Despite losing two of their top arms prior to the 2015 season, Bellmore-JFK was still able to scratch out 14 wins, tie for first in the conference with Carey and win a playoff game against Lynbrook. The fact is that they simply couldn’t withstand the loss of two top pitchers and make a deep postseason run, 17th year Head Coach Eric Passman noted.
“We kind of just ran out of pitching against Division,” he said.
They will have the benefit of LHP Michael Schwartz coming back. The UCONN commit has a rocket left arm, regularly hitting in the upper 80s with the heater. His presence will make a tremendous difference.
Additionally, he will be joined by Eric Gossert. Passman noted he had a “sensational” 10th grade season but was injured last year.He’s had several offers from colleges. He pitches in the mid 80s and will form a strong duo with Schwartz.
The rotation will rely on some younger guys to fill the third spot. One of the leading candidates is junior Frank Bruno. He’s a junior southpaw with a strong skillset that could help right away.
“He throws hard, he’s got a lot of talent, we just need to work on his command,” said Passman.
Should any of the pitchers falter late in games, they will give way to closer Jonah Zeitland who will look to put out the fires.
Many of the position players will be back from last season, a great sign for a 14-win team. Shortstop Greg Goeller will bat leadoff and set the tone for the offense. They will be counting on catcher Reid Oreste to provide punch in the middle of the order. They are also returning CF Tyler Griffith and CF Nick Lisi from last year’s team.
They will have to replace last year’s leading home run hitter, Eric Pauly, who smacked six HR and was named All-County. Jonathan Hulkower hit two HR as well. Justin Stybel was named All-County.
Nevertheless, Passman is confident in his current crop of seniors and with their pitching, they should have reason to feel really good about their chances in 2016.