It was another fun year for us at Axcess Baseball, but with fun comes responsibility. What began as a hobby is now a duty to report objectively on Long Island baseball, have an active presence at all conference playoff games at the college level, high school playoff coverage, at all the important showcases while also being up-to-the-minute on college commitments. It’s not a complaint, it’s a thank you for the continued interest. Although we got away from hosting the Awards Banquet, All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, we did host two showcases and coverage a bevy of others.
The numbers are in and we generated 16.9 million social media impressions–a huge number for any local niche website. Here’s a quick rundown on what we did in 2019.
January:
- We kicked the calendar off with coverage of the annual Power Showcase in Miami. Kellenberg right-handed hitter C.J. Picone raised over $5,000 for charity and put on an absolute clinic, coming in second place in his age bracket.
- We hosted a college showcase in Massapequa. We were fortunate to have 70 players show up in front of 22 colleges. A number of players are now on college rosters and three players wound up committing to Division-I programs. We have one coming up on January 20 at MaX Effort Baseball in Farmingdale and you can register by clicking here.
February:
- Daily season previews of Long Island high school teams
- Weekend Recaps of College Baseball each Saturday and Sunday.
March:
- We kicked the month off with a preseason All-Long Island photo shoot in which the 85 best players on the island showed up at Pro Game in Bay Shore.
- Partnered with Baseball Lifestyle 101 on postgame interviews; giving each player of the game an official BS101 hat.
April:
- Covered East Coast Youth Baseball Spring League
- Daily coverage of high school and college games.
May:
- Wall-to-wall coverage of postseason games of all kinds; Nassau, Suffolk, Catholic league, Division-I, Division-II and Division-III.
- Coverage of East Coast Youth Memorial Day Tournament.
- Coverage of East Coast Youth Summer League
June:
- The now-famous dogpile heard ’round the world went viral thanks to Barstool Sports posting it. It has garnered several millions views on social media platforms, easily the most viewed video Axcess Baseball has ever posted.
- Coverage of the NYS Tournament in Binghamton, NY including Center Moriches’ victory to finish off their 26-0 season.
- Coverage of Boys of Summer league.
July:
- All-Decade team announced
- Axcess Awards announced for Man of the Year, Player of the Year, College & High School Pitcher of the Year and Coach of the Year
- Coverage of Brian Moore Memorial Tournament
- Six weeks of coverage of the New York Baseball Academy
- Broke news of Rage Schlesinger committing to Miami.
August:
- We hosted a college showcase at Ducks Stadium in which 78 players participated in front of 20 colleges. Several players received college offers.
- Broke news of Brian Morrell transferring to St. John’s University
- Broke news of Tommy Ventimiglia committing to Stony Brook.
September:
- Broke the news of Anthony Kay getting promoted to the Major Leagues by the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Began Fall Ball Series Powered by East Coast Strength & Conditioning
- Coverage of East Coast Youth Labor Day Tournament.
October:
- Coverage of East Coast Youth Columbus Day tournament.
- Reports of college commitments through out the month.
November:
- Nick Grande announces on the Axcess Baseball podcast that he is stepping away from the game of baseball. Grande, who was an All-American SS at Stony Brook and Axcess Baseball’s Player of the Year in 2018 has decided to go back to school and pursue a career in law.
- Broke the news of Center Moriches HC Dennis Donovan stepping down after back-to-back New York State Championships.
- Coverage of Brian Cashman’s appearance at Adephi’s fall cocktail event.
- Began ‘Up Next’ Series Powered by The Yard Sports Academy
December:
- Broke the news of the Brooklyn/Queens Catholic schools merging with the NSCHSAA which will go into effect this season.