With a solid Head Coach at the helm, you can bounce back quickly from down seasons. After winning eight games in 2017, the North Babylon Bulldogs improved to twelve last year including an incredible comeback victory in the postseason over Lindenhurst. This year, they’re hungry for more.
North Babylon scores two in the bottom of the seventh to stave off elimination and defeat Lindenhurst 8-7 pic.twitter.com/yNkp7qi9kE
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2018
It’s no surprise the Bulldogs expect big things this year. They’re a very experienced team led by Head Coach Steve Corrado. They did graduate all-league catcher Zachary Kolano and their All-League outfielder and leadoff hitter Paul Tchinnis. What they return to the team however, makes them more than dangerous.
Two players in a particular can be looked at to fill the void left behind at the lead off spot. Ross Talarico, a returning junior and now three-year varsity starter, and Christian Fils-Aime who emerged last season as a sophomore and batted .358 last year with an insane .565 average in the playoffs. These two will look to compete for time in the leadoff spot and neither lack speed for the position, with Fils-Aime running a 6.6 60-yard dash, and Talrico running a 6.8 60-yard dash. Brett Schultiesz, who also batted .565 in the playoffs last year, will look to fill the void that was left in the outfield.
This team is not lacking impact seniors either.
To start there is All-County first baseman and pitcher, Brian Primm. As a pitcher, he compiled a 5-2 record on the mound. His bat was even better, as he hit .380 with 30 hits and two home runs. When he’s not pitching, he’s also not making any errors in the field at first base as he played flawless defensively. Also returning is Nick Burke, who is versatile enough in the field to play almost any position whether its short, second, third or the outfield. Burke, who dealt with some injuries was still All-League last year, with a .380 average and a 3-3 record on the mound. He’s a three-year starter and a two-time All-League award winner. In addition, there’s also the returning Evan Christopher. Christopher is the team’s shortstop, where he batted .282 last year and is one of the four returning starting pitchers. He was 2-0 in the playoffs last year and looks to build off of a strong second half. Also returning to round out the impressive staff is Nick Picataggio, who last year pitched to a 1.50 ERA and 0.72 WHIP in relief for the Bulldogs.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the North Babylon Bulldogs this year. Still, they know that there is plenty of work to be done to move past division foe West Islip. They certainly seem up for the task.