.

Despite some inexperience at some positions,

the Seawolves will have plenty of veteran

leadership from their catching corps. Senior

Justin Ecchevaria returns from an injury for his

final season with the Seawolves. “Ech” is an

outstanding defender and will help shut down the

running game. West Islip product Patrick

Cantwell will also see time behind the dish, as

well as the outfield.

On the bench, Coach Senk has added some

new faces to his coaching staff. Coach Mike

Marron is the new pitching coach. Marron, a

product of Holy Cross, has coached at UMass-

Lowell, as well as spending a summer in the

prestigious Cape Cod League. Coach Jordan

Wyckoff joined the Seawolves staff in the fall as

the new volunteer assistant. Wyckoff, who grew

up in Miller Place, played his college ball at

Dickinson College. He has coaching experience in

both the Alaska and Cape Cod League. Coach Joe

Pennuci, one of the most respected assistants in

the region, returns for his fourth season.

The Seawolves begin their 2010 season against

UNC-Wilmington on March 6.

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STONY BROOK UNIVERSITYSEAWOLVES



NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College1 Robert Dyer SR Infield 6-2 Selden, NY/Newfield HS2 Chad Marshall JR Infield 5-10 Paris, Ontario/Canada/Paris District3 Pat Cantwell SO Catcher/Outfield 6-1 West Islip, NY/West Islip HS4 Sal Intagliata SO Outfield 6-2 Franklin Square, NY/H. Frank Carey HS5 William Carmona FR Infield/Pitcher 6-0 Hempstead, NY/Hempstead6 Travis Jankowski FR Outfield 6-2 Lancaster, PA/Lancaster Catholic7 Justin Echevarria SR Catcher 6-0 Uniondale, NY/Uniondale HS9 John Adornetto FR Infield 5-9 Commack, NY/Commack11 Anthony Luciano FR Pitcher 5-10 Holtsville, NY/Sachem East12 Evan Stecko-Haley JR Pitcher 6-5 Coral Springs, FL/Coral Glades HS14 Vincent Caesar FR Infield 5-9 Massapequa, NY/Massapequa15 Michael Barbot SR Pitcher 5-10 Bronx, NY/Seminole CC/Mt. St. Michael Academy16 Thor Miller FR Pitcher 6-0 Miller Place, NY/Miller Place19 Jordan Purington SR Pitcher 6-3 Westbrook, ME/Westbrook HS20 Chris Maier SR Infield/Pitcher 6-1 Farmingdale, NY/Farmingdale HS23 Stephen Marino JR Infield 6-1 Lake Grove, NY/Centereach HS24 Tanner Nivins FR Outfield 5-10 Kitchener, Ontario/St. Mary’s25 Nick Tropeano SO Pitcher/Infield 6-4 West Islip, NY/West Islip HS26 Patrick O’Leary FR Outfield/Pitcher 6-2 Sparta, NJ/Sparta27 Michael Stephan SR Infield/DH 5-11 Patchogue, NY/Patchogue-Medford HS28 Maxx Tissenbaum FR Infield 5-11 Toronto, Ontario/York Mills Collegiate32 Adam Brown FR Pitcher 5-10 Melville, NY/Half Hollow Hills East33 G.C. Yerry FR Pitcher 6-1 West Shokan, NY/Onteora34 Jasvir Rakkar FR Pitcher 6-1 Brampton, Ontario/Bramalea Secondary School41 James Campbell FR Pitcher 6-1 Bridgeport, CT/St. Joseph44 Tyler Johnson SO Pitcher 6-0 Chatsworth, CA/Crespi Carmelite HS

COACHING STAFFHead Coach - Matt SenkAssistant Coach - Joe PennucciAssistant Coach - Mike MarronAssistant Coach - Jordan Wykckoff

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Stony Brook University • Stony Brook, NY(DH) Doubleheader *Conference EventMarch 17 Iona 3:00 PMApril 17 UMBC (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 18 UMBC* 12:00 PMApril 21 Hofstra 3:30 PMApril 28 Fairfield 3:30 PMMay 15 Hartford (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 16 Hartford (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 21 Binghamton (DH)* 12:00 PMMay 22 Binghamton* 12:00 PM

MICHAEL STEPHAN


The Panthers will open

the 2010 season after

ending 2009 with a program

record 27 wins. Head coach

John Lonardo, the 2009

Skyline Conference Coach of the Year, has assembled

an impressive cast of talent for the 2010 roster and

believes that it is within the realm of possibility that

the Panthers are ready for the post season.

While the Panthers will have to deal with the

departure of six seniors from its 2009 club, Old

Westbury will welcome back 16 lettermen.

Lonardo is relying on his group of upperclassmen,

along with a group of underclassmen who played

key roles on the 2009 club, to mesh with and guide

a talented crew of newcomers.

After ranking fourth in both stolen bases (139)

and stolen bases per game (3.48), Old Westbury will

look to be a premier offensive club again this year.

Last season they scored 7.3 runs per game, clubbing

20 triples, ranking them 24th in the nation and 29th

in triples per game (0.5). Old Westbury was also

dominant on the mound last season, ranking 14th in

hits allowed per nine innings (8.86) and 25th in

strikeouts per nine innings (8.0).

One thing appears certain for the Panthers – a

deep and talented pitching staff. Anchoring the

Old Westbury staff is Dan

Fordyce, a Second Team

All-Skyline Conference

selection. He went 5-0

with a 3.17 ERA in nine

games (eight starts) a year

ago posting two shutouts

and three complete games in

48.1 innings of work.

Fordyce sat down 38 batters

on strikes and walked 11

while holding the opposition

to a .237 batting average.

Following him in the

rotation is Robert Hugli, the

clubs top returning winner

after going 6-4 in 40.1 innings

on the hill. Pitching Coach

Rod Stephan has a bevy of

talented hurlers in the mix

for a rotation slot, as well.

Joshua Burgos made three

starts, registering a 2-1

record with a 2.91 ERA including one complete

game shutout.

Jorge Hiraldo was the closer last year. He made

a team-high 19 appearances, putting in 24 innings

of work on the bump. Hiraldo shutdown the

opposing batters, handcuffing them to a .190

batting average. Hiraldo had five saves and a 2-0

record with a 2.25 ERA.

Offensively, Old Westbury will be led by senior

shortstop/third basemen Albert Bevacqua.

Bevacqua comes off a season where he was named

Third Team ABCA All-Region and Second Team

All-Skyline Conference. Bevacqua totaled 33 RBI,

while hitting .395 with 12 doubles, five homers

and nabbed 21 stolen bases. Third basemen Ryan

Blanco achieved First Team All-Skyline

Conference laurels. Blanco hit .353 at the plate

with 12 doubles, 33 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 37

games. Emmanuel Mateo will patrol the outfield,

he enters the season with a career .306 average

with 21 doubles, five triples, five home runs, 51

RBI and 41 stolen bases in 262 at bats.

When Old Westbury takes the field for the

first time in 2010 on February 27 at Frostburg

State in Western Maryland, they will begin a

tough campaign. But the 2010 squad is ready to

make history and take it to the 35th annual

Division III Baseball Championship at Fox Cities

Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin. SUNY Old

Westbury’s first home game is March 23 vs.

Baruch College (NYC).

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ALBERT BEVACQUA

SUNY COLLEGE AT OLD WESTBURYPANTHERS



SUNY COLLEGE AT OLD WESTBURY 2010 ROSTER BPM2010 COLLEGE PREVIEW

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SUNY COLLEGE AT OLD WESTBURY 2010 HOME SCHEDULEFor the full 2010 schedule and more information. Please visit www.oldwestburypanthers.com.SUNY College at Old Westbury • Old Westbury, NYAlternate Home Site: (BH) Baseball Heaven (Yaphank, NY) • (KP) Keyspan Park (Brooklyn, NY)March 5 Cortland State (BH) 3:30 PMMarch 6 ECONN (BH) 2:00 PMMarch 7 Southern Maine (BH) 11:00 AMMarch 23 Baruch 4:00 PMMarch 24 Yeshiva (DH)* 3:00 PMMarch 27 Mount Saint Vincent (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 3 Plattsburgh State (DH) 12:00 PMApril 8 Oneonta State 4:00 PMApril 11 Mount Saint Mary (DH)* 12:00 PM

April 14 John Jay (KP) 3:30 PMApril 17 St. Joseph’s LI (DH)* 12:00 PMApril 20 Staten Island 6:00 PMApril 21 USMM Academy 7:00 PMApril 22 New Paltz 6:00 PMApril 23 Old Westbury Alumni Game 7:00 PMApril 24 St. Joseph’s Brooklyn (DH) 12:00 PMApril 25 Stevens 12:00 PM

(DH) Doubleheader *Conference Event

NO NAME YR POS HT HOMETOWN/High School/Last College- Tom Benedetto SR Infield 5-9 Wantagh, NY/Wantagh- Albert Bevacqua SR Infield 6-0 Staten Island, NY/New Dorp- Ryan Blanco JR Infield 6-1 Ozone Park, NY/Msgr. McClancey- Kevin Briffa FR Pitcher 6-3 Astoria, NY/Msgr. McClancey- Joshua Burgos JR Pitcher 5-10 New York, NY/LaSalle Academy- Nestor Bussi SO Outfield 5-10 Brooklyn, NY/Grand Street Campus- William Campbell SR Utility 6-3 New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park Memorial- Irving Collado FR Infield 6-3 Copiague, NY/Copiague- Frank DiMaria FR Pitcher 6-1 Ozone Park, NY/Msgr. McClancey- Michael Duran FR Pitcher 6-0 Brooklyn, NY/Benjamin Banneker- Anthony Fernandez JR Infield 5-7 Bethpage, NY/Plainedge- Alcides Ferreiras JR Outfield 5-9 Bronx, NY/Alfred E. Smith- Dan Fordyce SR Pitcher 6-2 Brentwood, NY/Brentwood- David Gerena JR Infield 6-2 Central Islip, NY/Central Islip- Abelisario Guerrero FR Pitcher 6-0 Bronx, NY/James Monroe- Steven Henriquez JR Catcher 6-0 North Babylon, NY/North Babylon- Andrew Hevia SO Catcher 5-9 Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Ford- Jorge Hiraldo JR Pitcher 5-11 Brooklyn, NY/Bushwick- James Huber SO Pitcher 6-5 North Babylon, NY/North Babylon- Robert Hugli SR Pitcher 6-1 New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park Memorial- Ryan Jarvis SO Pitcher 6-2 Cape Coral, FL/North Fort Myers- Giovanni Jimenez JR Outfield 5-10 Brentwood, NY/Brentwood- Jason Kondra JR Outfield 5-10 East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse Minoa- Fernando Lopez JR Infield/Outfield 6-0 Bronx, NY/James Monroe- Edgar Marcelo SO Catcher 5-10 Bronx, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy- Emmanuel Mateo JR Outfield 6-3 Brooklyn, NY/Benjamin Banneker- Robert Moschetto SR Outfield 5-8 Massapequa, NY/Division Avenue- Ronald Petito SO Infield 5-9 Cape Coral, FL/North Fort Myers- Ranser Reyes FR Pitcher 6-2 Bronx, NY/James Monroe- Marvin Rosario JR Pitcher 5-9 Lynbrook, NY/Malverne- Addy Rozier SO Pitcher 6-2 Fort Myers, FL/South Fort Myers- Andrew Salomon FR Pitcher 5-10 Queens Village, NY/St. Mary’s- Joel Santos FR Infield 5-11 Brooklyn, NY/Benjamin Banneker- Josef Schaetzle JR Pitcher 6-5 Merrick, NY/Chaminade- Kyle Schwarz FR Infield 6-2 Goshen, NY/Goshen- Melvin Simmons JR Infield 6-1 Bronx, NY/Aldred E. Smith- Robert Tesseyman JR Pitcher 5-11 Middle Village, NY/Christ the King- Euris Turbi FR Infield 6-2 Brooklyn, NY/HS of Telecommunications Art & Tech.- Alexander Villanueva SO Pitcher 6-4 Brooklyn, NY/Grand Street Campus- Malik Wylie FR Outfield 6-0 Bronx, NY/Mount Saint Michael Academy

COACHING STAFF Head Coach - John Lonardo Assistant Coaches - Rod Stephan, Chris Smith and Winter Adames


SUNY COLLEGESALBANY STATE UNIVERSITYwww.ualbanysports.comALFRED STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGEwww.alfredstate.edu/athletics/pioneer-athleticsBINGHAMTON UNIVERSITYwww2.binghamton.edu/athleticsBROCKPORT COLLEGEwww.brockport.edu/athleticsBUFFALO STATE UNIVERSITYwww.ubathletics.buffalo.eduCANTON STATE UNIVERSITYwww.rooathletics.comCOBLESKILL STATE UNIVERSITYwww2.cobleskill.edu/athletics COLLEGE AT OLD WESTBURYwww.oldwestburypanthers.comCORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITYwww.cortlandreddragons.comDELHI UNIVERSITYwww.delhi.edu/athleticsFARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGEwww.farmingdalesports.comFREDONIA STATE UNIVERSITYwww.fredonia.edu/athleticsGENESEO STATE UNIVERSITYwww.geneseo.edu/athleticsMARITIME COLLEGE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORKwww.maritimeathletics.comNEW PALTZ STATE UNIVERSITYwww.athletics.newpaltz.eduONEONTA STATE UNIVERSITYwww.oneonta.edu/academics/athleticsOSWEGO STATE UNIVERSITYwww.oswego.edu/athletics/index.htmlPLATTSBURGH STATE UNIVERSITYwww.plattsburgh.edu/athleticsPURCHASE STATE UNIVERSITYwww.purchase.edu/Departments/PhysicalEducationSTONY BROOK STATE UNIVERSITYwww.goseawolves.cstv.com

SUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGESCORNING COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.corning-cc.eduDUTCHESS COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunydutchess.edu/studentlife/athleticsERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.ecc.edu/athletics/varsitysports.aspFINGER LAKES COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.athletics.flcc.edu/baseball

GENESEE COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.genesee.edu/athleticsHERKIMER COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.herkimergenerals.comHUDSON VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.hvcc.edu/athleticsJEFFERSON COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunyjefferson.edu/Athletics/index.htmlMOHAWK VALLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.mvcc.edu/students/athleticsMONROE COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.monroecc.edu/depts/athleticsNIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.niagaracc.suny.edu/studentlife/athleticsORANGE COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunyorange.edu/athleticsROCKLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunyrockland.edu/prospective-students/athletics SCHENECTADY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunysccc.edu/student/athletics.htmSULLIVAN COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sullivan.suny.edu/athleticsTOMPKINS CORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.tc3.edu/panthersULSTER COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunyulster.eduWESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.sunywcc.edu

CUNY COLLEGESBARUCH COLLEGEwww.athletics.baruch.cuny.eduBROOKLYN COLLEGEwww.brooklyn.cuny.edu CITY COLLEGE OF NEW YORKwww.ccnyathletics.comJOHN JAY COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICEwww.johnjayathletics.comLEHMAN COLLEGEwww.lehmanathletics.comQUEENS COLLEGEwww.athletics.qc.cuny.edu

CUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGESBOROUGH OF MANHATTAN COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.bmcc.cuny.edu/athletics KINGSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.kbcc.cuny.edu/athleticsBRONX COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.bcc.cuny.edu/athleticsQUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.qcc.cuny.edu/Sports

NEW YORK CUNYS, SUNYS, COLLEGES BPM2010 COLLEGE PREVIEW



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UPSTATE COLLEGESALFRED UNIVERSITYwww.saxons.alfred.eduBARD COLLEGEwww.bard.edu/athleticsCANISIUS COLLEGEwww.gogriffs.comCAZENOVIA COLLEGEwww.cazenovia.edu/athleticsCLARKSON UNIVERSITYwww.clarkson.edu/campus_life/athletics COLGATE UNIVERSITYwww.colgate.edu COLLEGE OF MOUNT ST. VINCENTwww.mountsaintvincent.eduCOLLEGE OF SAINT ROSEwww.gogoldenknights.comCONCORDIA COLLEGEwww.concordiaclippers.comCORNELL UNIVERSITYwww.cornellbigred.comHAMILTON COLLEGEwww.hamilton.edu/athleticsHARTWICK COLLEGEwww.hartwick.eduHOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGEwww.hwsathletics.comIONA COLLEGEwww.icgaels.comITHACA COLLEGEwww.ithaca.edu/athleticsLE MOYNE COLLEGEwww.lemoyne.eduMANHATTANVILLE COLLEGEwww.govaliants.comMARIST COLLEGEwww.marist.edu/athleticsMERCY COLLEGEwww.mercyathletics.comNAZARETH COLLEGEwww.nazathletics.comNIAGRA UNIVERSITYwww.purpleeagles.comPACE UNIVERSITYwww.pacesettersathletics.comRENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTEwww.rpi.edu/student_life/athletics.htmlROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY www.ritathletics.comST. BONAVENTURE UNIVERSITYwww.sbu.edu/athleticsST. JOHN FISHER COLLEGEwww.athletics.sjfc.eduST. LAWRENCE UNIVERSITYwww.stlawu.edu/athletics/saints

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS COLLEGEwww.stacathletics.comSIENA COLLEGEwww.sienasaints.cstv.comSKIDMORE COLLEGEwww.skidmoreathletics.comSYRACUSE UNIVERSITYwww.suathletics.com UNION COLLEGEwww.unionathletics.comUNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY WEST POINTwww.usma.edu/athletics.aspUNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTERwww.rochester.edu/athleticsVASSAR COLLEGEwww.vassarathletics.com

NEW YORK CITY/LONG ISLANDADELPHI UNIVERSITYwww.aupanthers.comBRIARCLIFFE COLLEGEwww.bcl.eduCOLUMBIA UNIVERSITYwww.gocolumbialions.comC.W. POST-LONG ISLAND UNIVERSITYwww.cwpostpioneers.comDOWLING COLLEGEwww.dowlingathletics.comFORDHAM UNIVERSITYwww.fordhamsports.comHOFSTRA UNIVERSITYwww.gohofstra.comLONG ISLAND UNIVERSITYwww.brooklyn.liu.edu/athleticsMANHATTAN COLLEGEwww.gojaspers.comMOLLOY COLLEGEwww.athletics.molloy.eduNASSAU COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww.ncc.edu/StudentLife/AthleticsNEW YORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYwww.nyit.edu/athleticsST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITYwww.stjohns.edu/athleticsST. JOSEPH’S COLLEGEwww.sjcny.eduSUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGEwww3.sunysuffolk.edu/StudentLifeUS MERCHANT MARINE ACADEMYwww.usmmasports.comWAGNER COLLEGEwww.wagnerathletics.comYESHIVA UNIVERSITYwww.yumacs.com

AND UNIVERSITIES BASEBALL INDEX

PLAYBALL

The Long Island High School baseball

season is a favorite of many, and BPM is

expecting a 2010 season that will keep the

players and fans on the edge of their

seats. With so many talented teams,

players and coaches it was hard to choose

which schools to preview for the season, so

BPM took the two teams from each division

that played for their respective titles. We

then turned to our very own Brandon Kurz

to give us some insight into some of the

teams he’s looking to follow this season.

“I wish that BPM was able to preview

every high school on Long Island, there is

an enormous amount of talent here. It is

impossibly hard to choose which teams to

preview, so after tons of research and

conversations with coaches and experts

around the island, I have put together

a few schools to take a deeper look

at (BK’s 2010 Teams To Watch). I

don’t stand alone when I say that

I am really looking forward to

following the season and seeing

what each team can do!”

-Brandon Kurz

Island Trees’ Bryan Verbitsky.

Winner of the 2009 Diamond

Award as the top position player in

all of Nassau County. He was also

named 1st Team All State and

All County.

Photography by Troy Verbitsky


BPM2010 HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

NASSAU COUNTY*CONFERENCE A-1Bethpage High SchoolClarke High SchoolDivision High SchoolGarden City High SchoolIsland Trees High SchoolWantagh High School

CONFERENCE A-2Glen Cove High SchoolLynbrook High SchoolNew Hyde Park High SchoolNorth Shore High SchoolPlainedge High SchoolValley Stream North High School

CONFERENCE A-3Hewlett High SchoolManhasset High SchoolMineola High SchoolSeaford High SchoolSouth Side High SchoolValley Stream South High School

CONFERENCE A-4Floral Park High SchoolGreat Neck North High SchoolJericho High SchoolLawrence High SchoolRoosevelt High SchoolRoslyn High SchoolSewanhaka High SchoolWest Hempstead High SchoolWestbury High School

CONFERENCE AA-1Farmingdale High SchoolHicksville High SchoolMacArthur High SchoolMassapequa High SchoolOceanside High SchoolPlainview JFK High SchoolSyosset High School

CONFERENCE AA-2Baldwin High SchoolBellmore JFK High SchoolCalhoun High SchoolCarey High SchoolEast Meadow High SchoolHerricks High SchoolMepham High School

CONFERENCE AA-3Elmont High SchoolFreeport High SchoolGreat Neck South High SchoolHempstead High SchoolLong Beach High SchoolPort Washington High SchoolUniondale High SchoolValley Stream Central High School

CONFERENCE BCCarle Place High SchoolCold Spring Harbor High SchoolEast Rockaway High SchoolFriends Academy High SchoolLocust Valley High SchoolMalverne High SchoolOyster Bay High SchoolWheatley High School

SUFFOLK COUNTYLEAGUE IBrentwood High SchoolCommack High SchoolLongwood High SchoolPatchogue/Medford High SchoolSachem East High SchoolWard Melville High SchoolWilliam Floyd High School

LEAGUE IIBay Shore High SchoolCentral Islip High SchoolConnetquot High SchoolLindenhurst High SchoolNorthport High SchoolSachem North High SchoolWalt Whitman High School

LEAGUE IIICentereach High SchoolEast Islip High SchoolHalf Hallow Hills East High SchoolNewfield High SchoolNorth Babylon High SchoolSmithtown East High SchoolWest Islip High School

LEAGUE IVBellport High SchoolCopaigue High SchoolDeer Park High SchoolHalf Hallow Hills West High School

Riverhead High SchoolSmithtown West High SchoolWest Babylon High School

LEAGUE VComsewogue High SchoolEastport/South Manor High SchoolHarborfields High SchoolHauppauge High SchoolHuntington High SchoolIslip High SchoolKings Park High School

LEAGUE VIAmityville High SchoolEast Hampton High SchoolMiller Place High SchoolRocky Point High SchoolSayville High SchoolShoreham/Wading River High SchoolWesthampton High School

LEAGUE VIIBabylon High SchoolBayport/Blue Point High SchoolHampton Bays High SchoolJohn Glenn High SchoolMattituck High SchoolMt. Sinai High SchoolSouthampton High School

LEAGUE VIIICenter Moriches High SchoolMcGann-Mercy High SchoolPierson/Bridgehampton High SchoolPort Jefferson High SchoolSmithtown Christian High SchoolSouthold/Greenport High SchoolStony Brook High School

CATHOLIC LEAGUEChaminade High SchoolHoly Trinity High SChoolKellenberg Memorial High SchoolSt. Anthony’s High SchoolSt. Dominic High SchoolSt. John the Baptist High SchoolSt. Mary’s High School

*The Nassau County BaseballConferences have not yet been releasedfor 2010, they will be released shortly.Please see new standings atwww.baseballplayermagazine.com




MASSAPEQUA HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE AA-12009 DOUBLE A CHAMPIONS

This time of year the Massapequa faithful have a

lot to look forward to because the Massapequa

baseball team is almost ready to take the field. The

team is led by seven year head coach (15th year at

Massapequa) and Assistant coaches Chris Cafiero,

Rob Cafiero, and Steve Castellani. Strong coaching

has led to strong preparation. Whether they are

hitting in the cages, conditioning for the season, or

waking up for morning workouts (before school),

the team is busy working towards defending their

fourth championship in four years

"The goal of our program is to build strong team

values and give each player a chance to play past high

school. We work towards improving our skills every

day and we've built a positive atmosphere. However,

it is also our hope for each of our individual

players that they continue to play through college

and hopefully beyond," said Coach Sheedy. The

Massapequa team works out each morning before

school. The team is committed to winning as

shown by their recent history. With three

returning starting players and talented returning

players, the Massapequa team is stacked with

talent as always.

The Massapequa team is returning three

starters from last year's championship team

including 2009 All State Pitcher Joe Lipari, All

League first baseman Rob Veltre, and speedy leadoff

hitter/centerfielder Mark Pagano. The rest of the

team will make the difference as to whether or not

the Massapequa team will take home a 5th

Championship in a row.

Last year, the Massapequa team won the Long

Island Championship beating North Babylon by a

score of 8-3. This year the Massapequa boys are hard

at work in an effort to match their 2009 campaign.

NORTH BABYLON HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE IV2009 DOUBLE A RUNNER UP

The 2010 season will be one of change for the

North Babylon High School Baseball Team. The

defending Suffolk County Class AA (Large

School) Champions graduated all nine of their

starters and their top reserves off the bench. The

top six pitchers all went the way of graduation as

well. The Bulldogs are undaunted by this and have

already begun preparations for the upcoming

season. Head Coach Jim Mango and Assistant

Coach Bill Munro are counting on a small group

of returning seniors and a young, but talented

group of underclassmen. Multiple players will be

competing for starting jobs at each position. Some

positions will have up to five players competing

for the same starting job. Returning Seniors

hoping to crack the starting line-up or the

pitching rotation for the Bulldogs include Ryan

Belanger (P-IF), Nick DeMarchis (P-OF), Nick

Forde (P), and Andrew Wroblewski (C-DH). How

the underclassmen perform, however, will be

the key to the season for the Bulldogs. The

underclassmen are lead by juniors, Mike Lyon (P-

IF), Mike Manning (P-IF), Luke Noone (P-OF),

Anthony Caruso (1B-DH), Nick Domnisch (C),

and Nate Trashansky (OF-DH). Sophomores

Kevin Boyle and Greg Carrick will also push for

one of the open starting positions.

The Bulldogs have been to the playoffs for a

school record of six

seasons. They have

92 wins that they

have accumulated in

that time period,

highlighted by the

League IV Championship

in 2006 and the school's

“BK’s Players to Watch” is a list of some of the talent on Long Island and New York City, put together by

BPM’s very own Brandon Kurz. These guys are hard nosed players, who work to hone their skills and

develop themselves as athletes. They know what it takes to win and put forth an enormous amount of

effort. They all exude talent, determination and incredible skill. These players are all expected to excel

and be a driving force on and off the field. Let’s see where 2010 takes them.

BK’SPLAYERS TO WATCH

NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTYBPM2010 HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

Jake RobinsonOyster Bay, H.S.



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first ever County Baseball Championship in

2009. Two players from that 2009 group - Kyle

Olsen (P-CF) and Kevin Primm (C) - were voted

to the All New York State Baseball Team, 2nd

and 3rd team, respectively.

Although they got off to a slow start in 2009

(4-6), they won 15 of their last 16 games, including

coming from behind in all five games of

the Suffolk County Playoffs. The playoffs were

highlighted by a (6-5) ten inning victory over

Longwood High School, in which the Bulldogs

came from behind twice, including a three run

deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning. North

Babylon eventually won the game and the first

County Championship for the school when Kevin

Primm drove in winning pitcher Anthony

Repetto, with the game winning single. The 2009

season was a tribute to the hard work, sacrifice and

discipline of a group of players with a tremendous

desire to win. Although the 2009 players will be

missed, the 2010 Bulldogs show great promise and

want to continue their predecessor's success.

CLARKE HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE A-12009 CLASS A CHAMPIONS

The Clarke H.S. Rams are looking to add to their

rich tradition and defend their Long Island

Championship title. Clarke's legendary coach, Tom

Abruscotto, fully expects to be in the thick of things

within his conference and within the county. With

five returning starters and 11 returning players

from last year's varsity team, the Rams are primed

and ready to repeat last year's success.

Clarke returns three senior outfielders. John

Chodkowski will patrol centerfield, while Ryan

Sloane & Tom Fusco will man right & left

respectively. Hofstra bound Connor McCarthy

returns to anchor a pitching staff that will also

include senior lefty Sean Stewart. Sean missed

most of 2009 after suffering a knee injury that

required surgery.

The offense should be supplied by the returning

outfield core as well as returning clean up hitter

and first baseman John Radice.

The Rams are working out diligently to defend

their Long Island Championship throughout the

winter months. It's coach Abruscotto's presence

and expectations, that help lead Clarke to year in

and year out success.

ISLIP HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE V2009 CLASS A RUNNER UP

The Islip High School baseball program has a

strong history under fabled head coach Fred

Biangardi. He retired with over 500 wins and

two former Carl Yastrzemski award winners,

given to the best player in Suffolk County

(Victor Nicotra and Tom Veryzer), but over the

past three seasons the Islip Buccaneers have

reached new heights. The Bucs have reached the

Class A New York State Championship Game

twice (winning the State Championship in 2007

and losing in the finals in 2008) and then

winning their third consecutive Suffolk County

Championship in 2009 before losing to Clarke

High School in the Long Island Championship.

They head into the 2010 season with high

expectations once again and Head Coach Peter

Blumenauer credits his player's hard work and

dedication for the success of the program.

One common staple Blumenauer cited for the

success of the program has been excellent

pitching during their run, with four alumni

currently pitching in Division 1 programs and

this years' team he feels is no different.

Blumenauer credited pitching instructor Neal

Heaton for a lot of the team's success on the

Continues to page 48

A.J. DEMICHAELSeaford High School, P/OF

ALEC PAPPASSyosset High School, IF

ALEX FALCONISt. Mary'sHigh School, C

ANDERSON MATEOBishop Ford Central H.S., RF

ANDREW ABREUCentereach High School, SS

ANDREW MEGEMacArthur High School, P

ANTHONY BRUNETTIHoly Trinity High School, 3B

ANTHONY GATTOSmithtown West H.S., IF/P

ANTHONY D'ANGELOKellenberg High School, P

ANTHONY EICHHORNSt. Anthony's High School, P

BILLY COLLINSEast Hampton High School, C

BILLY NELSONWalt Whitman High School, IF

BOBBY GAZZOLALongwood High School, IF

BRANDON GARCIAIsland Trees High School, P

BRANDON KUVELPierson High School, P


mound and helping to instill an aggressive

approach for each pitcher to take to the mound.

This season's pitching staff is built around senior

lefthander Ed Macaluso, who was selected All-

State in 2009 and will be pitching in his fourth

season on the Varsity level in 2010. “As a

freshman, in 2007 Eddie was put in the rotation at

mid-season and helped spark our team to a long

winning streak which concluded in a State

Championship. He has played a huge part in our

success over the last three years” said Blumenauer.

Macaluso was the team's most valuable player last

season and will be counted on once again to help

carry the team this year. Joining Macaluso on the

mound this year will be fellow left-handed senior

and 4-year starter Matt Espinal and an exchange

student from Lithuania, right-hander Edvardas

Matusevicius, who has already drawn interest

from many MLB scouts. They both possess strong

3-pitch repertories, with Espinal as the crafty lefty

and Matusevicius the power righty.

At the plate, the team's line-up will be lead by

junior infielder R.J. Going and senior catcher

Stephen Provenzano, both of whom are three-year

starters and were honored as All-league players

last season. Provenzano is a power-hitting righty

who led the line-up in almost all offensive

categories last season and will be inserted into the

clean-up spot this

season. The line-up

will be relying on a

mix of youth in

players such as

sophomore

designated

hitter Wilfredo

Vega and first-time starters junior outfielder Tyler

Murphy and junior infielder Jacob Seymour.

Blumenauer also expects Matuscevicius to be a

dangerous weapon in the lineup as he possesses

excellent speed and power.

The Bucs will be attempting to make Suffolk

County baseball history in 2010 as they try to

become the first team in class C or higher to win

four consecutive county titles.

SOUTHAMPTON HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE VII2009 CLASS B CHAMPIONS

Last season, Southampton had waited more than

a decade for a playoff win and more than three

decades for a Class B County and Long Island

Championship before reeling in both during their

magical run to the state quarterfinals. A year later,

with the lineup still stacked and their ace back on

the mound, the Mariners will be far less patient.

“I think now they're probably feeling like

they're the big men on campus, but I hope they

work like it,” head coach Ike Birdsall said. “It

seems like they're coming into the season with

level heads. I have high aspirations.”

Pitching, sound defense and aggressiveness on

the bases carried Southampton. Head coach

Ike Birdsall will count on that formula once

again, particularly on the mound. Two-thirds of

Southampton's starting rotation graduated, but

the Mariners are left with arguably their most

consistent performer last year - RHP Chris Pike.

The senior comes off a dazzling year that was

punctuated by an 11-strikeout no-hitter against

Class C title winner Pierson in the B-C-D game.

“He's definitely going to be a force this year in our

league and our county, and probably be one of the

top players in the state,” Birdsall said.

Ricky Wesnofske, a spot reliever a year ago,

takes on a full load as one of Birdsall's starters.

NASSAU AND SUFFOLK COUNTYContinued from page 47

(L-R) Jon McGibbon

and James Briggs

Lindenhurst H.S.

BK’SPLAYERS TO WATCHBRANDON STAHLSt. Dominic High School, SS

BRENDAN EBBITTSNewfield H.S. High School, P/1B

BRENDAN SWAYNEPlainedge High School, SS

BRETT COHENSouth Side High School, P

BRIAN HUNTERSt. John the Baptist H.S., P/OF

BRYAN VERBITSKYIsland Trees High School, OF/P

CASEY CUNNINGHAMChaminade High School, C

CHRIS DRAGONESt. Dominic High School, P

CHRIS GOULDWheatley High School, OF/P

CHRIS KELLYOyster Bay High School, P

CHRISTIAN FAUSTSt. Anthony's High School, OF

CHRIS CRUZBayshore High School, P/1B

CHRIS PIKESouthampton High School, P/IF/OF

CONNOR MCCARTHYClarke High School, SS/P

DAN BARTLETTIsland Trees High School, P/3B




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The third spot will likely go to Conal Wood or

Colin Buoniello. This year's staff will again

throw to senior catcher Jeb Schmidt, who heads

into his third year behind the plate.

It's Wesnofske, Pike and Buoniello on whom

Birdsall will count on for much of the team's

power and run production. Buoniello returns

to the offense to which he gave a jolt late last

season after getting the call from JV; he'll hit

behind Wesnofske and Pike. Other everyday

starters returning include Schmidt and 3B/SS

Sean Johnson.

WHEATLEY HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE B-C2009 CLASS B RUNNER UP

In 2009 Coach Paino led Wheatley to it's first

Nassau County Championship in 21 years.

Wheatley met up with north shore rival, Cold

Spring Harbor. Wheatley won the best of three

series in the rubber match to erase the memory of

two failed County Championships in 1996 & 1997.

The Wheatley 2009 team was built on great

leadership, and are hoping for the same in 2010.

The incoming seniors are going to have their

hands full in replacing the senior leadership

from last year's team. Chris Gould should lead

the team back to the playoffs both on the

mound and with his bat. Gould regularly strikes

out double digit batters per game and helped

his team all the way to the Long Island

Championship with clutch hitting and pitching

performances.

When Gould met Southampton in the

championship game, he unfortunately ran into

Chris Pike, who won the battle that day.

However, Gould looks forward to a possible

rematch of that game and will be a force to be

reckoned with come May.

PIERSON HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE VIII2009 CLASS C CHAMPIONS

A season ago, Pierson knocked off its nemesis

Port Jefferson in a best-of-three series for its first

county championship since 2006. Under new head

coach Jonathan Tortorella, a solid nucleus returns

with the same expectations this spring - put

another banner on the wall.

Tortorella replaces Sean Crowley, who spent

22 years at the helm of the Whalers. As the

Whalers' junior varsity coach for four years,

he's familiar with the personnel he'll work with

this spring.

“I have high expectations for these boys and

have coached most of them on the JV level, so I

know there is some talent there,” Tortorella said.

The Whalers' ace, Kyle McGowin, will toe the

rubber for a third season at the varsity level.

Brandon Kruel, who will pitch at C.W. Post next

spring, has earned a starting spot as has another

senior, Ed Schall, whose clutch relief performance

in game one of the county championship series

helped seal the win.

Anchoring the Pierson attack at the plate is

Tyler Gilbride, who as a sophomore stepped

right into the third spot behind Casey Crowley

and Ryan Miller, as well as McGowin hitting

clean-up. The Whalers also get a lift from

seniors Joe Dowling, Dane Riva, T.J. Arreguin,

Mark Mahoney, and junior Gavin Kudlak. The

catching duties, assumed by Crowley the last

three seasons, will be split between Schall and

McGowin this year.

“We've got some good players back at pitcher

and hopefully some other guys will step up,”

Tortorella said. “If we can pitch well and play

defense consistently, we will give ourselves a

chance every game.”

DAVE PODLOFSKYPort Washington High School, SS

DEREK HIRSCHSt. Dominic High School, LF

DOMINICK RAUCCIIsland Trees High School, C

DYLAN CARUSOSachem East High School, P

ELVIN HERNANDEZXaverian High School, C

EDDIE MACALUSOIslip High School, P

EDVARDAS MATUSEVICIUSIslip High School, P

ESTEBAN GOMEZBishop Ford Central H.S., 1B

EVERETT KELLERPort Washington High School, P

FRANK SOLERChaminade High School, SS/P

FRANKIE VANDERKAMacArthur High School, P/OF

GABRIEL SOTOXaverian High School, SS

GARY LAPOLLAWard Melville High School, C

HAROLD FITCHDewitt Clinton High School, 3B/SS

IAN SCHNEIDERMt. Sinai High School, IF


OYSTER BAY HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE BC2009 CLASS C RUNNER UP

Oyster Bay High School is considered a very small

school located in the hamlet of Oyster Bay on the

north shore of Long Island.

Our success can be based on factors such as the

tenure of head coach Jay Davis who is beginning

his 23rd year at Oyster Bay. With 299 wins, he is

looking forward to pass the 300 win milestone this

season. He shares and credits his success to his

dedicated and loyal coaching staff; Scott Lineman

who is entering his 9th season as his varsity

assistant and Ron Scudder who is entering his

15th season as the J.V. coach.

They have been able to stay competitive because

they built a program focusing on good work ethic

and pride in playing small ball.

Their dedication has paid off. In the last three

years, they were able to win three County

Championships, (two in class B, one in class C)

and two Long Island Championships, a Southeast

Regional Championship, which resulted in their

first trip to the state final four. Oyster Bay lost that

game in extra innings to Maple Hill High School

who went on to win the State Championship.

We have been fortunate that for the last three

seasons to have players

that along with playing

small ball, could hit for

average and hit extra

base hits including

the long ball. Alex

Hudak, Jared Frydman,

and Marc Douglas are three

graduates that contributed

to our success and are now playing college ball.

This coming season we are competing in Class B,

due to enrollment and we will be counting on our

returning players. Leading the team are our two

starting pitchers, All County senior pitcher, Jake

Robinson, (overall record 10-2, 70 K’s, 2.19 ERA) and

All Conference junior, Chris Kelly, (overall record 8-3,

35 K, 2.97 ERA). Jake has 5 different pitches and

throws all of them with great command. One of his

best pitches is his knuckle drop, which could help him

become one of the elite pitchers in Nassau County.

Chris Kelly is a big strong pitcher who throws great off

speed pitches and his best pitch is his change up. The

hitting void left by the graduates will be filled by

senior catcher, Dan Roland, (career batting average

.435, 8 HR, 56 RBI), senior outfielder/3rd baseman,

Joe Carbone (BA .367, 25 RBI) and senior 2nd

baseman Alex LoRusso (BA .359, 22 Runs). Dan was

All County 2 years ago, but an unfortunate knee

injury kept him out of most of the 2009 season. Jake

Robinson and Dan Roland, both 4-year starters must

lead the team who lost a lot of experience. Jake leads

off (BA .392, 32, RBI’s, 40 Runs) and plays shortstop

(when he’s not pitching).

The team is looking forward to this coming

season where we expect another competitive year.

We will be counting on our other returning

players, Tom Treiber, Dario Mastrogiacomo, and

Preston Meyer.

COLD SPRING HARBOR H.S.CONFERENCE BC

TEAM TO WATCHThe Cold Spring Harbor Seahawks, coming

off a 20-4 season, are hoping to reach the

County Championship for the 3rd straight season.

This year though, they hope to win it. After

two consecutive seasons of losing the County

Championship in game 3, they plan on this year

being their year. The four seniors who have been a

BK2010

J.C. BRANDMAIERMepham High School, C/OF

JAKE ROBINSONOyster Bay High School, SS/P

JAMES BARONEHalf Hollows Hills West H.S., SS

JAMES MCKENNAConnetquot High School, P

JAMES SULLIVANKellenberg High School, CF

JASON GALEANOTelecommunications Art & Tech, C

JESUS VASQUEZJames Monroe High School, P

JESSIE SIMICICHConnetquot High School, SS

JIMMY BRIGGSLindenhurst High School, 1B/OF

JIM GUILIANOConnetquot High School, OF/P

JIM LUPPENSShoreham-Wading River H.S., 1B/P

JOE DEVITOHoly Trinity High School, SS

JOE GONZALEZCenter Moriches High School, P

JOE LIPARIMassapequa High School, P

JOE PASQUALINOPatchogue/Medford H.S., C

Ed Macaluso

Islip High School





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part of the team since 10th grade have

experienced the rough ends to their season are

working hard to make it happen. Those 4 seniors

include, Steven Ambrosino, Matt Bertuch,

Kenneth Lamb, and Colin Schulz. All of them

are expected to play a big role in the success of

the upcoming season. Ambrosino has been Cold

Spring Harbor’s catcher since last season and is a

key hitter. Kenneth Lamb was a key starting

pitcher last year, with 10 wins and 0 losses, he’ll

be returning to the mound this year. Along with

Colin Schulz, a pitcher and first baseman and

Matt Bertuch, a pitcher. The Seahawks are led by

Coach Chris Phelan. The Seahawks have lost

many key players from last year. They plan to fill

those holes with players like Ryan Wagner, Matt

Soloman, and others. The Seahawks are not as

likely to have the explosive hitting they did last

season, therefore, they will need their defense

and pitching to help them along the way.

CONNETQUOT HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE II

TEAM TO WATCHEntering the 2010 baseball season, the

Connetquot Thunder Bird Varsity baseball team

continues to be ranked among the best in Suffolk

County. Under the lead of Coach Bob Ambrosini

this program has won 19 League Championships,

five County Championships, and two state titles.

This season, Coach Ambrosini is looking to get

his 500th victory in his 25th year as the Varsity

Head Coach at Connetquot.

The baseball program at Connetquot has had

significant developments over the years for a

variety of reasons. Connetquot offers a fall baseball

clinic in which skills are taught to the younger

baseball players in the district by the varsity

coaching staff. In addition the Ronkonkoma CYA

and the Oakdale-Bohemia Sunrise Little League

provide a good foundation of skills and promote

interest in baseball.

The Connetquot baseball program has

produced some of the finest players in Suffolk

County. Some of these players include Rob Grable,

Matt Guiliano, Rob Zachman, Dom Ambrosini,

B.J. LaMura, and Anthony Ambrosini, who have

all made it into the professional ranks.

The Connetquot High School baseball team is

anticipating a great season after finishing last

year with a record of 20-5. The team is returning

twelve players. Although Connetquot lost three

starting pitchers; James Lomangino, Chris

Mendoza, and Greg Sarra Jr., it is looking to

retool its pitching staff with All-League James

McKenna, All-County Jim Guiliano, All-League

Joe Russo, and Nick Raimondi. In the outfield

there will be three All-County players returning:

Kenny Jackson, Joe Russo, and Jim Guiliano. All

three outfielders were the top hitters on the 2009

team. In addition to the outfielders returning are

All-League shortstop, Jessie Simicich and All-

League catcher, Ryan Jordan.

In 2010 the Connetquot Thunder Birds are

expecting quality leadership on and off the field

from a promising group of players coming up

from the junior varsity. Pitcher Ryan Lewis,

shortstop, Joe Petre and second baseman,

Andrew Jaccino will make the Varsity team even

stronger. With the off season weight lifting

program getting underway and the intramural

batting that began in January. Every player who

tries out should be physically ready to perform

at a high level, which will make it tough to make

cuts. In the long run will make the team that

much more prepared to succeed. Although

Connetquot will face stiff competition from the

Lindenhurst, Northport, and Bayshore teams,

Connetquot should be a preseason pick to rank

high in the county playoff picture.

BK2010

JOE PUGLIESEPlainedge High School, 1B

JOE RUSSOConnetquot High School, OF/P

JOE TRACYSt. Mary's High School, P/IF

JOHN CHODKOWSKIClarke High School, CF

JOHN RADICEClarke High School, 1B

JON MCGIBBONLindenhurst High School, 1B

JOSH BARRYMacArthur High School, P

JUNIOR MENDEZPatchogue/Medford H.S., P

KEN GENTILELindenhurst High School, 2B

KENNY JACKSONConnetquot High School, OF/P

KENNY LAMBCold Spring Harbor H.S., P

KEVIN ARCHBALDBellmore JFK High School, P

KEVIN BONANNIPlainview High School, P

KEVIN CHENICEKLevittown Division H.S., P/SS

KEVIN COURTNEYSt. John the Baptist H.S., P/1B


ISLAND TREES HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE A-1

TEAM TO WATCHThe Island Trees Bulldogs return seven starters

from last season's team that went 20-6-2 playing

in a tough League. The team made it to the Class

A Finals before losing in game 3 to Clarke by a

score of 5-4. The team is 64-15-3 over the past 3

seasons. The strength of the 2010 Bulldogs is

their pitching. Island Trees returns all three of its'

starting pitchers from last season.

The Bulldogs are led by four year starter

centerfielder/pitcher Bryan Verbitsky. Verbitsky, a

two time All County player had a tremendous

year in 2009 winning the prestigious Diamond

Award as the top position player in all of Nassau

County. He was also named 1st team All State as

well as All County and Newsday All Long Island

1st team. Verbitsky is a five tool player who hit

.457 with 8 homeruns and 34 RBI's. On the

mound he emerged as the staff ace going 8-1 while

striking out 80 in 63 innings with a 1.44 ERA.

Senior pitcher/outfielder Brandon Garcia returns

for his 3rd year with the varsity. Garcia had a great

year on the mound and at the plate. He went 3-1

with a 2.04 ERA. He struck out 41 over 38 innings

with an incredible 0.82 WHIP. He hit .337 with 16

RBI's and was an All Conference player in 2009.

Senior pitcher Dan Bartlett was

another All Conference player

for Island Trees in 2009. He

was 5-0 with a 1.71 ERA.

He is a strike throwing

machine who walked only

6 batters over 45 innings.

Bartlett features a fastball,

curve, change and knuckle

drop that he can throw for strikes at any time. Dan

tossed a complete game to send Island Trees to the

County Finals for the second time in three years in a

13-2 victory over Garden City.

Junior third baseman Mike Manganiello returns

after a terrific sophomore season in which he was

named All Conference. Blessed with raw strength

and quickness, Manganiello hit an even .400 with

three homeruns and 20 RBI's. Junior catcher Dom

Raucci also returns from a solid sophomore season.

Raucci hit .290 with a homer while handling the

Island Trees pitching staff all season.

LINDENHURST HIGH SCHOOLLEAGUE I

TEAM TO WATCHMichael Canobbio, a Lindenhurst alumnus, has

been the head coach at Lindenhurst High School

since 1977. During that time the Bulldogs have

won nearly 460 games with eight league titles and

one conference title. Lindenhurst has made the

playoffs 27 times in that span and has produced:

10 Gold Glove recipients, 31 All County players,

two Courage Award winners, six League MVPs,

nine All State players and a Carl Yazstremski

Award winner. Coach Canobbio attributes much

of the recent success of the program to his JV

coach Nick Lombardo (Lindenhurst alum), and to

Rich Rogers(Lindenhurst alum), his trusted

Varsity Assistant.

“Our program is solid from top to bottom –

from Matt Guillet and Mark Frole (Lindenhurst

alum and Yaz award winner) on the lower levels to

Lombardo and Rogers at the top.”

The Lindenhurst program has always had talent,

and Canobbio feels blessed that he was able to coach

his sons Chris and Brian. From the early years when

Ray Grube, Bob Dobkowski and John Witkowski

starred, and passed the torch to Pete Rutigliano, Tom

Hamilton, Joe Giordanella, Jason Hennigan, Mike

BK2010

BK2010

KEVIN MCCARTHYKellenberg High School, P

KYLE AMBURY Wantagh High School, OF/IF

KYLE LOMBARDOWard Melville High School, SS

KYLE MCGOWINPierson High School, P

KYLE SCHWARTZPatchogue/Medford H.S., P

KYLE WILSONPatchogue/Medford H.S., OF

LOU MASTELLONE North Shore High School, C

LOUIS LAMBROSSt. Dominic High School, C

MARIO ANGERIMacArthur High School, C

MARK PAGANOMassapequa High School, CF

MARK PODLASWesthampton High School, OF

MATT BENEDETTOWantagh High School, 1B/RF

MATT BERTUCHCold Spring Harbor H.S., 2B

MATT DEMITROFFManhasset High School, IF

MATT DIBIASEMacArthur High School, IF/OF


Vinny Gallo

Seaford High School




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Panarello, Matt Quigley, Mike Sciame, Jordan

Crystal, Bryan Burke, Brian Witkowski and Joe

Benkert, to today when players such as Jon

McGibbon, Steve Skon, Jimmy Briggs, Ken Gentile,

Mike Roehrig, Tom Bammann Dan DiBlasi and

Joe Lovizio form the nucleus of the Bulldog roster,

there has rarely been a shortage of talent.

They are dedicated and motivated to improve.

Commitment is not an issue with this group – they

are eager to work,” said Coach Canobbio. Jon

McGibbon, who accepted a scholarship to play at

Clemson University, has started since his Freshman

year. He is a powerful first baseman and outfielder.

He has averaged 27 hits per season, and holds the

school record for playoff game hits.

Jimmy Briggs returns to the Bulldogs this year –

his third as a Varsity starter. All Jimmy did last

year was lead Suffolk County with 13 homeruns.

His on base percentage of over .550, combined

with over 30 RBI and a .450 batting average earned

him the coveted Blue Chips Silver Slugger Award

as the top offensive player in the county.

Steve Skon, the Bulldogs’ junior shortstop, has

started since his Freshman season, when he batted

.445 with 6 homeruns and had over 30 RBIs

and five game-winning hits. He is a vacuum at

shortstop and is adept at turning the DP. Steve

works hard – hitting lessons, a speed/agility trainer

and daily workouts keep him focused on being the

best he can be.

Ken Gentile, an All League second baseman in

’09 is a co-captain this year. He had a 5 hit game last

year (a good week for most), batted over .440 and

had an on base percentage of nearly .500.

Tom Bammann returns for his third year as a

starting pitcher. Tom has really impressed

college coaches at showcases and is expected to

be the ace pitcher for the Bulldogs. The coaches

expect Tom to win many league games this year.

His slider is a real plus pitch. Dan DiBlasi

returns to the mound this year. The senior

lefthander had a really good summer and is

getting stronger. Joe Lovizio should be the

sleeper on this year’s staff. The senior has a plus

curveball and above average velocity.

Another junior is Mike Roehrig. Mike is a clutch

hitter and solid left-handed pitcher who made All

League as a sophomore “When I taught him as a

sixth-grader, he would always tell me about his

hitting and pitching lessons. Also, his dad has put

in hundreds of hours on our fields working on

Mike’s fielding and hitting,” said Canobbio.

The Bulldogs have talented players. They have

moved to League 2 in 2010. Whitman and

Connetquot are very talented. The Bulldogs first six

games are against those two teams. “Pitching is the

key. It always is,” said Canobbio.

MACARTHUR HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE AA-1

TEAM TO WATCHThe MacArthur Generals baseball program

enter the 2010 season with high expectations. In

2009 the Generals quest for an 8th Nassau

County Championship ended in the semi-finals,

with a loss to Carey. This followed a regular

season in which the Generals were the only team

on Long Island to post an undefeated league

record. The Generals had played in the Nassau

Championship in each of the previous 3 seasons.

Varsity Coach Steve Costello is entering his

19th season, compiling an overall record of 324

wins and 89 losses. He also coached the first

Long Island team to ever win the New York State

Championship with an undefeated record. His

Varsity Assistant, Vin Causeman, is entering his

7th season in his current role. Both coaches have

plenty of talent to work with this year, led by

pitcher/outfielder Frankie Vanderka. Frankie

BK2010


MATT ESPINALIslip High School, P

MATT LAROCCAWard Melville High School, 1B/P

MATT REISTETTERHauppauge High School, C

MAXIMO ALMONTEHoly Trinity High School, OF/P

MAX ROSINGSouth Side High School, C

MELVIN GARCIAJames Monroe High School, CF

MIKE COTTYKellenberg High School, 1B

MIKE CRUZLevittown High School, 3B

MIKE LYONNorth Babylon High School, P/IF

MIKE MANGANIELLOIsland Trees High School, SS

MIKE MARTINChaminade High School, P

MIKE ROERHIGLindenhurst High School, P/1B

MIKE SHADASachem West High School, 2B

NICK BATASSt. Dominic High School, P

NICK CASSIOPlainedge High School, RF


earned All-State honors last season, and was voted

the Most Valuable Player of Nassau’s toughest

league. Frankie batted .426 and won 4 games on the

mound, while saving 2. All-County centerfielder

Mike Scro also returns for MacArthur, after batting

.375 with 10 extra base hits last season. Nick

McQuail will play shortstop for the Generals, a

position he has manned since his sophomore year.

Nick, the Generals’ captain, has earned both All-

County and All-Conference honors in his career.

A great defensive shortstop, Nick also led the

Generals in home runs last year with 4, and

provided a .500 on base percentage at the top of

the order. Sal Sanquini comes back for another

year at 3rd base, after earning All-League last year,

leading the Generals in runs batted in. Sal will also

help the Generals on the mound this season. Last

year Matt DiBiase played an excellent right field

while hitting in the middle of the Generals order.

He’s back for his senior season, and might be

asked to move to the infield.

Several players from last year’s team will look to

play prominent roles in 2010. Left handed pitchers

Josh Barry and Andrew Mege will compete for time

on the mound. Both pitched important innings for

the Generals last year, with Andrew pitching a no-

hitter against New York City power James Madison.

Senior catcher Mario Angieri should also be a key to

MacArthur’s success in

the spring. He batted

.350 as a part time

designated hitter

last season. Nick

Bologna, Nick Fiore,

Tim Pappas, Evan

Schuler, Tom Bauer,

and Kurt Walther are

returning seniors who will get opportunities to

break into the lineup in 2010. Having earned a

playoff spot every year since 1992, the MacArthur

Generals program is determined to continue their

proud tradition of success.

PLAINEDGE HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE A-2

TEAM TO WATCHThe Plainedge Red Devil baseball squad enters the

2010 campaign with high hopes and expectations.

Plainedge advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2009

class A Tournament coming off its 15th straight

playoff appearance. The Red Devils have made five

quarterfinal appearances and three trips to the

semifinals over the past ten years and hope to the

2010 season leads to a trip to the county finals.

The Red Devils return a bevy of starters led by

2009 All County selections Senior RF Nick Cassio

(.371 avg. 8 HR’s 22 RBI) and Junior SS Brendan

Swayne (.329 avg. 12 SB’s). First Baseman Joe

Pugliese returns for his third varsity campaign

coming off a .323 season and Senior Catcher Zach

Migliozzi hopes to build on a Junior season which

saw him hit a team second best three homers.

Joining Cassio in the outfield should be Senior

Joe Lavin (.300 Avg. .472 OBP) and Will Crapo.

The Red Devils strength should be on the hill

with their top four hurlers returning from 2009.

Crapo, who burst on the scene late in 2009, led the

squad with a 1.44 ERA with 24 K’s in 21 innings

pitched. Gary Gurino- Burns (3-2 3.83 ERA) and

Brandon Trigo (3-2 2.94 ERA) are three year

varsity hurlers who have vast experience. Senior

Brian O’Connell made four starts as a junior

posting a 3.45 ERA.

Senior Cliff LaFemina and Sophomore Ralph

Caccavale should vie for the second base job while

Junior Chris Rodriguez and Trigo will battle for

time at third base. The 2009 JV squad, which had a

BK2010

Continued from page 53

NICK D'ANGELOMt. Sanai High School, P/OF

NICK FLYNNSt. Anthony's High School, OF

NICK LUCIANICentereach High School, 1B

NICK MCQUAILMacArthur High School, SS

NICK KOZLOWSKIWalt Whitman High School, OF/P

NICK SCHAAKESyosset High School, OF

NICK RAIMONDIConnetquot High School, P

PETER AUGUSTHoly Trinity High School, OF

PHILLIP LOPRETEArch Bishop Molloy H.S., 3B

REMMERY RICHIEZNew Town High School, SS

RICHIE BARTUMIOLIJohn Glenn High School, P/1B

RICKY ALESSISmithtown West High School, IF

RICKIE VAN ALLENHoly Trinity High School, P/OF

RJ GOINGIslip High School, IF

ROB MOORELongwood High School, OF


Dan Bartlett

Island Trees High School




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record of 14-5, send a slew of talented players that

will contribute to the success of the 2010 team.

A vigorous preseason conditioning program

consisting of three 6:00 a.m. conditioning

sessions per week and two baseball related

workouts per week will hopefully enable them to

endure the vigor’s of a long season. The team will

travel to Fort Pierce Florida on March 26th for a

week long Spring Training session at the Florida

Coast Spring Training facility. The 2010 Nassau

County League Alignment’s have not yet been

established but Plainedge will surely be slated in

the toughest ability based League.

PORT WASHINGTON H.S.CONFERENCE AA-3

TEAM TO WATCHThe Port Washington Vikings are a team on

the rise for the 2010 season. After not winning

a conference championship since 1996, they

have won back to back Conference AA III

championships the past two seasons. During this

time the team has gone 32-4 during the regular

season. Last year in the playoffs they were able

go to Oceanside and defeat a higher seeded

Oceanside team in thrilling fashion. The team

then faced an undefeated MacArthur team in the

second round. After handing MacArthur their

first loss of the season in game two of the three

game series, Port came up just short in game

three. The team has nine returning players from

last years team. The strengths of this years

Viking team will be its pitching and defense.

The pitching staff will be led by 4th year

starter Everett Keller. Keller is coming off an All

County year where he posted an 8-1 record with

a 2.32 ERA. He struck out 71 over 54 1/3 innings

pitched, while holding batters to an incredible

.136 batting average. Senior & third year varsity

player Dylan Kane who had a solid pitching

performance against McArthur in last years

playoffs is looking to carry that success into the

2010 season. Seniors Harrison Remler & Robert

Levinger both second year varsity players will

likely come out of the bullpen once again.

The left side of the Viking’s infield should be

solid this year. Dave Podlofsky an All County

selection and the player of the year in Conference

AA III in 2008 will be back at shortstop for his third

straight year, while senior and second year varsity

player Ethan Sander will be back at third base. Both

players are poised to have big years in 2010. On the

other side of the infield, seniors and second year

varsity players Jason Desimone and Charles

Gibbons, look to step into the starting lineup at

second base and first base respectively.

The outfield defense should once again be

strong with senior and second year varsity player

Kyle Featherston leading the way. The Viking’s

are also hoping to get big contributions from

some first year varsity juniors; pitcher Jacob

Schuckman, infielder Danny Kaminsky and

catcher Mike Weiss, who all had solid seasons on

the JV level the last two years.

SEAFORD HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE A-3

TEAM TO WATCHIn the 2009 season, the Seaford Baseball Team

earned the league A3 title and earned its 9th

consecutive playoff appearance in Class A

baseball with an 11-4 League Record. (Its fifth

consecutive double elimination berth in the

Class A tournament.) The Vikings, however,

were unsuccessful in the playoff bracket, posting

consecutive defeats at Clarke High School and

vs. Bethpage High School. Graduated seniors

Mike Perrone SS (All County Vassar College),

Stephen DeGeorge CF (All County) Danny

BK2010

BK2010


ROB VELTREMassapequa High School, 1B

ROBERT BOCCHETTIEast Meadow High School, CF

ROBERT CAFEIROBethpage High School, IF

ROBERT GALLIGANSt. Dominic High School, P/1B

ROBERT ROTHMANPlainview High School, P

RYAN JORDANConnequot High School, C

RYAN SLOANEClarke High School, OF

SACKIM KIRTANEHoly Trinity High School, P

SCOTT KUNZJohn Glenn High School, C

SEAN BROLLYSeaford High School, 1B

SKYLER ORTIZXaverian High School, 1B

STEVE SKONLindenhurst High School, SS

STEVEN AMBROSINOCold Spring Harbor H.S., C

STEVEN GOLDSTEINSt. Dominic High School, CF

STEPHEN PROVENZANOIslip High School, C


Meyer LF/P (All Conference, Coker College) and

Keith Dolega P(All County, Molloy College) leave

a void the current Vikings are anxious to

overcome. With a program that emphasizes a

combination of Senior leadership and upcoming

driven Juniors, the boys hope to improve their

post season performance in 09. Senior 3B/P Mike

Gallo (All League .409, 29H, 29R) and Senior 1B

Sean Brolly (.375) hope to fill the middle of the

Viking lineup. Mike and Sean contributed in a

mostly senior 2009 lineup. Mike, a three year

starter, combines speed and power at the plate.

Sean, a left handed hitter burst into the lineup in

2008 with his consistent approach to hitting the

baseball to all fields. Sean also saved many innings

for the Vikings in 2009 with his quality defensive

play at 1B. The coaching staff is looking forward

to the upcoming varsity contributions of Senior

middle infielder Phil Slavin and Senior RHP/OF

AJ DeMichael. Junior Lefthander Michael Matarese

and RHP Bobby Ryan will step right into the

rotation in 2010 and along with DeMichael & Gallo

keep the Viking Pitching Staff moving forward. In

the outfield, Seaford will break in its first new

outfield in three seasons. With a small program,

limited depth, and the top quality of the Class A

playoff bracket, practice and scrimmage time is of

great significance throughout the season. The

emphasis, in Seaford, has always

been to work out all the HS grades

together daily. Every High

School and Middle School

player works with every

coach and every player in

the program. Seaford Juniors

are expected to step right in

and fill the gaps created by

graduated players. Seniors with experience on the

Varsity level are expected to work daily with the

underclassmen prepping them for their eventual

varsity careers. League A3 was very competitive in

2009 and Seaford expects the competition to

remain intact. The future is looking solid for

Seaford Baseball.

SOUTH SIDE HIGH SCHOOLCONFERENCE A-3

TEAM TO WATCHComing off of their 14-7, 2009 season, the 2010

South Side Cyclones began offseason workouts this

fall looking to return to the playoffs for the

fourteenth consecutive year. Large groups of

committed young men came down to the fields to

begin building this year’s team. Their hard work is

far from over as indoor winter training will

continue, with morning workouts and visits to the

batting cage.

The 2010 South Side Cyclones are led by eight

returning starting players. Max Rosing, the teams

only returning All-County player and catcher for

the Cyclones will continue to produce runs with

his powerful bat and provide solid defense behind

the plate. Brett Cohen, a returning All-Conference

player and starting pitcher will continue to

impress on the mound. In his junior year, Brett

was 4-1 with a 1.99 ERA and led the team with 36

strikeouts. In the outfield, the team’s starting right

fielder, Will Bermel, has been patrolling for the

Cyclones since his sophomore year. Bermel will be

a key piece to South Side’s success on multiple

levels. He hits for power and average, has a strong

arm from the outfield, and has enough speed to be

a threat on the bases. Tim Coleman, the team’s

centerfielder last season, returns to the field

looking to continue his outstanding defense and

will be a player the Cyclones hope will fill a hole in

the leadoff spot in the lineup. Ben Akerman,

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Continued from page 55

THOMAS TOLANKellenberg High School, IF

TJ PECORAROHalf Hollows Hills West H.S., P/IF

TOM BAMMANNLindenhurst High School, P

TOM D'ALESSANDROHalf Hollows Hills East H.S., SS

TOM O'NEILLSt. John the Baptist H.S., OF/P

TOM ROULISChaminade High School, 2B

TOM TOLANKellenberg High School, SS

TOMMY GRILLOSt. Dominic High School, IF/OF

TYLER BADAMOMt. Sanai High School, P

VINNY GALLOSeaford High School, 3B/P

VINNY IACONOSt. John the Baptis H.S., 3B/P

VINNY MAIETTASt. Mary's High School, IF

WILL CRAPOPlainedge High School, P/OF

XYRUSE MARTINEZGeorge Washington H.S., 2B/P

ZACH MIGLIOZZIPlainedge High School, C



Everett KellerPort Washington High School


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another returning starting pitcher, will solidify

South Side’s starting rotation and certainly help

the team win some games by mixing up his

pitches. In the infield, senior Tim Leck will

return to his second base position where he

played for 15 games last season. He will likely

also see some playing time in the outfield and on

the pitcher’s mound, as South Side will look to

use his talents at multiple positions. Another key

player for the Cyclones will be senior Kevin

Mulcahy. Unlike last year where South Side used

him predominantly as a relief pitcher and

designated hitter, Kevin will be utilized in the

role as starting pitcher. Finally, there is the

junior, Andrew Talbot, who returns to the field

this spring for his second year on the varsity as

South Side’s shortstop, moving over from his

third base position last year. Andrew will also

see some time on the pitcher’s mound where he

had much success last year.

In addition to the returning starters, the South

Side Cyclones have a pool of talented players

they will look to solidify their standings

throught out the 2010 season. There are over 50

players from the junior varsity and varsity level

squads that have been participating in offseason

training. The coaching staff is excited about the

amount of talented baseball players they have for

the upcoming season. And both the coaches and

players are ready to take the field.

BK’SSPOTLIGHT PLAYERSFRANKIEVANDERKAMacArthurP/OF

2009 All-State Selection, 2009Conference MVP, Batted .426 in2009, Attending Stony Brook.

KENNY LAMBCold SpringHarborP

2009 All County Pitcher, tenwins zero losses in 2009,Undecided.

CONNORMCCARTHYClarkeP/SS

Member of 2009 Long IslandChampionship team.Attending Hofstra.

ROBERTVELTREMassapequa1B

All League 1st Baseman, 2009Long Island Championshipteam, Attending Dowling College.


INSIDE LOOK AT THE

CATHOLIC LEAGUECHAMINADE HIGH SCHOOL

The Chaminade Baseball team hopes to

continue an amazing winning tradition in 2010.

Chaminade's coaching staff returns Mike

Pienkos (27th year), Jack Lyons (26th year),

George Scheld (3rd year) and 1st year varsity

coach Sean Manning. Chaminade hopes to

regain the strength that has powered coach Mike

Pienkos & Jack Lyons to over 20 championship

games in their run with over 10 victories. The

Chaminade coaching staff believes they have

what it takes to compete for the division

championship once again, after a disappointing

.500 season in 2009.

To help lead the way, Coach Pienkos & his

staff are relying on the left arm of BPM Starting

Lineup selectee, Mike Martin to lead his pitching

staff towards the playoffs and hopefully beyond.

Mike Martin features an excellent fastball

with a devastating change-up that held hitters

off balance all season in 2009, leading the

Chaminade staff with five wins. Mike was

awarded All League honors last season. Another

All League selectee was starting backstop Casey

Cunningham. Casey will help lead the staff that

includes Martin, Frank Soler (P/SS), and Mike

Alas (P/3B) as a potential big three rotation.

With a tremendous reputation for intelligent

coaching, Chaminade has a tremendous junior

class, led by 2nd baseman Tom Roulis. Roulis is

an athletic, leadoff type hitter who can steal a

base and may be one of the top hitters in a very

competitive Catholic League in 2010.


HOLY TRINITY HIGH SCHOOLFor the past 21 years Holy Trinity has been

one of the top baseball programs in the Catholic

League, winning three NSCHSAA Baseball

Championships in 1997, 1998 and 2003.

Over 91 of Holy Trinity's players have received

baseball scholarships. A true testament to the

strength of this baseball program.

The common denominator in all this is Holy

Trinity's baseball Coach Bob Malandro. Starting

his 22nd year as Head Coach of the Titans

and two years since he won his 300th game.

Malandro is an 'old' school coach whose teams

have always shown discipline, respect and a

strong fundamental knowledge of the game. His

teams rarely beat themselves and always play tough.

Coach Malandro has a tremendous respect for

ALL the coaches in the league. “Every coach puts

in so much time and energy to get their teams

ready for the season, and to coach against these

guys is a privilege, I have the upmost respect for

all of them. Our league has only seven teams, but

it is a black and blue division in the fact that

there really are no pushovers.

As far as this years team, the Titans have a strong

pitching staff led by seniors Maximo Almonte and

Sachim Kirtane. (Almonte has received a scholarship

to Villanova University), In the middle of the

lineup will be four year Varsity starter 3B Anthony

Brunetti. Brunetti is one of the top players in the

league. Outfielder Peter August will compliment

Brunetti in the line-up. The middle of the infield

will be young with Sophomores Joey Devito and

Jack Parenty at SS and 2B respectively. Coach

Malandro feels this years team will contend for the

title. “We have a good mix of talent and I feel we

could be one of the top teams this year”.

KELLENBERG HIGH SCHOOLKellenberg Memorial is coming off a 12-6 season

in 2009. This year has the look of a new ball club

after graduating 15 seniors last year. A younger

team waits to take the field this year, but these

young men are ready to take on the challenge.

Speed and Defense are what hope to lead

Kellenberg to the top of the Catholic League this

coming season. Coach Alfalla feels confident that

his team can quietly make a statement with the 2010

roster. Many people thrive on being the underdog,

and this year Kellenberg may be just that.

Kellenberg will turn to one of its’ aces, Kevin

McCarthy, as a team leader this year.

McCarthy will focus on motivating

the team. Last year Kevin came

out of the bullpen and held

his opponents with a 0.00

ERA. Also leading

INSIDE LOOK AT THE CATHOLIC LEAGUEBPM2010 HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

St. Dominic’s junior pitcher/first

baseman Robert Galligan



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the Kellenberg squad are centerfielder Frank

Antetomaso, shortstop, Tom Tolan and first

baseman Mike Cotty. Cotty batted .359 last

season with a .590 slugging percentage.

One of the key components to Kellenberg’s

success this year will be senior leadership. The

ballplayers are working hard this off season and

getting ready for some tough match ups. The

league this year is once again very competitive.

It’s a new season, and anyone has the chance to

take the Catholic League title. With hard work,

discipline and smart decisions on the field,

Kellenberg will be ready to compete for the

Catholic League Championship.

ST. ANTHONY’S HIGH SCHOOLWith the start of the 2010 NSCHAA Baseball

season within sight, the St. Anthony’s Friars are

focused on bringing the pride back to their

baseball program. The Friars are expecting to

continue to contribute to the proud and rich

traditions that St. Anthony’s High School has

come to embody.

The 2010 Friars will rely heavily upon its six

returning starters from 2009 and its very deep

roster of veteran leadership. Returning All

League Outfielders Christian Faust and Nick

Flynn will hope to build off their success from

last season, while seniors Michael Dolce, Kevin

Hutzel, Tyler Rieth, Joe Ciullo, Ryan Cacchioli

and Andrew Gorecki look to round out the

Friar lineup.

Returning Ace Anthony Eichorn looks to

anchor a very deep group of sophomore, junior

and senior pitchers, who are working hard to

arm the Friars with the pitching necessary to

take them deep into the post season.

The Friars continue to work meticulously in

the off season towards putting the best product

on the field and preparing to compete against

the extremely well coached and talented

programs of the NSCHAA Baseball League.

This upcoming season will give the St.

Anthony’s Baseball Program another chance to

put all that hard work, all that off season

preparation, and all that individual investment

to the test against the best the Catholic League

has to offer, with the hopes of someday

returning St. Anthony’s High School back to

the top of the NSCHSAA Baseball.

ST. DOMINIC HIGH SCHOOL2009 CATHOLIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONS

The Saint Dominic Bayhawks have every reason

to be proud of their Varsity Baseball team, claiming

their first Catholic League Championship in 2009.

Excitement is brewing for the 2010 season as

players prepare for another victorious season.

The 2008 Bayhawks had an outstanding regular

season, dominating the competition from the very

first game. Unfortunately, their hard work was

dashed by a confident, young, St. John the Baptist

baseball team who defeated the regular season

champs in an intense playoff series.

While the players were disappointed, they

returned to the 2009 preseason practice with the

new motto, “Something to Prove,” and went full

force from day one. The team included seniors:

Kyle Hanson, John Yohe, Joe Lamacchia, Steve

Nassani, and Arman Kouyoudian.

The 2009 regular season had tough loses and

injuries that cost the Bayhawks the regular season

title. This time, St. John the Baptist took first place

and the Bayhawks prepared to face St. John the

Baptist in what would be another tense showdown.

With their battle cry of “Something to Prove,” the

St. Dominic Bayhawks took the title after three

fantastic games. For the first time in St. Dominic

Baseball history, the team had won the Catholic

League Championship.

The 2010 Bayhawks are ready to repeat last

year's victorious season. With young, battle tested

players such as catcher Lou Lambros, centerfielder

Steven Goldstein, and All-League second baseman,

Tom Grillo, the Bayhawks have the defensive skills

necessary to win another title. The Bayhawks'

strong field presence combined with the hitting

skills of seniors Derrick Hirsch, who went 3-for-4

in the 2009 Championship game with two RBIs,

and with the leadership of senior shortstop Captain

Brandon Stahl will make the Bayhawks a difficult

team to beat.

The 2010 Bayhawks certainly don’t lack in the

pitching department. With juniors Robert Galligan

and Nick Batas the team has two experienced

pitchers ready to repeat last season's victory.

This success does not seem to have an ending,

as the strong Freshmen and Junior Varsity clubs

show that Rick Garrett, should be able to maintain

this level of success for many years to come.


ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST H.S.2009 CATHOLIC LEAGUE RUNNER UP

Coming into 2009, St. John the Baptist was the

heavy favorite in the very competitive Catholic

League. In 2008, John Habyan & his staff had led

his team to the Catholic League Championship.

Baptist beat St. Dominic in the rubber match of

a three games series in 2008. Little did they

know at the time, that St. Dominic would return

with something to prove in 2009. St. Dominic

responded by winning another three game series

at New York Institute of Technology. The two

teams have built a great rivalry, while the other

teams in the division continually improve.

St. John the Baptist is ready to compete in the

what many feel is the most competitive division

on Long Island.

John Habyan, former big leaguer, has been

running workouts all winter, preparing his team

for a long, grinding season. Habyan is once again

loaded with talent as he returns Catholic League

MVP, Kevin Courtney. Courtney, a hulking left

handed pitcher, with an outstanding fastball, will

anchor the rotation and play 1B. Courtney will

also hit in the middle of the order in the hopes of

supplying protection for Tom O'Neill, Brian

Hunter, and Vincent Iacono.

O'Neill, a big right handed pitcher (6'4", 180

lbs), features an overpowering fastball (84-87

mph), and a sharp breaking ball. The blend of

natural talent and his assortment of pitchers

should keep hitters off balance all season long.

Add another power pitcher to the mix with

Brian Hunter and St. John the Baptist may be the

favorite to feature the best starting rotation in the

Catholic League. Hunter, another tall right

handed pitcher, adds a heavy fastball to the mix.

He also features a big bat and will play multiple

positions for St. John's. “Brian is a very talented

athlete who can really swing the bat,” Coach

Calcaterra noted. “His offensive ability and

athleticism allow him to play multiple positions,

which will make it hard to keep him out of the

lineup. - (University of Hartford Website)

Last but not least, Vinny Iacono, a hard nosed

catcher will lead the pitching staff. Vinny,

featuring a stocky build, runs as well as any

catcher in the league. He is exceptionally quick

behind the dish and has the ability to shut down

the running game. Vinny will also supply a big bat

for St. John's and Coach Habyan expects him to be

a team leader.

St. John the Baptist, is a favorite to win the

Catholic League division in 2010, but John

Habyan and his staff know the challenges they

face ahead.

ST. MARY’S HIGH SCHOOLSt. Mary’s High School hopes to be in the mixes

comes play off time this year in the Long Island

Catholic league. They have a new head coach, Jack

Joyce, who is determined to turn the program

around. The Gaels lost there last game in

the playoffs last year to the league champs

St. Dominic 1-0 with the outstanding righty Kyle

Hansen on the mound for St. Doms. St. Mary’s

is a young team with some highly regarded

underclassman. The Gaels will be returning seven

of their starters from last year. Jr. catcher Alex

Falconi is regarded as one of the top catchers on

Long Island and was the Gaels clean up hitter last

year. Sophomore Vinny Maietta was a defensive

standout playing varsity shortstop for St. Mary’s last

year. Few freshmen have ever played as well

defensively in the catholic school league. Junior Joey

Tracy who missed most of last season due to injury

is a leader on and off the field. Tracy is expected to

be a league MVP type player for the Gaels. Senior

James Wipperman will lead the Gaels pitching staff,

he must come up big for the Gaels to have a good

year. Fellow seniors Jack Joyce and Steven Graff

round out what should be an outstanding defensive

team. The Gaels may be as good of a defensive team

as any in the league. But lack of over all depth and

unproven pitching will mean the Gaels have to

avoid injuries.

INSIDE LOOK AT THE CATHOLIC LEAGUEBPM2010 HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW

BPM would like to thank the players,

photographers, parents, coaches and

HS Athletic Directors for helping us

compile the information and photos

in our first ever Preview Issue. Don’t

forget to check our site for the latest

updates on our Starting Lineup.

www.baseballplayermagazine.com

TJ PECORAROHalf Hollows Hills East H.S., P

Early SigneeVanderbuilt University

BPM2010 HIGH SCHOOL

2B

1B

SS

3B

P

C

CF

LF


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FRANKIE VANDERKAMacArthur H.S., OF/P

2009 All-State SelecteeAttending Stony Brook

These 14 players were hand picked by the BPM staff after recommendations by coaches, fellowplayers and experts in the field. Follow our team at www.baseballplayermagazine.com and seehow we do. Let us know what you think of the first ever BPM High School Team, email youropinion to [email protected].

MARK PODLASWesthampton H.S., OF

Early Signee Virginia University BRYAN VERBITSKY

Island Trees H.S., OF/P2009 All State Selectee

'09 Diamond Award RecipientAttending Hofstra

BRANDON STAHLSt. Dominic H.S., IF

Early SigneeOld Dominion University

JON MCGIBBONLindenhurst H.S., 1B

Early Signee Clemson University

NICHOLAS MCQUAILMacArthur H.S., IF

Early SigneeMarist College

EDDIE MACALUSOIslip H.S., P

2009 All State Selection

EVERETT KELLERPort Washington H.S., P

2009 All County Selection

JOE LIPARIMassapequa H.S., P

2009 All State Selection

KEVIN COURTNEYSt. John the Baptist H.S., P/1B

2009 Catholic League MVP

MIKE MARTINChaminade H.S., P

All Catholic League in 2009

IAN SCHNEIDERCentereach H.S., IF

Early Signee Dowling College

MATT REISTETTERHauppauge H.S., C

Early SigneeHofstra University

RF

IN THE BULLPEN

62 BASEBALL PLAYER MAGAZINE WINTER ISSUE

Join Scott Gaffney, as he pitches his way down the path to the Bigs.

At 6’4, 195 lbs, 23 year old RHP Scott Gaffney is not only a talented baseball player and all around athlete, but a humble guy who exudes the sportsman like qualities that every parent hopes their child will possess. Born and raised in Westbury, New York, Scott is from a family of baseball players. In fact, out of four drafted members of the family, Scott was the top draft pick.

His love of sports started at an early age and he excelled in several areas. Scott attended Kellenberg Memorial High School (01’-04’), playing both base-ball and basketball all four years; two years on varsity for each sport. Scott’s baseball years were played under Head

Coach Chris Alfala. Throughout his four years at Kellenberg he received several prestigious awards, including: All-Long Island as a senior; three year MVP, Long Island Catholic League Champions; two-year letterman, two- year team captain, four-year Honor Roll, and both History and Latin Awards. As a basketball player Scott was the team MVP and All- League as both a junior and senior.

By Ashley Michaels

LIFE IN THE MINORS

Scott Gaffney allowed BPM to sit down with him and get a first hand account of his experiences playing in the Minor League system, what draft day was like, and a few things about growing up and playing ball.

So let’s go back to where it all started, did you play Little League? I played for the very prestigious Central Nassau Little League, located in the Southern part of Westbury, called Salisbury. At age 12, our team won the District 32 Championship, then lost to Massapequa Shore in the Sectional Semi-Final at Burns Park. It was such a great experience for me.

How about a travel team? My senior year of high school (2004), I played for the Long Island Titans, coached by Eric Joyner. As a team, we were very successful. We had the first advancement in the history of the Perfect Game Tournament by a northern team out of pool play in the 18U division. Another great experience.

You have played throughout the diamond, and were drafted as a pitcher, where was the majority of your time spent? I spent some time at third base and had soon action on the mound as a relief/closer, but for the majority of the time I was at shortstop.

How about showcases, did you attend any? Since I played basketball a lot during the summer, I did not go to many showcases. I only went to one showcase and it was a Blue Chips Showcase at Quinnipiac University.

Ok, so you were a stand out athlete and student at Penn State and clearly made a great decision to attend, what were your other options? I originally was going to try to play both basketball and baseball in col-lege, and I was interested in some of the Ivy League schools. After some hard decisions, I decided to play baseball; my top schools were St. John’s University, Penn State, and Boston College. They are all great schools and I had a tough choice. Looking back, I know I made the right one.

Alright, let’s look back to draft day, tell us about it, what were you expecting? On draft day I was not expecting much. I knew I had a chance to be drafted both as a position player and a pitcher and had talked to several teams with interest in both. I was cautiously optimistic about being drafted high enough to forego my senior year at Penn State. And then the Cincinnati Reds called me around the 10th round and asked if I was drafted in the next two rounds would I sign and I told them yes. I was drafted by the Reds in the 12th Round. As I was on the phone with the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs, who were interested in signing me as a position player called. I had the Reds on one line and the Cubs beeping in on the other. I never got to speak to the Chicago Cubs, they had called second and

Being a Pro isn’t just about playing baseball, but giving back.Scott Gaffney, fellow teammate & Heater elementary school showing students how to position their fingers for different pitches.


I said yes to the Reds. On a side note, I was the highest draft pick in my family, which includes my dad Bill Gaffney, drafted in the 19th round by the Seattle Mariners in 1980, my cousin Jon Palmieri, drafted in the 14th Round by the Montreal Expos in 1998, and my brother Mike, who was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in the 13th Round in the 2003 draft.

After the call from the Reds, how long did it take for you to make your final decision? It was only a couple of hours of negotiating between me, my parents and the organiza-tion on financial aspects. We were set and I was ready to play.

What happened between draft day and day you took off to play in the minors? I had only pitched early in my junior season and then I was designated strictly as a shortstop for the rest of the year; I had done too much and it affected my arm, and

my team needed me more at shortstop. I hadn’t pitched in 2 ½ months prior to being drafted as a pitcher, so I was not in pitching shape at all. I tried to throw as much as I could to get ready to go and play a short season of baseball in about 9 days.

LIFE IN THE MINORS

The Dayton Dragons are a Class A Affiliate of the

Cincinnati Reds.

TM

DiD you know...

“As I was on the phone with the Cincinnati Reds, the Chicago Cubs, who were interested in signing me as a position player called. I had the Reds on one line and the Cubs beeping in on the other.”

BASEBALL PLAYER MAGAZINE WINTER ISSUE 65

Now you are off, and about to enter a whole new chapter of your life. Can you give us your first reaction when you went to rookie ball? I was sent to Billings, Montana, and it was a little bit of a culture shock. I was surprisedat the different landscape; they

have Rim Rocks, which are red rock shaped hills and cliffs, created when a pre-historic ocean dried up. Needless to say the culture was a bit different, but I thought it was great. I came up on the stadium that we would be playing in and it was obsolete to say the least. It was the last year of the stadium, and it was the 75th anniversary. Minimal improvements had been made since 1932. However, the fan base was amazing, the people were ex-tremely welcoming and I was lucky enough to have a great host family in Loren and

Paulette Christianson. They helped make my adjustment to rookie ball, as well as my roommate Todd Frazier, former Little League World Series hero.

We all know that the preferred (and maybe only transportation) in the minors is by bus, how are those for you? The buses are travel buses; sometimes they are straight up greyhounds. In Dayton, Ohio, we had our own bus which had an enormous dragon logo painted on the side. The bus trips are tough, 12 hours, sometimes while sharing a seat, and through the middle of the night, only to play a 3 o’clock game the next day.To say the least they are not fun. The best thing I learned to do; get an outdoor pad from walmart, set it on the ground and go to sleep for as long as possible. It also allows me to be a little more comfortable than squeezing all 6’4 of me across two 24 inch seats.

How often are you on the road? 70 out of the 140 games played are on the road. It’s a grind going from city to city, back to your home city, and repeating it over and over. But, its fun to be a part of and seeing places that you may have never seen if you were not playing.

You mentioned your host family before, what is it like living in someone else’s house? I’ve been lucky enough to live with great host families during my 2 seasons of playing pro ball. In Billings, Montana, the Christiansons were an amazing help to my adjustment to pro ball and provided me and my roommate, who were both northeast kids far away from home, with support like we were a part of their family. In Dayton, Ohio, I lived with another great host family; the Beighle’s who are a wonderful family, with quite a great house. We had a movie theatre room and at one point 9 of the players stayed there. It all depends though, sometimes there aren’t host

LIFE IN THE MINORS

Giving Back to the Fans!Scott Gaffney with Dayton Dragons fan Sebastian Oudshoorn.


families to be had, so most guys squeeze into an apartment to keep the rent cheap, which may be the situation for me in another season, who knows, but I have been very lucky.

How about your best moment in the minor leagues so far? The best playing moment I’ve had in the minor leagues was my first game of the 2009 season with the Dayton Dragons. It was my first game in over a year due to Tommy John surgery. I threw one inning at home, it was a good inning and I felt great. It was one of my best playing moments ever. One of the coolest experiences was getting to meet some of the retired big leaguers who I idol-ized growing up, Eric Davis, Delino Deshields, Darren Bragg. Being able to have conversations with those guys is

by far the coolest thing about the game.

We hate to ask, but want to know, what’s your worst moment in minor leagues? Besides blowing my elbow out in Helena, Montana, I would have to say it was probably giving up 5 earned runs and only recording one out in South Bend, Indiana. It was a terrible feeling, but like the game of baseball there is always the next day. I was taken out of the game and then it was over, I couldn’t do anything more about it. It was an experience that many have, and I take it as an experience that I learned from.

Scott, thank you so much for talking with BPM. We wish you the best and we’ll be following you this season.

LIFE IN THE MINORS

00WINTER 2010BASEBALL PLAYER MAGAZINE

BY JOE FRANCISCO

The preseason period is a short

span of time from January until

early March that leads up to the

spring season. During this preseason

period the bulk of our hitting training

wants to focus on reconditioning the

body and swing to work correctly and

becoming more explosive. This is the

time to really form a solid foundation

for mechanics and technique.

During the course of the year there is not that much time that we aren't competing.

This makes the preseason a critical time to correct any flaws and revamp our swings

because we don't have to worry about results in the game.

When we talk about technique, power and explosiveness, it makes it impossible not to

talk about Major League hitters. Since the MLD is the pinnacle of hitting, hands down and

bar none, we need to study and analyze these players to really understand how to improve

and enhance the swing.

Who better to talk about then 7-time National League MVP and 12-time Silver Slugger

Award winner Barry Bonds, by far, the most feared hitter of his time. Bonds was a top

hand, compact, explosive, front-side rotational hitter. Regardless of the steroid allegations,

Bonds will go down as one of, if not, the best hitter of all-time. His swing is the prototype

swing for the Francisco Hitting System. The two major technical factors in Bonds success

as well as the foundation to the Hitting System are:

(1) BODY POSITIONING - position of the body when hitting a baseball

(2) BAT HEAD SPEED - the speed the bat generates through the strike zone

Bonds generated so much torque and bat speed not just because of his enormous

strength but from always keeping his body in the correct position and using the

proper sequence of movements to maximize the amount of energy transferred

through the ball. Bonds approach to hitting is real simple and he stresses 2 major things:

(1) GETTING INTO A BALANCED POSITION

(2) GETTING HIS HANDS AND BARREL PAST HIS BODY

These two seem simple enough, but there is a lot more to what he says than what

appears. (1) By getting into a balanced position he means that he wants to get his weight

on the inside part of his back leg, not the outside part of your back leg. His stride loads his

body and gets him in position to powerfully launch his hands and bat. (2) To get your

hands and barrel past your body you need to understand and know how to use the proper

sequence. This is the number one thing that separates the hitters you see on TV from

everyone else in the world. It would take more then an article to teach you how to do this

so here is what will prevent it from happening. Any turning, opening, squashing or

drifting at the wrong time can dramatically alter where and how the bat gets into the

hitting zone.

“Today our hitters are going into

the season completely outmanned

and under prepared to compete

game time. One of the major

factors for this problem is what we

are doing in the preseason.”- Joe Francisco

Performance Factory Baseball


Barry Bonds hitting

home run No. 756, on a

3-and-2 86 mph pitch

from Washington

Nationals left-handed

pitcher Mike Bacsik, that

traveled 435 feet over the

right-center field wall.

756

Swing PathBall PathSwing Meets Ball Path


PRE-SEASON TRAINING FOR HITTERS

In essence hitting is getting the bat to the ball in the most

compact way possible.

Since we have spent so much time in this article stressing the

top hand and getting into a great hitting position it only makes

sense to give you some drills to help make it happen.

DRILLSHere are 2 drills that are easy to do and follow that can really

clean up some flaws in your swing quick:

TOP HAND - WALL DRILLSETTING UP: Open your stance so that your feet are wider thanshoulder width apart. Put your bottom hand behind your back and withyour top hand choke up half way up the handle of the bat. Have yourfront foot touch the wall and get into your wide stance, with just your tophand on the bat.

PICTURE 1: Your set up in the lower half should look just like this.Weight is centered front toe slightly opened touching the wall or net. Thetop hand and bat should be where it normally starts in your stance.

PICTURE 2: The weight shifts slightly to the inside part of the back leg.The bat cocks back to a 45° angle slightly behind the head.

PICTURE 3: The head will stay stationary and the hand will begin tomove forward. The bat should stay on line with (the back arm) andclose to the back arm and begin to flatten out. The elbow will start todrive forward almost directly under the top hand.

PICTURE 4: Knuckles will drive forward and line up directly with thewall or net. The bat will be flat and the elbow will have slight bend(DO NOT STRAIGHTEN YOUR ARM!). The front hip will lock and thehead will line up directly over the back thigh. The back heel shouldlift and drive, not turn!

THE DRILL: Do this for 3 sets of 15 repetitions and hold for 5 secondsevery time. For this to be effective repeat at least 5 times a week.

TOP HAND HITTING DRILL - 53'sSETTING UP: Use the same setup as the wall drill. This drill can be usedwith the tee, soft toss or front toss. You can use wiffle balls, trainingballs or anything else if not being done inside a batting cage.

THE DRILL: Hit 5 balls with just your top hand and then immediatelyhit 3 regular. This will start to get your hands working a little moreand get the bat head out in front.

For or any hitting questions or comments: Email: [email protected]. Subject: BPM Hitting Comment.

TIP: The fastest and shortest path to the ball is not always themost efficient and effective way to the ball - Be Careful!

TIP: If the knuckles on your top hand are facing forward thenthe bat head is going to face forward.

“Joe’s drills and philosophy

makes hitting easy. Thanks

for all your help along the

way and in the future.”- Cam Maron, Catcher

Drafted out of Hicksville HS

by NY Mets 34th Round 2009

Cam Maron at Performance Factory

Baseball, demonstrating Top Hand

Wall Drill.

(1) TOP HAND - WALL DRILL

1

2

3

4

Mason Eng, 14, of Plainview, NY understands that focusand composure are qualities needed to lead a team frombehind the plate.

Photography by Ellen SchuergerBEHINDTHE PLATE

Massapequa Coast Little League New York Dist. 31 ChampionshipJuly 20, 2009

LittLeLeague...When You Find Your true Love for the game.


“Little League” is an everyday part of not only our local communities, but all communities across the United States and around the world.

When driving from the western tip to the east end, along Sunrise Highway, you’ll see signs welcoming you from town to town. Next to those signs very often you see, “Proud home of the local little league” with different accomplishments written below.

Many of us don’t realize how little league began, but we do know this-the most prestigious trip any little leaguer can take, is the trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. When you turn on ESPN at the end of July you’ll see famous baseball broadcasters talking about the “Road to Williamsport.” “Why Williamsport”, you ask? It’s a small town in Pennsylvania with a population of 30,000 people. Why travel to this small town at the end of August for this championship series? This small town houses Lamade Stadium and Volunteer Stadium. To play in this complex is every little leaguers dream. To get here though, you have to be one of the best eight teams in the country, a challenge every team takes on. Along the way to Williamsport, communities come together to teach these young boys the real meaning of being a team player, sportsmanship and fair play. These qualities are the characteristics Carl Stotz wanted his organization to play by.

LittLeLeague...When You Find Your true Love for the game.

By Catherine McGeeAll MCLL photos by Artie Herrmann

Carl Stotz realized back in 1938 that our country was in love with “America’s Pastime,” but most games being played were pick-up games in the park. The games were played with taped bats, equipment that was too big and no coaching. Carl had an idea, and with the help of his family and community, Little League teams were organized. The Lycoming Dairy, Lundy Lumber and Jumbo Pretzel were the first three Little League teams ever in existence. Carl needed support in his venture as the boys needed to learn to play baseball with proper equipment and uniforms. He went to his local community and asked for sponsors. A $30.00 sponsorship fee would put uniforms on the players and put a new bat in their hands. Carl’s goal did not include making money, but teaching young boys the characteristics of teamwork, sportsmanship and fair play. The community supported Carl’s idea and seventy years later, so do over 80 countries in the world.

The first little league game was played on June 6, 1939 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania between the Lundy Lumber and the Lycoming Dairy. The Lycoming Dairy went on to win the first ever Little League Championship in game 5 of a 5 games series.

Seventy years later, Little League is the largest youth organization globally. What started out as three teams in 1939 has grown to over 200,000 teams in 2010. One thing has never changed throughout this time. The culmination of the Little League season always ends in Williamsport, Pennsylvania where the championship game can have 30,000 fans in the stands and spread out across the berm with blankets and their families. Each issue of BPM will highlight a little league organization.

Over the past thirteen years there have been twenty-one District Championships, ten Long Island Championships, three New York State Championships, one Eastern Regional Championship and one World Series berth. These are some of the accomplishments of the Massapequa Coast Little League. For those of you that don’t know Massapequa, it is located in

Nassau County, New York in the Town of Oyster Bay. With a population of over twenty thousand people, the world’s largest youth organization, Little League, thrives. From April through October MCLL averages one hundred and thirty five teams from T-Ball thru the seniors divisions in their spring, summer and fall leagues.

Massapequa Coast is a well run league, which is not just proud of its championships. The ball fields in Massapequa are nothing like many parents played on back in their Little League days. Over the past few years, through the hard work of the MCLL board and local elected officials, reconstruction took place at many fields. Besides town and school officials making improvements to the fields, the MCLL board has used league funds to donate over $100,000 in batting cages, scoreboards, player benches, other field fixtures and most importantly defibrillators at each of their area fields. The Massapequa Coast plays baseball on beautifully kept fields and the centerpiece is the unbelievable complex at Burns Park. Not only do the kids play baseball on fields that local colleges play ball on also, but they can practice taking swings at one of the seven batting cages available throughout the community, that were donated by the MCLL program to the area fields. On occasion you may not find the Little League on the field at Burns Park. This past September MCLL hosted the Supervisor’s Trophy Game, which included a free clinic by former Yankee, Rusty Torres and the coaches and players of two Division I programs, a barbeque and then a game between New York Institute of Technology and Hofstra University. The field was packed with kids a little after four o’clock and then the stands were filled with those same kids watching collegiate players in action.

Each season kicks off with a parade in April celebrating the beginning of baseball bats, gloves that need to be broken in, dirty uniforms and weekend baseball games. Over 1600 baseball players join together to commence the beginning of another Little League season. Children, ages five through eighteen get ready to play.

Anyone involved in baseball knows that towns have Little League, but then we also have many travel baseball teams spread throughout Long Island. MCLL does an incredible job of keeping their kids together. In the summer there are three levels of travel summer teams. The Williamsport

L I T T L E L E A G U E M A S S A P E Q U A C O A S T

Our first issue highlights One Of the past decades mOst accOmplished prOgrams, massapequa cOast little league.


Teams are just one of them. Many players in MCLL are afforded the opportunity to play together on a summer travel team. Once the teams, players and coaches have completed their little league seasons, the MCLL Board encourages them to seek other competition, like renowned tournaments such as Cooperstown Dreams Park, Disney Wide World of Sports and Ripken Tournaments, outside the reaches of Little League, so that their baseball experience is never ending.

Like Carl Stotz realized seventy years ago, none of this could be accomplished without the support of the local community. “The Massapequa community is what makes it all happen. The participation of the kids, the coaches, board members, partnerships with Town and School Officials, local businesses and parents are what makes MCLL what it is today,” said Garland. When asked how registration prices haven’t been raised in five years Garland credited his community again. “Local business establishments make donations to our program through sponsorships, our families patronize our snack stand, ‘The Coast Corner’ and a well managed league fund, with a three panel financial committee, all assist in deferring costs.

Craig Garland has been involved in MCLL for nineteen years, on the board of directors for thirteen years and for the past five years has been president of the league. Craig is very proud of the MCLL and the work of his supporting board

members and community. “It makes me feel good that our efforts make for a positive, well rounded experience for the children and families in our community.” One of the most fulfilling accomplishments made in the past five years is the advancement of safety procedures by the league. In 2005 Little League on Long Island was devastated by the tragic loss of nine year old,

Next up to bat is...

January 27 (6:00 PM) 4th Annual St. John’s Baseball Bullpen Winter Banquet featuring Ron Darling and special guest Frank Viola. New York Athletic Club

January 31 (9:30 AM) 3rd Annual Touchem- All Coaches Clinic @ Half Hollow Hills West HS - Hosted by All Pros Sports Academy and Prospect Sports

February 19 (6:30 PM) St. John’s University Opening Game vs. New Orleans New Orleans, La.

February 23 MLB - First Date for players to report to Spring Training

February 24 (8:00 PM) Long Island Connie Mack Meeting - Baldwin Park

February 24 Diamond Nation’s March Madness Dome Tournament ages 9u-14u

February 26 (3:00 PM) NYIT (New York Institute of Technology) Opening Game vs. Georgetown Washington D.C.

March 2 (1:10 PM) New York Mets Spring Training Opening Day vs. Atlantic Braves - Tradition Park

March 3 (1:00 PM) New York Yankees Spring Training Opening Day vs. Pittsburgh Pirates - George Steinbrenner Stadium

March 20-21 NY Travel Baseball 4th Annual Pre-Season Tournament Ages 9u-14u

March 19-21 Baseball Heaven’s 2010 Pre-Season Bash Ages 10u-11u-13u

March 26-29 Baseball Heaven’s 2010 Pre-Season Bash Ages 9u-12u-14u

March 27 Diamond Nation’s Spring Fever Tournament - Ages 12u-14u

April 2 CHSAA and Nassau - Suffolk County High School Leagues’ Regular Season begins

April 3 Baseball Heaven’s Spring League - Opening Day

April 4 Major League Baseball Opening Day

April 4 (8:05 PM) New York Yankees Opening Game vs. Boston Red Sox - Fenway Park

April 5 (1:10 PM) New York Mets Opening Day vs. Florida Marlins - Citi Field

April 10 Diamond Nation’s Spring Fever Tournament - Ages 11u-14u

April 16-18 Baseball Heaven’s 2010 Spring Classic - Ages 9u-14u

This DaTe in BaseBall hisTory

February 17, 1943 Joe DiMaggio drawing $43,500 from the Yankees trades in his salary for the $50 a month of an army enlisted man. DiMaggio, in his customary quiet style, gives no notice to the club.

eVenTsU p c o m i n g

Robbie Levine, of Merrick, NY. The question that loomed over that terrible day was whether having a defibrillator on the field would have prevented this tragedy from occurring. MCLL wasn’t going to take that chance. To the credit of Craig Garland, the board and the community, AED’s were placed at every baseball field in Massapequa after a three week fund raising drive that raised over $20,000. Over one hundred and fifty managers, coaches and board members are certified responders in case of an emergency and more are trained on an annual basis with the MCLL taking financial responsibility. Defibrillators are stored in locked storage containers, puchased by MCLL, at every field, where each manager has a master key. MCLL teaches fair play, sportsmanship and teamwork and incorporates many fair play rules, but above all it teaches safety to the volunteers in charge of the children.

The successes of MCLL are endless. There efforts are tremendous and their baseball players are successful beyond their years playing for “The Coast.” If you went to the Hofstra/New York Tech Supervisor’s Trophy Game you would have seen Matt Prokopowicz, a senior at Hofstra University. If you travel down the road to Adelphi you’ll see Mike Bartlett on the mound and Matt Barle playing the infield at Adelphi University. You could of course travel over bridges, take a train to the city or hop on a plane to travel to the other colleges that have Massapequa Coast Little League

Alumni on the fields of NCAA Division I, II, and III schools. Just looking at the past six years, the MCLL has seen over thirty of its alumni go on to college baseball careers. A credit to the program, the coaches, the community, the players and of course their parents. With the efforts of everyone, these young little leaguers have been taught how to be a team player, how to be a gracious winner and of course, how to handle defeat.

“Not only was it a baseball game, but it brought family and friends together, There was nothing better than being on the ball field with my son and reliving that joy I had as a young boy. To this day I drive past the fields and think back on the experiences I was able to share with my son and the other children in this community.”

- A former coach and Massapequa resident

L I T T L E L E A G U EM A S S A P E Q U A C O A S T

When is your birthday?AR: May 15, 1999

What is your favorite sport besides baseball?AR: Baseketball

What is your favorite baseball team?AR: New York Yankees

Who is your favorite baseball player?AR: Derek Jeter

What number do you like to wear?AR: I like to wear #11 because when I picked my number no one on the Yankees wore it.

What position do you like to play?AR: Short stop and second base.

What is your favorite baseball memory so far?AR: When I was eight years old I was put in a playoff game to pitch. The bases were loaded, there were two outs and we were winning 7-6. I struck the batter out on three pitches.

Thanks Andrew! Good luckto you and your teammatesin the 2010 baseball season.

Phot

o by

Elle

n Sc

huer

ger

Let’s meet massapequa Coast’s LittLe Leaguer Andrew russell

BPM would like to congratulate Mcll on their 2009 district chaMPionshiPs and long island chaMPionshiP.

Heater’s CornerDirectly out of high school, Neal Heaton was the first player selected in the 1979 draft. Heaton chose to attend college and played for the University of Miami from 1979-81, where he still holds many of the Hurricane’s pitching records, including victories in a season (18) and strikeouts in a game (23). After being drafted in 1981 by the Cleveland Indians, Heaton thrived with a 12 year career in the majors. While with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1990 Heaton was selected to play in the MLB All Star Game-one of many highlights in his career… so far.

You can’t tell a book by its cover; but can one tell a pitcher by a radar gun reading?

The typical parent mumbles to friends and foes alike: “Hey so and so hit 90 on the gun.” Much like the fish stories of the one that got away. This need for speed has discouraged many a young pitcher, and created many guru’s who have systems and programs that can make anyone a 90 mph pitcher. Funny, none are free.

The old adage; numbers don’t lie is true. So we went in search of the magic numbers. First off, a radar gun measures how hard you throw, not how well you pitch. Whitey Ford has the best winning percentage of any player in the modern era (236-106). Whitey threw 83 mph. Pitching is a craft. No one measures prospects in numbers more then the NFL. Yet no matter the numbers, they will spend hours pouring over game film. The number that matters most is winning. Or is it?

By: Ashley Michaels

Hey Neal, How is it going?Busy as always. Most of the top pitchers are already working out and taking lessons. Everyone wants to get better. Today we want to talk about velocity, or call it speed, or throwing hard.We should always remember there is a difference between pitching and throwing. Velocity measures how fast one throws. That is a component of pitching. So is there a direct correlation between throwing hard and pitching success?Pitching is much more then just throwing. The minors are loaded with 90 mph phenoms. But all other things being equal, of course you want the kid who throws harder. So the radar gun is King?I use a gun during lessons to determine the change in speed of different pitches, but let’s face it the first thing college and pro-scouts will look at is speed. And that is measured with a radar gun. Scouts are like everyone else, very busy. A radar gun reading is a good first step for them to sort through the thousand of pitchers throughout the country. The harder one throws the more attention one will get for further evaluation.

The kid who is not the hardest of throwers has little chance of attracting scouts?I would say it will just be harder for him, but the chances are out there. Just win.

Just win?That is why they keep score. The most important muscle in pitching is the one between the ears. Just like any other muscle it must be used and trained. What you looks for in a pitching prospect?I think good traits for a young pitcher to have are:

1) Competitor – Winner2) Work fast3) Throw hard4) Ability to change speeds

Competitor?You want to want the ball, not just when things are going well, but on those days when you may not have your best stuff or you have some bad luck. The ability to grit it out. Working fast?Working fast is very important. It lets you set the rhythm and be in control of the batter. Pitchers who work fast and get it done with fewer pitches, usually have defenses that make fewer errors. Why is that?Their fielders are more alert and ready. Fielders know when the pitcher is a strike thrower, so they must be ready on any pitch. A pitcher who walks batters and falls behind in the count loses that edge.

In this installment of “Heater’s Corner” BPM sat down with Long Island pitching guru and Major League All-Star Pitcher, Neal Heaton, to get his take on the radar.


N THE DUGOUT • RUNNING THE BASES • ONE ON ONE • LIFE IN THE MINPOTLIGHT • BASEBALL GIVES BACK • DEFENSE • FAST BALL • HOME RUNS • NUTRIDN'T KNOW • HEATER'S CORNER • XTRA INNINGS • LITTLE LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTSING • OFF THE FIELD • BPM EVENTS • PITCHING • TEAM BPM • BK'S PLALEADING OFF • COLLEGE PREVIEW • CATCHING • RALLY CAPS • NO-HITTER • SQUOADED • PRESEASON TRAINING • PICKOFF • TAG OUT • INTERVIOR THE CYCLE • FUN • GRAND SLAM • NO-HITTER • TRIPLE PLAY • WALK-OFF HOITY • DOUBLEHEADER • IN THE DUGOUT • RUNNING THE BASES • ONE ON ONE • L

PREVIEW • PLAYERS SPOTLIGHT • BASEBALL GIVES BACK • DEFENSE • FAOUBLE PLAY • 25 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW • HEATER'S CORNER • XTRA INNEASON TIPS • SPORTMANSHIP • HITTING • OFF THE FIELD • BPM EVENTS • PITCHSUMMER ON THE ISLAND • LEADING OFF • COLLEGE PREVIEW • CATLAY • BULLPEN • FULL COUNT • BASES LOADED • PRESEASON TRAINING • PICKNNING STRETCH • HITTING FOR THE CYCLE • FUN • GRAND SLAM • NO-HITTER RIVE • HELPING THE COMMUNITY • DOUBLEHEADER • IN THE DUGOUT • RUNN

MINORS • HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW • PLAYERS SPOTLIGHT • BASEBALL GIVES BA

NUTRITION TIPS • DOUBLE PLAY • 25 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW • HLITTLE LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS • MID-SEASON TIPS • SPORTMANSHIPITCHING • TEAM BPM • BK'S PLAYERS TO WATCH • SUMMER ON THE ISLAND • LRALLY CAPS • NO-HITTER • SQUEEZE PLAY • BULLPEN • FULL COUNT • BASES LOAUT • INTERVIEWS • SEVENTH-INNING STRETCH • HITTING FOR THE CYCLE • FUWALK-OFF HOME RUN • LINE DRIVE • HELPING THE COMMUNITY • DOUBLEHEADNE ON ONE • LIFE IN THE MINORS • HIGH SCHOOL PREVIEW • PLAEFENSE • FAST BALL • HOME RUNS • NUTRITION TIPS • DOUBLE PLAY • 25 THINTRA INNINGS • LITTLE LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS • MID-SEASON TIPS • SPORTMANSPITCHING • TEAM BPM • BK'S PLAYERS TO WATCH • SUMMER ON THIEW • CATCHING • RALLY CAPS • NO-HITTER • SQUEEZE PLAY • BULLPEN • FULL C

NG • PICKOFF • TAG OUT • INTERVIEWS • SEVENTH-INNING STRETCH • HITTINGITTER • TRIPLE PLAY • WALK-OFF HOME RUN • LINE DRIVE • HELPING THE COMM

RUNNING THE BASES • ONE ON ONE • LIFE IN THE MINORS • HIGH SCHOASEBALL GIVES BACK • DEFENSE • FAST BALL • HOME RUNS • NUTRITION TIPS •

HEATER'S CORNER • XTRA INNINGS • LITTLE LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS ING • OFF THE FIELD • BPM EVENTS • PITCHING • TEAM BPM • BK'S PLAYSLAND • LEADING OFF • COLLEGE PREVIEW • CATCHING • RALLY CAPS • NO-HITTASES LOADED • PRESEASON TRAINING • PICKOFF • TAG OUT • INTERVIEWS • SEYCLE • FUN • GRAND SLAM • NO-HITTER • TRIPLE PLAY • WALK-OFF HOME RUNOUBLEHEADER IN THE DUGOUT RUNNING THE BASES ONE ON ONE LIFE I

For more information or to advertise in the next issue of Baseball Player Magazine.

Please email us at [email protected].

Coming SoonBaseballPlayerMagazine.com

BPM: Throw hard? Are we back to speed?NH: Yes, there is no substitute for blazing speed with control. It also means never take a pitch off. Throw every pitch with an intention. Don’t throw a lazy pitch. Focus and work. BPM: Changing speeds?NH: Pitching is so much like chess. Good hitters will hit a fastball down the middle of the plate every time. Keep them guessing. Keep them off balance. Think, mix it up. BPM: We all know the success of your pupil, Steven Matz (drafted by the Mets), give us an example of the flip side.NH: I have a 16 year old, who has been with me for 7 years. Richie Bartumioli. Quiet kid, loaded with grit, doesn’t throw real hard, but as smart as they come. Richie has a mound presence most 20 year olds wish they had. Works fast, changes speeds, really knows what he is doing, sets up pitches, throws strikes and wins. A great example, this summer he pitched against Youth Services in Brooklyn. Won 2-1, gave up no earned runs, 2 hits and only threw 81 pitches. That’s pitching.

BPM: How hard does he throw and does he have a future?NH: Throws high 70’s, maybe touches 80, changes speeds. At 16 years old the guys should be playing the game because they love it. He will be a very good high school pitcher. He does have the potential to play in college after high school, if he works hard. BPM: So speed is King?NH: It is the first thing most scouts look at. They give the fastest car at the Indy 500 the best spot to start. Doesn’t mean he’ll win, but he’ll start with an advantage. Same with throwing hard. BPM: How can a young pitcher increase his velocity?NH: First of all stay away from these “90 mph guaranteed” so called gurus. If it worked everyone would do it. I would say take care of your arm, have the proper mechanics and be in the best shape possible. Hard work, works wonders.

BPM: Thanks Neal. Looking forward to our next conversation.

“The most important muscle in pitching is the one between the ears.” - Neal Heaton

All Images ©iStock Photos

THINGS YOU DIDN’T

KNOW ABOUT

BPM25 THINGSBY MICHAEL AMBORT

BPM thought you might enjoy getting

to know some of today’s Major League

Baseball players a little better than the

typical interview, so we got in touch with

Dan Runzler, MLB.com's Minor League

Reliever of the Year for 2009 and lefty

powerhouse for the San Francisco Giants

and asked him to tell us a few things we

might not know…

DAN RUNZLER1. WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Simi Valley, CA

2. SHOE SIZE: 14

3. BIRTHDAY/SIGN: March 30, 1985 - don't know my sign (Hey Dan - you're an Aries)

4. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA: Chocolate

5. ONE THING YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT: Girls

6. PANTS UP OR PANTS DOWN: Pants down

7. SIBLINGS: Two sisters, one older and one younger

8. WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE GROWING UP (BESIDES A BASEBALL PLAYER): I wanted to be a veterinarian until I was about 12

9. PET PEEVE: Drivers who don't use their turn signal

10. FAVORITE FOOD: Mexican

11. BEACH OR POOL: Beach all the way

12. DRIVE: A Jeep

13. BLACKBERRY OR IPHONE: Blackberry

14. DOG: Yes, Black Lab named Coco

15. FAVORITE MOVIE: Shawshank Redemption

16. CONDIMENT YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: Hot Sauce

17. FAVORITE REALITY SHOW: I just started watching Jersey Shore

18. FAVORITE SPORT (OTHER THAN BASEBALL): Football

19. FAVORITE TV SHOW: King of Queens or Everybody Loves Raymond

20. HOTTEST SONG TO HIT THE FIELD WITH: Money to Blow by Drake

21. FAVORITE COLLEGE CLASS: Urban Society, a Sociology class

22. UP EARLY OR SLEEP IN: Definitely sleeping in

23. ONE THING YOU DON'T MIND TELLING US THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW: I watch the show The Bachelor

24. FAVORITE WALK OUT SONG: Notorious Thugs by Bone Thugs and B.I.G.

25. YOU'RE SITTING AT A RED LIGHT, BEEP YOUR HORN OR WAIT PATIENTLY:I wait patiently

www.sfgiants.com


In the dead of winter, it is increasingly more difficult to get out to a field and improve yourself defensively. Tracking down a fly ball or taking grounders may not be possible during the off-season in the Northeast.

WinterDefense

By Jimmy Goelz


There are plenty of things you can do indoors to assure defensive improvement come springtime. All positions require a great degree of athleticism, and through various speed and agility programs, you can increase your ability to make plays on the field. Mobility alone is probably the biggest determining factor regarding which positions you are capable of playing. If you can’t get to a ball, or have the explosiveness to get rid of a ball, you will not be able to survive at the upper levels. Ultimately, the difference from level to level comes down to the speed of which things happen. There is no better time than now to focus on increasing your ability to adapt to these speeds. It is not an easy task, and takes a three to four day a week commitment to see actual improvement. All too often, young players will see a speed and agility coach once a week and think it’s enough. In reality, it takes a great deal of time to see just the slightest improvement when it comes to this area. As long as the program is implemented on a consistent basis, the results will come. Having a strength coach is beneficial, but it is not a necessity.

In fact, you do not even need one at all. If you happen to have access to one who can lead you in the right direction, or work with you at least once to show proper form, then that is recommended.

When it comes to the specific skill set of your position, you will often have to get creative. Large spaces necessary to work on defense are very limited and can be quite expensive. One good option is to find a concrete wall located indoors, that you could repeatedly throw a ball off of. Ideally this can be found within your basement, but if not, the next most likely alternative will be in

Throwing off the wall accomplishes 3 main things.

1 Throwing a ball on a consistent basis.

2 Taking ground balls and reading the different hops.

3Working on transferring the ball to your throwing hand over and over again.

D E F E N S EW I N T E R

the gymnasium at your school. Like with anything, there is just no substitute for the repetition required to master a specific skill, and the wall provides just that. Even if the area is real small, you can sit in front of a wall on your knees, and continually throw and transfer the ball. Real baseballs, sponge balls, or even tennis balls will get you the same result you’re striving for. Catchers, outfielders, and infielders are all judged at how quick they can release the ball after they have caught it. It’s an easy separator, and even more easy to work on. Once again it comes down to repetition. The most popular and effective way to improve the transfer for infielders and catchers is by the use of the flat glove. These gloves don’t close or have any fingers. They force the player to use two hands, and deflect the ball to their throwing hand. This skill will not only quicken the transfer, but also improve the overall presentation of the play. Professionals have a certain look defensively, and this skill

is vital in obtaining it. Fortunately, only a small space is needed which makes it a perfect winter drill. These types of drills will seem monotonous or boring but the importance of them cannot be stressed enough. Another defensive skill to focus on is arm strength. Players always seem to have a better arm from season to season due to physical maturation over the winter months. Imagine if they worked on it too. Everyone knows that long tossing is the best way to improve arm strength. We obviously are unable to consistently find a warm area big enough to fire balls hundreds of feet. What we can do is visualize that distance and throw it into a net. You can literally stand three feet from a net and throw baseballs as if you were trying to throw a ball out of the stadium. Not the most fun, but definitely effective. There are also plenty of days where the weather is more than bearable; bundle up and get some throwing done outdoors.

Perhaps the most fun way to improve defensive skills is by playing other sports. Racquetball is one of the best sports to cross train for a baseball player. It’s requires explosive starting and stopping, as well as hand-eye coordination. Any sport that will improve your overall athleticism will help you become a better defender. The opportunities to get better defensively are limited so be sure to take advantage of any that come your way this off season.

Improve Your Game wIth another Game.Racquetball

86 baSeball PlaYeR MaGaZINe WINTER ISSUE


BPMHEALTH AND FITNESS

By Patrick Maguire, M.S., CSCS

Baseball players need to be able to perform at near maximal levels over and over with

limited rest. This is why it is critical to focus on quick, reactive movements, improving

power, speed, trunk rotation, and prevention of injury. These will be the components that

will lead to a successful product on the field.

Preseason is the 6-8 weeks before competition. This is an important time of year to bridge the

improvements made in lean body mass, strength, and power during your off-season

program and to maintain those strength and power levels all the way through your season.

The purpose of the program should be to help each athlete reach their preseason goals.

Preseason baseball strength and conditioning should include the following components:

Dynamic Warm-up

Speed/Agility/Quickness Program

Trunk Rotation/Torso Work

Shoulder Prehab/Rotator Cuff Work

Resistance Training

In the sport of baseball it is important to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the athletes,

and specific needs of the sport. Only then can you truly implement a team specific training

program. Design drills and exercises that systematically improve strength, power, speed, and

agility to give your athletes the best chance to succeed during their competitive season.

5

4

3

2

1

STRENGTH & CONDITIONINGBASEBALl

PRESEASON


JOINT MOBILITY REPETITIONSArm Circles (Size of Baseball) 1x10 F/BArm Circles (Size of Basketball) 1x10 F/BArm Hugs 1x10Trunk Rotations 1x10Sumo Squats 1x10

DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY REPETITIONSWalking Knee Hugs* 1x20 yardsHigh Knee Run 1x20 yardsStraight Leg March 1x20 yardsScissor Kicks 1x20 yardsWalking Quad Stretch 1x20 yardsButtkickers 1x20 yardsLeg Cradle 1x20 yardsLateral Lunges 1x20 yardsLateral Shuffle 2x20 yardsCarioca 2x20 yardsFront Lunge w/ Rotation 1x20 yardsPower Skip for Height 1x20 yardsOverhead Backward Lunge 1x20 yards

Speed and Agility can become important skills on thefield of play. Development of these skills is important on

both sides of the field. A properly executed SAQ program should beable to help a baseball athlete make improvements on the basepaths, in the field, batting power, and throwing arm stability.

DYNAMIC WARM-UPThe goal of the dynamic warm-up will be to prepare

the athletes for the upcoming workout. Activation of thecentral nervous system and muscular system as well as increasingcore body temperature and heart rate will be done through a seriesof upper and lower extremity exercises.

1

WEEK 1SPEED REPETITIONSArm Action 2x20 secondsWall Drill (1 count)* 5xeachFOOT QUICKNESS REPETITIONSOne Foot Half Ladder x4 R/LTwo Feet Half Ladder x4 R/LLateral Two Feet Half Ladder x4 R/LAli Shuffle Half Ladder x4 R/LAGILITY REPETITIONSLateral Shuffle w/Ball Throw 3x10'L-Drill 2xeachWEEK 2SPEED REPETITIONSArm Action 2x20 secondsFalling Starts 3x10 R/LFOOT QUICKNESS REPETITIONSTwo Feet Half Ladder x4 R/LIcky Shuffle Half Ladder x4 R/LLateral Two Feet Half Ladder x4 R/LLateral In-In-Out-Out Half Ladder x4 R/LAGILITY REPETITIONSLateral Shuffle w/Ball Throw 3x15'L-Drill 3xeachWEEK 3SPEED REPETITIONSArm Action 2x20 secondsFalling Starts w/Tennis Ball Drop 3x10 R/LFOOT QUICKNESS REPETITIONSTwo Feet Half Ladder x4 R/LIn-In-Out-Out Half Ladder x4 R/LLateral In-In-Out-Out Half Ladder x4 R/LLateral Cross-over Half Ladder x4 R/LAGILITY REPETITIONSLateral Shuffle w/Ball Throw 3x20'L-Drill 4xeach

FEATURE EXERCISEWalking Knee HugsIncrease agility and improvehip mobility.

(A) Stand with feet parallel andknees slightly bent. (B) Stand on theright leg and bring the left leg to thechest in a figure four position. Usehands to hold the leg at the knee.Rise up onto the left toes, and pullthe right leg upward. Repeat withthe other leg.

FEATURE EXERCISEWall DrillHelps strengthens hipflexors and improveflexibility.

(A) Stand facing the wall. Lean forward placing both hands on thewall. Keep 45 degree body angle(B) Drive one knee toward chest,point toe to shin. Hold for onecount. Drive leg back down anddrive opposite leg to the chest andhold for one count. Repeat.

*

*

(A)

(B)

(A) (B)

SPEED/AGILITY/QUICKNESS PROGRAM2



DAY 1EXERCISES REPETITIONSStanding Internal Rotation (Band)* 3x10Standing External Rotation (Band) 3x10Kneeling Overhead Internal Rotation 3x10

DAY 2EXERCISES REPETITIONSLying External Rotation (DB) 3x10Lying Internal Rotation (DB) 3x10Standing Retraction (Band) 3x10

DAY 3EXERCISES REPETITIONSShoulder Abduction to 90 degrees 3x10Scaption, Internal (DB) 3x10Prone Horizontal Abduction 3x10

WEEK 1TRUNK ROTATION REPETITIONSMB Lateral Throw 2x15 R/L MB Slam* 2x15 MB Seated Cross-body Throw 2x15 R/LTORSO REPETITIONSPlank 2x30 secondsSide Plank 2x15 secondsPB Holds 2x15 seconds

WEEK 2EXERCISES REPETITIONSMB Lateral Throw (Squat Position) 2x15 R/L MB Lateral Woodchopper 2x15 R/L MB Seated Overhead Throw 2x15 R/L EXERCISES REPETITIONSPlank 2x45 secondsSide Plank 2x30 secondsPB Holds 2x30 seconds

WEEK 3EXERCISES REPETITIONSMB Lateral Throw (Lunge Position) 2x15 R/L MB Rotational Slam 2x15 R/L MB Seated Russian Twist w/ Throw 2x15 R/L EXERCISES REPETITIONSPlank 2x60 secondsSide Plank 2x45 secondsPB Holds 2x45 seconds

The key elements to baseball (hitting & throwing)occur in the rotational plane of movement. Trunk

rotation training will take place with an emphasis on rotating thehips and torso using variations of medicine balls andcables/pulleys.

Athletes in general have a lack of torso or core strength. This is avital need of a baseball athlete. The program should focus on theuse of medicine ball and core stabilization exercises to makeimprovements in this area.

The goal of the shoulder prehab/rotator cuff work isto strengthen both the anterior and posterior muscles

of the shoulder.

Another important component that should be focused on isdeceleration. Deceleration is the phase of baseball that the mostinjuries occur. Development of the rotator cuff is important forprevention of injuries in the deceleration phase.

TRUNK/TORSO ROTATION WORK

FEATURE EXERCISEStanding Internal RotationAn exercise to strengthen the muscles around the rotator cuff.

(A) Stand with side to elbow height. Grasp stirrup with near arm. Positionelbow against side with elbow bent approximately 90°. (B) Pull stirruptoward body by internally rotating shoulder until forearm is across belly.Return and repeat. Continue with opposite arm

*

3

FEATURE EXERCISEMedicine Ball SlamEnhances Core strength.

(A) Stand with feet parallel and kneesslightly bent. Pull medicine ball backbehind head and forcefully throw balldown on the ground as hard aspossible. (B) Catch the ball on thebounce from the ground and repeataccording to prescribed repetitions.

*

SHOULDER PREHAB/ROTATOR CUFF WORK4

(A) (B)

(A) (B)


WEEK 1DAY1 WARM-UP 1 WARM-UP 2 WORK SET Post Workout ExtrasExercise Reps / Weight Reps / Weight Reps / Weight / SetsFront Squat 6 / Wt Used 6 / Wt Used 12 / Wt Used / 2 Shoulder Prehab #1Paired withSquat Jumps 12 / Wt Used / 2DB Incline Press 6 / Wt Used 12 / Wt Used / 2Paired with HEAVY DAYChin-ups 12 / Wt Used / 2DB RDL 12 / Wt Used / 2Super Circuit 12 / Wt Used / 2

DAY2 WARM-UP 1 WARM-UP 2 WORK SET Post Workout ExtrasExercise Reps / Weight Reps / Weight Reps / Weight / SetsBox Jump 12 / Wt Used / 2 Shoulder Prehab #2Brench Press 6 / Wt Used 6 / Wt Used 12 / Wt Used / 2Paired withMB Walkovers 12 / Wt Used / 2DB Lunges* 12 / Wt Used / 2 HEAVY DAYPaired withGlute Ham Raises 12 / Wt Used / 2

DAY3 WARM-UP 1 WARM-UP 2 WORK SET Post Workout ExtrasExercise Reps / Weight Reps / Weight Reps / Weight / SetsDeadlift 6 / Wt Used 6 / Wt Used 6 / Wt Used / 3 Shoulder Prehab #3One Legged Squat 6 / Wt Used / 3Paired withSingle Leg Hurdle Hop 12 / Wt Used / 3Plyo Push-ups 12 / Wt Used / 2 SPEED DAYPaired withOne Arm Row 6 / Wt Used / 2Super Circuit 6 / Wt Used / 2

The program should be developed based on the needs and goals of the baseball athlete. An emphasison strength and power should be part of the goals of any athlete because of the requirements of the sport.

The preseason will address both of these goals through a combination of appropriate exercise selection and volume loadassignments (Baechle & Earle, 2000).

FEATURE EXERCISEDumbbell LungesAn excellent exercise to stretch and develop theQuadriceps, the Hamstrings and the Glutes aswell as the muscles of the hips.

(A) Grab hold of a pair of dumbbells and stand upright.(B) Keeping your back straight take a step forward bendingyour knees and getting them as close to the floor as possible.

*

(A) (B)

PRESEASONBASEBALlSTRENGTH & CONDITIONING WORKOUT

RESISTANCE TRAINING5BPMHEALTH AND FITNESS



DAY2 WARM-UP 1 WARM-UP 2 WORK SET Post Workout ExtrasExercise Reps / Weight Reps / Weight Reps / Weight / SetsBox Jump 10 / Wt Used / 3 Shoulder Prehab #2Bench Press 5 / Wt Used 5 / Wt Used 10 / Wt Used / 3Paired withMB Walkovers 10 / Wt Used / 3DB Lunges 10 / Wt Used / 2 HEAVY DAYPaired withGlute Ham Raises 10 / Wt Used / 2



DAY2 WARM-UP 1 WARM-UP 2 WORK SET Post Workout ExtrasExercise Reps / Weight Reps / Weight Reps / Weight / SetsBox Jump 8 / Wt Used / 4 Shoulder Prehab #2Brench Press 4 / Wt Used 4 / Wt Used 8 / Wt Used / 4Paired withMB Walkovers 8 / Wt Used / 4DB Lunges 8 / Wt Used / 3 HEAVY DAYPaired withGlute Ham Raises 8 / Wt Used / 3


For more information on baseball preseason training visit www.peakptfit.com

Steve McQuail had enough. He was miserable. Playing part-time his freshman year at Canisius, the dismal summer performance with the wood bat, they stoked his fire. He’d always wanted to play in the majors, but a modest output in his first go-through at the collegiate level reminded the Golden Griffin infielder that the road to the big leagues presented plenty of pitfalls that had claimed many a hopeful before.

In essence, he started over. “It woke me up in a sense,” McQuail said. “I went in the cage and changed everything about my swing. I watched videos of what the pros did and just tried to model my swing after them, exactly how they swing. I worked the hardest I could possibly work.”

Since the makeover, McQuail hasn’t stopped barreling up pitch after pitch. In a monstrous ’09 summer, one in which he led the country with 16 home runs, his draft status has sky-rocketed. Even with the praise with which he’s been showered, Mc-Quail won’t soon lose sight of what’s put him in that position.

“Even after the year I had and the hits that I got, all that stuff, I’m still hooked on working harder because I think I can excel even more,” McQuail said. “I’m not at all complacent about where I am. All I want to do is be the best that I can be and I’ll always be working toward that goal.”

McQuail played three varsity seasons at MacArthur High School in Levittown and was named to the First Team All-State as a senior. As a freshman at Canisius, McQuail’s squad won 41 games but he struggled at the plate, bat-ting just .200. That summer, he struggled swing-ing the wood in the Hamptons, batting just .174. The year was lost, yet strangely it was just what

McQuail needed. His work in the cage increased. He studied diligently. He got stronger. It showed last fall as he entered his sophomore year.

This past spring, McQuail batted .314 with 10 homers and 45 RBI for Canisius, which came a win away from reaching the College World Series Regionals. The real attention came as he suited up for the Front Royal Cardinals of the Virginia-based Valley Baseball League. He went 5 for 5 with a pair of homers in his first game. It was just the beginning. By the time he was wrapped up his summer, he’d hit .309 with league-high 16 homers and 42 RBI.

“All summer, I had to be in some sort of daze,” Mc-Quail said. “I was hitting all these home runs and I

never realized the magnitude of what I was doing. I just went out every night

and every at-bat I was just trying to hit the ball hard.”

He even won the Valley’s home run derby. On top of that, his Cardinals

– who collectively arrived a week earlier than any other squad to start

adjusting to the wood bats – went 30-17 and posted the best record

in the regular season.

Of course, there is more work to do. Talent scouts

will now look to see how McQuail follows up his

breakout summer as he and the Golden Griffins have their sights

set on a conference title. “I went out in the summer and just had

a lot of fun,” McQuail said. “I was able to play every night and I tried to be really loose, really calm, and it helped to bring my game out a lot.”

All I want to do is be the best

that I can be...

Steve McQuailCanisius CollegeJunior Infielder

Players Players S p o t l I g h t

Effrey Valdez could look at his numbers from the 2009 season and pat himself on the back. Surely after leading New York Tech in nearly every major offensive category – batting average (.401), on-base percentage (.470), slugging percentage (.646), hits (77), home runs (11) and runs batted in (40) – he could justifiably say that he did his job. Not so for Valdez. He knows he can improve, whether it’s at the plate, at third or on the basepaths. More than anything, though, he’s working hard so that an-other quotient improves – team victories.

Last year, the Bears went just 19-29-1. This spring, with its No. 3 hitter daring pitchers to give him a pitch to swing at, Tech will take a crack at post-ing a winning record as it makes its first foray into playing in the Great West Conference, joining Chi-cago State, Houston Baptist, New Jersey Tech, North Dakota, Texas-Pan American and Utah Valley State.

“I felt good about what I accomplished, but I wish we did a little bit better as a team,” Valdez said. “That’s what it’s all about – winning.”

For all his good intentions, his numbers are difficult to ignore. Valdez, who hit .332 as a redshirt freshman and was named the Division I Independent Newcomer of the Year, didn’t set out to hit .400, and he wasn’t thinking about that elusive milestone when his average stood at .304 follow-ing an 0-for-4 day against Le Moyne on April 9. From there, though, he caught fire. In less than a month, his average rose to .374 heading into May and a month in which he went 19 for 37 (.514) put him at .401 for the season. He didn’t let up late either, going 6 for 8 in the Bears’ final two games at Le Moyne to finish the climb. He ended last season on a 21-game hit streak and collected 45 hits in his last 87 at-bats, a pace of .517. For his efforts, Valdez was honored with All-Independent Second Team recognition.

“I’ve been working hard my whole life,”

Valdez said. “It feels good to see results. I’m just train-ing hard and trying to move on to the next level.” He only increased his stock with a spectacular summer swinging the wood for the Lowell Ameri-cans of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, one of the top spots in the country. Valdez hit .326 and his 47 hits were second-best on the team. He’ll play in Lowell again this summer. “It was a great experience,” Valdez said. “We faced top competition every day.” A three-year varsity player at Holy Cross High School in Flushing, Valdez

earned All-City honors as a senior. He envisioned demonstrating his abilities one day at the pro level and has worked diligently this off-season on what

he felt were his shortcomings. He’s looked to improve his foot speed after going without

a stolen base as a sophomore. His 15 errors at the hot corner and .902 fielding percentage could improve

too. He’ll look to become the first Tech player drafted since

the Baltimore Orioles selected outfielder Kraig Binick in the 27th round in 2007.

“It’s a humbling game,” Valdez said. “I know I have to

keep working hard and keeping a positive outlook with every-

thing I do. I know that I can play and I know not to put too

much pressure on myself and try to do too much. I

just want to go out and have fun and play the

best that I can.”

I’ve been working hard my whole life.

Effrey ValdezNew York Institute of Technology

Junior Third Baseman

Photos by Ellen Schuerger


Players Players S P o T L I G h T

B Y B r e t t M a u s e r

Want to hear more from the guys who brought you some of BPM’s winter content? Feel free to reach out to them, and tell them BPM sent you.

Running the Bases Matthew Lemanczyk Dave Lemanczyk’s Baseball Academy 35 Rocklyn Ave Lynbrook, NY 11563-2726 Phone: 516.599.7575

Preseason Training for Hitters Joe Francisco Performance Factory Baseball 931A Conklin Street Farmingdale, NY 11735 Phone: 631.777.7740 www.PerformanceFactoryBaseball.com View Joe’s video at: www.YouTube.com/TeamFrancisco Email: [email protected] Subject: BPM Hitting Comment

Contacts

Preseason Baseball: Strength & Conditioning Patrick Mcquire Exercise Physiologist/Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) Peak Performance 44 Broadway Lynbrook, NY 11563 Phone: 516.599.8734 www.peakfit.com Email: [email protected]

Heater’s Corner Neal Heaton All Pro Sports Academy 990 Station Rd. Bellport, NY 11713 Phone: 631.286.5144

Don’t forget to let BPM know what you think, email us at [email protected]

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Crossword by Ellen Schuerger


Across1. seaver’s nickname4. hideki matsui9. tight play11. mets cy young winner12. catcher with 2127 career hits13. brooklyn team16. baseball home of ny giants19. yanks ace21. yanks manager many times removed23. 4 strikeouts in 1 game25. yanks third baseman26. batter’s stat27. new home of the mets28. mets first manager32. 2009 world series35. canyon of heroes route36. former mets manager

Down2. number 42 brooklyn dodgers

3. yanks cy young winner4. louisiana lightning5. mr. october6. new record holder for most yankee hits7. man of steal8. lefty pitcher10. ny mayor 200014. favorite food at the park15. mets ace17. long island team18. perfect game battery20. “mex” number 17 mets22. held record for most yankee hits24. feat rarely seen28. 2000 world series29. pitcher’s stat30. early owner of the mets31. mets and yanks manager33. what 4 balls will get you34. old home of the mets

Visit www.baseballplayermagazine.com for answers.

397

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

The game of softball dates back to Thanksgiving Day, 1887, where a group of about twenty young men gathered in the gymnasium of the Farragut Boat Club to hear the outcome of the Harvard-Yale football game. When Yale’s victory was announced, a man picked up a lone boxing glove and threw it at someone, who hit it with a pole. From there, George Hancock (many refer to him as the founder of softball), shouted, “Let’s play ball!”

Today, softball is one of only two NCAA sports exclusive to women, and holds more than 600 programs throughout all three NCAA sports divisions (I, II, and III). Softball is to many young female athletes what baseball is to the boys, and Baseball Player Magazine will be bringing you “Softball Xtra Innings” in our next issue.

Expect to see: • Interviews with top coaches • Instructional columns • Tips from the pros • Players to watch • And so much more…

tra InnIngs

The game of softball dates back to Thanksgiving Day, 1887, where a group of about twenty young men gathered in the gymnasium of the Farragut Boat Club to hear the outcome of the Harvard-Yale football game. When Yale’s victory was announced, a man picked up a lone boxing glove and threw it at someone, who hit it with a pole. From there, George Hancock (many refer to him as the founder of softball), shouted, “Let’s play ball!”

Today, softball is one of only two NCAA sports exclusive to women, and holds more than 600 programs throughout all three NCAA sports divisions (I, II, and III). Softball is to many young female athletes what baseball is to the boys, and Baseball Player Magazine will be bringing you “Softball Xtra Innings” in our next issue.

tra InnIngsCOMING IN THE SPRING ISSUE!

10By Danielle LaFata, MA, RD, CSSD

Performance Nutritionist/Education Specialist

Nutrition is something that affects everyone. Everyone needs fuel and everyone

needs nutrients. Yet everyone eats for completely different reasons. As an athlete

on the field putting thought behind what goes into your mouth can do wonders for

your health, but most importantly your performance.

If you can follow these 10 rules each and every day, you will be on your way to

optimizing your nutrition and your performance. These are 10 easy steps to

being on top of your nutritional game.

NUTRITION RULES TO LIVE BY

COME BACK TO EARTH!! Choose the least processed forms ofcarbohydrates. Whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes.

EAT A RAINBOW Eat a wide variety of colors with fruits orvegetables with each meal.

EAT BREAKFAST every day! The longer you wait to eat breakfast,the longer you will be running in low gear!

EAT SMALLER PORTIONS more often (5-6 times), spread evenlyacross the day. Combine protein, carbs, and healthy fats ateach meal!

HYDRATE! Dehydration = Decreased Performance! Drink atleast your body weight in ounces of non-caloric beverages(water/green tea).

Include a LEAN PROTEIN with each meal…think “the less legsthe better!” Fish have no legs, poultry has two legs and is a greatsource of protein if you take off the skin and don't fry them.

GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN! Don't always rely on restaurants orthe club to provide your fuel. Prepare as many of your ownmeals and snacks to guarantee you will be optimally fueled.

Add a MULTIVITAMIN & FISH OIL DAILY. Food first, supplementsecond, but if your diet is not giving you all your nutrientneeds – take the multi-vitamin and fish oil.

DON'T WASTE YOUR WORKOUT. Drink a mixture ofcarbohydrate and protein immediately after your workout.If you get a combination of carbs and protein immediatelyafter a game or workout, you get a jump start on repairingyour muscles and refueling your body.

GET SOME REST. Try to get 8 hours of sleep per night. Thosewho do not get enough rest often times get injured and sickmore often than those who are adequately rested.

Athletes' Performance (www.athletesperformance.com) is a training center for elite athletes. Athletes' Performance

integrates mindset, nutrition, movement and recovery into their programs to decrease injury potential, enhance

performance, and create sustainable systems of success. For additional tools and information on nutrition and training

check out: www.coreperformance.com.


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In The DugouT

Chris CelanoHead Coach Dowling College Golden Lions

Field Turf 2009 Division II Coach of the Year

2009 ABCA/Diamond Sports Co. Regional Coach of the Year

2008 ECC Coach of the Year

Who is Coach Celano?Celano began his coaching career with the Golden Lions in the Fall of 2000. The 2010 season embarks his sixth year as head coach of the Dowling Baseball team after serving as an assistant coach for three years and the Director of Sports Information from 2002-2004.

Celano is a Long Island native and graduate of Ward Melville’s class of 1994. After receiving his bachelor’s degree from SUNY New Paltz in 1999, this left handed pitcher spent his 1999 season playing professional ball in Rimini, Italy. His return to the states in 2000 signed him with Sioux Falls Canaries for two seasons and a decision to pursue his career as a head coach.

BPM was able to sit down with Chris Celano and get his take on the awards he received and what he feels it takes to be a successful coach.

BPM: In both 2008 and 2009 you received a few prestigious coaching awards. How does it make you feel?

Receiving any individual award is always an honor. I think it’s a reflection of not only me, but of my assistants and the student-athletes in our program. Success in any team sport is always a group effort and our success is a great example of that.

BPM: Who would you mark as the most influential through-out your coaching career thus far?

There have been a number of people who have influenced me over my coaching career. My father was my first coach in little league and taught me about the commitment and hard work that is required to succeed both in baseball and life in general. I take something from everyone that I come in contact with to continually try to improve myself as a head coach. Other coaches at my institution have also been a great influence on me as well. I have only been a head coach for five years and we have a good group of experi-enced and successful coaches that I have learned a lot from since my arrival at Dowling. (I moved at Dowling)

BPM: Can you give coaches out there a few tips, things that you have learned that are incredibly valuable to your success so far, that will help them with theirs?

Constantly try to improve yourself as a coach. You need to be open to change in order to get the most out of your athletes, and this requires some self-criticism and evaluation. If your ego doesn’t allow you to take suggestions from assistant coaches, or in some cases even your players, you can hinder the potential of the team. Communicate. I like to have the best relationship possible outside of baseball with all my players. This gives them the comfort to approach me with any issues they encounter either on or off the field. The ability to handle a loss. How you respond to adver-sity usually will define the season and as coaches we need to be able to lead during those times, so putting each loss in perspective is crucial.

It is the effort and dedication of the coaches, both on and off the field, that unite a team and provide tremendous insight and inspiration for their players. In each issue of BPM we will honor one chosen coach who truly has a love of the game and his team.

By Lauren Jaeger

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