I think we’ve seen plenty of examples the past few years in high school baseball that you really only need two dominant starting pitchers to make a run at a county championship.
Eastport-South Manor was able to reach the Class AA Finals led by two workhorses (Ryan Foran and Alex Doskoez) but they fell short by one game to West Islip that also had a dynamic duo in Mike LaDonna and Bobby DiCapua. In Class A, it was Rocky Point who captured their first county title led by Joey Grillo and Robert Milopsky.
It was the same story in Nassau County as Massapequa rode the right arms of Christian DeNave and Chris Mantione all the way to winning the Class AA New York Championship.
But that was last year, in this article we will examine which teams have the best 1-2 punch atop their rotation for the upcoming 2019 season. Let’s dive in.
Nassau County
Farmingdale
This is the reason I wanted to put together this list in the first place. With the addition of Will McCarthy from Holy Trinity to pair with Justin Rosner, this has the makings of a dynamic group. McCarthy’s velocity hasn’t popped in the way that Rosner’s already has, but he has it in the tank. I watched him early on in the season against Chaminade in the game with the wild finish, and he was lights out for the first 6.2 IP of that game against a loaded Chaminade offense. I think he possesses the intestinal fortitude to be a dominant pitcher, he just needs that spike in velocity which should come this year. As for Rosner, he’s already solidified himself as one of the top pitchers on Long Island. He actually did that last year when he shut out Massapequa as a freshman in the playoffs. He lacks the prototypical size, but he already has the 86-87 MPH fastball and maturity beyond his years. This should be a great duo beginning next year.
North Shore
They will actually be returning all three starters–not just a duo. Robert Clarke, Danny Livoti and David Aufiero combined for 16 of the team’s 17 wins. They struck out 123 batters while compiling a 2.23 ERA. They made a postseason run but were undone by Wantagh in an incredible game that ended on a walk-off single by Mason McLane. They should be right back in the mix once again in Nassau Class A.
Port Washington
It was a good season for the Vikings, who took Plainview JFK right to the brink. They won the first game of the series, but dropped the final two with the latter coming on a walk-off single in the 12th inning by Tyler Marinaccio. That was the crazy two-day long game that never wanted to end. Regardless, it was a step forward for the program as they will be returning Derek Livingston and Alex Chang. Livingston showed what he was made of in that 12-inning game as he fired five innings of relief, allowing just one run with eight strikeouts. Keep in mind, that’s as a sophomore in an emotionally-charged game on the road against one of the top teams in the county. Livingston gets it up in the low-to-mid 80s but he’s gritty and welcomes the big moment. I think he can be a difference-maker for them. Chang is someone I was unfamiliar with until I saw him at PBR’s Preseason Event in February. He has clean mechanics and also is a switch-hitter at the plate. He won four games on the mound and is similar to Livingston in the sense that he’s a right-handed pitcher that throws in the low 80s, but his best attribute is his command and tenacity. This should be a duo that combines for 8-10 wins next season.
Suffolk County
Connetquot
The T-Birds were about a year ahead of schedule, in my mind. I figured they would make a strong push to win the county in 2019 but they did so this year instead. Most of their biggest impact players were sophomores and juniors. Although they didn’t all begin the season with significant roles, they all worked their way into it by year’s end. Like North Shore, this rotation will actually be returning their three best pitchers. For that reason, I think they will make the final four next year, at worst. The combination of Joey Savino, Alex Ungar and Matt Brown-Eiring is as good as it gets. Savino has forced his way into the conversation for best pitcher on Long Island. Right now, I think he’s right there with the likes of Roman Dorosh, Jason Diaz, Max Nielsen and Jake Krzemienski. From a professional standpoint, he’s the most enticing due to his physical stature, command and effortless delivery. This year he lost 1 game, I don’t envision that happening next year unless it’s to one of the aforementioned pitchers. The Elon-commit was named Axcess League 2 MVP and he has a legit shot to get drafted next season. Ungar and Brown-Eiring are Division-I arms as well which makes for a scary trio. Both have been facing elite competition since there were 12-years-old and there’s no stage too big for them. They both happen to be two of the better hitters on the team as well.
Newfield
With the recent commit of Chandler Giovinco to Hofstra University, that means their 2018 staff had four Division-I pitchers. That is pretty incredible, but also a bit disappointing that they weren’t able to make a playoff push. They will have another shot to do so this year, with not only the hard-throwing Giovinco but also Dylan Johnson. The rising sophomore is one of the most advanced 2021s in the northeast and is already throwing harder and with a better breaking ball than most of the top 2019s. He has a deceptive delivery to go along with it, which only adds to his effectiveness. He’s being courted by the top schools in the region. Once that happens, that means the 2018 team had five Div-I arms.
West Islip
It was another Suffolk County Class AA title for the Lions, who have made it a routine. They won in 2014 and 2016 as well. This year they were led by sophomore Bobby DiCapua (eight wins) juniors Mike LaDonna (six wins) & Anthony Cinquemani (six wins). They will all be back. It will remain to be seen which of those pitchers emerge as the stoppers, but based on usage, Coach Rush trusted DiCapua the most of the trio this past season.
Smithtown East
This is the deepest of the groups. They will be led by Binghamton-commit Doug Goodwin, who has established himself as one of the best in the 2019 class now that his velocity has jumped into the upper 80s. Right behind him is Hofstra-commit Will Kennedy, LIU Post-commit Michael Storms and a trio of uncommitted pitchers (Nick Harvey, Mike Ciminiello and Jai Sharma). They have a bevy of talented pitchers, and they should compete for the Suffolk AA title but I do think Connetquot has the advantage in terms of quality of arms.
Ward Melville
I was very high on Ward Melville entering the 2018 postseason. I thought they were the favorites to win it all, but they ran into Sachem East and were eliminated. Losing Chris Buehler atop the rotation and Drake Eggleston as closer is a hit, but they will slide Ethan Farino or Matt DiGennaro into the No. 2 slot behind Max Nielsen and that is a luxury most teams simply don’t possess. They are both talented pitchers with a mid 80s fastballs and command. Farino is an underrated pitcher that dominated at the NY State Games with his bowling ball sinker. They also have 10th grader Brian Silverio who has only scratched the surface of his potential. He is eerily reminiscent of Chris Cepeda, another tremendous pitcher the school produced.
Sachem East
This one is a bit of a surprise because the second name of going to mention didn’t have much of an impact on varsity this season. We all know about Roman Dorosh–Axcess League I MVP. Jacksonville-commit. Touches 92 MPH. Rafe Schlesinger is a name to become familiar with. I first watched him getting lessons with Neal Heaton about 19 months ago when he was still in eighth grade. Neal raved about him. He hadn’t even begun to scratch his surface but you can see he was oozing with potential. He has a low 3/4 delivery and throws across his body which is death on lefties. He has size 15 feet so you know he’s going to be close to 6’4, 6’5. He is about 6’1 now. He will become one of the top pitchers in the league this year as a sophomore.