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2004 All-Long Island Baseball

BY GREGG SARRA | STAFF WRITER

rom left: Nassau Coach of the Year Andy Morris (Oceanside), Brett Moyer (Mattituck), Billy Melillo (North Shore), Mike Miele (Carle Place), Brian Powers (Clarke), Brian Johnson (East Islip), Brian Witkowski (Lindenhurst), Nick Luisi (Holy Trinity), Ryan Boelsen (Garden City), Jeffrey Coyle (Upper Room), Jason Appel (Plainview JFK), Rico Eaderesto (Center Moriches), Ken Grassano (Valley Stream South), Brian Benvenuto (Half Hollow Hills West), Ryan James (Shoreham-Wading River), Suffolk Coach of the Year Carmine Argenziano (Deer Park). (Photo by Joseph D. Sullivan)

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The All-Long Island Baseball Team and coaches of the year were selected after polling coaches and Newsday staff members.

JASON APPEL
Plainview JFK, Outfield, Senior
Appel, a fleet-footed outfielder, was targeted as a high-round draft choice by major league scouts who followed him all season. He was the Nassau Conference AA-I most valuable player. The 6-1, 170-pound left-handed hitting Appel has outstanding speed and power to all fields. He batted .441 with 30 hits, 31 runs scored and seven home runs. "He's a natural in the outfield," Plainview JFK coach Mark Colleluori said. "He's got excellent range and a strong arm. I haven't seen anyone better in all my years of playing and coaching."

BRIAN BENVENUTO
Half Hollow Hills West, Shortstop, Senior
There are few players that can say they led their high school teams to the championship game in two different classifications. Benvenuto is one of them. He led Hills West to the state Class A title as a junior and led the Colts' charge into the Suffolk Class AA final this year. He is a two-time All-Suffolk selection. He was a two-time Suffolk League IV MVP and batted .357 over four years. He also had a pitching record of 14-5. He will attend St. John's University in the fall. "He's been a coachable kid who carries himself like a true champion," Hills West coach Tom Migliozzi said.

RYAN BOELSEN
Garden City, Catcher, Senior
The rock behind the Garden City machine was Boelsen. He was the Trojans' leader in every sense of the word. He hit safely in 25 consecutive games this season as the Trojans earned the Nassau Class A championship. "If there was ever a leader it was Ryan," Garden City coach Rich Smith said. "He took charge without anyone telling him to. He was a natural." Boelsen batted .500 with 45 hits, scored 21 runs, hit 4 home runs and had 38 RBI. He only struck out five times in 90 at-bats. And he made one error while throwing out 60 percent of would-be base-stealers. The 6-2, 235-pound backstop is still deciding between Stony Brook and Ithaca for his college career.

JEFFREY COYLE
Upper Room, Pitcher, Senior
Coyle was a three-time IPPSAL Player of the Year award winner. Coyle was a dominant pitcher with a 10-0 record. He had 116 strikeouts in 55 innings with a 0.76 ERA. Opposing teams hit only .163 against the right-handed Coyle. He also batted .520 with 11 doubles, 5 home runs and 30 RBI. "He's the complete package," Upper Room coach Tony Passalacqua said. "He's been a vital part of our program for the past four years and the key to our winning." He will decide between Erskine College in South Carolina and St. John's University.

RICO EADERESTO
Center Moriches, First Base, Senior
Faderesto earned the nickname Mr. Clutch with his timely hitting. Eaderesto earned All-Suffolk after batting .462 with 16 doubles and 3 home runs. "He's the most clutch hitter we've ever had," Center Moriches coach Paul Gibson said. "He picked up every RBI during the year rarely missing an opportunity." Eaderesto was a main cog in the Red Devils' drive toward the Suffolk League VII title and the county Class C crown. He drove in a county-leading 53 RBI, the second most in school history. Sean Braithwaite had 58 RBI in 1998. He will attend Caldwell College on a baseball scholarship.

KEN GRASSANO
Valley Stream South, Second Base, Senior
Grassno earned the Nassau Conference A-V co-MVP after a stellar season. He was a two-time conference MVP. He batted .533 with 40 hits, including 16 for extra bases, 8 home runs, 32 runs scored and 37 RBI. Grassano was a tough out. He struck out six times in 75 at-bats. He also had a 6-2 pitching record with 94 strikeouts in 44.3 innings. His ERA was 2.05. "He's all baseball, all the time," Valley Stream South coach Ken Ward said.

RYAN JAMES
Shoreham-Wading River, Third Base, Senior
He was the toughest out in Suffolk. James stepped to the plate 102 times as a senior and never struck out. He put pressure on opposing defenses all year in Suffolk's League VI. He earned the League VI MVP award and batted. 456. He had 36 hits, 38 runs scored, 16 stolen bases, 2 home runs and 23 RBI. James was also slick in the field. The two-time Gold Glove winner was also a two-time All-County selection. He played for a 17-and-under Team USA in Italy last summer. He accepted a baseball scholarship to attend Binghamton University this fall.

BRIAN JOHNSON
East Islip, Pitcher, Senior
He was one of Suffolk's all-time great pitchers. Johnson won a Long Island-record 36 games over a five-year varsity career. He was a three-time Newsday Hi-Five All-Long Island selection, a four-time All-Suffolk honoree and had a career record of 36-5. He threw three straight shutouts to finish the season, including a no-hitter over non-league opponent Hampton Bays. He lost in the first round of the county tournament for the third time in four years. He was also voted the League III MVP for the third time after leading East Islip to a 12-6 record and shutting out first-place Riverhead twice in the final week of the regular season.

NICK LUISI
Holy Trinity, First Base, Senior
The most dominant player on Long Island this season resided in the Catholic League. He was Luisi. The CHSAA player of the year slammed 10 home runs and had a 5-0 pitching record. He batted .509 with 18 extra-base hits and had 24 RBI for the Titans. Over his three years, Luisi had 90 hits, 28 home runs and 70 RBI. He also had a 21-2 pitching mark over 171 innings and a 0.94 ERA. He will attend St. John's University on a full baseball scholarship.

BILLY MELILLO
North Shore, Pitcher, Junior
He was the co-MVP in Nassau Conference B/C and led North Shore to the Long Island Class B final. He was an All-Nassau selection, who finished with a 10-1 pitching record after beating Carle Place, the state Class C champions, three times. He went 82 innings and struck out 96 while walking only eight. His ERA was 0.89 as the Vikings roared into the Long Island championship game against Bayport-Blue Point and lost 4-1. The 6-5, 230-pound junior also batted .350 with three home runs and 22 RBI.

MIKE MIELE
Carle Place, Third Base, Senior
Miele was the co-MVP in Nassau Conference B/C after batting .514 with 7 home runs and 35 RBI. The four-year All-Nassau selection was one of Long Island's purest hitters. In his career, he hit 36 home runs, had 134 RBI and had a .527 average. He showed power to all fields, especially the right-centerfield gap where he pounded tape-measure home runs. He batted over. 500 three of his four years and slipped to an average of only .487 once. He also played first base and pitched for the Frogs. He will attend New York Tech on a baseball scholarship.

BRETT MOYER
Mattituck, Pitcher, Senior
Size doesn't matter when you can throw the ball through a wall. Moyer was a power pitcher at 5-7 and took down the best the East End had to offer. He earned the Suffolk League VII MVP after leading Mattituck with an 8-0 record. He struck out 83 in 49 innings and held the opposition to a .132 batting average. He threw no-hitters against Southold and Hampton Bays, two Class B playoff teams. He also batted .431 with 23 stolen bases, 38 runs scored and had an on-base percentage of .630. "He's a great kid; a program leader," Mattituck coach Steve DeCaro said. "And he's even helping the eighth-graders in the community and they look up to him." He will attend the University of Tampa.

BRIAN POWERS
Clarke, Pitcher, Senior
Powers became the big-game pitcher in Clarke. The two-time All-Nassau selection posted an 8-0 record with 76 strikeouts in 57.3 innings. He had an ERA of 0.61 and allowed only five earned runs. The three-year starter, who had a 21-4 record, was also the Nassau Conference A-V MVP. He won back-to-back playoff games as a sophomore during Clarke's run to the state title in 2002. He will attend Molloy College in the fall.

BRIAN WITKOWSKI
Lindenhurst, Senior
It all started for Lindenhurst when its leadoff batter, Witkowski, got on base. He stole 26 of 27 bases over two years. He batted .492 and scored 39 runs as a senior and earned the Suffolk League II MVP award. He was the catalyst for an offense that batted over .385 for the season. He had an on-base percentage of .611 with 34 hits, including 15 for extra bases and 18 RBI. He had excellent range in centerfield and led Lindenhurst to the League II title and the top seed in the Class AA tournament.

COACHES OF THE YEAR

CARMINE ARGENZIANO
SUFFOLK COACH OF YEAR
Deer Park (19-8)
Deer Park wasn't even picked to win its league much less a Long Island championship this season. But Argenziano molded a gritty group of experienced players and got them through the rugged Suffolk League IV and into the county tournament. The Falcons earned the League IV title, the 10th in Argenziano's 29 years at the school. Deer Park went on to beat Garden City (26-2) for the Class A Long Island championship and a trip to the state semifinals. It was the third Long Island crown under Argenziano. He also won titles in 1980 and 1997. His career record is 460-181. "We played in a very tough league," Argenziano said. "The pitching was very good and I believe it prepared us for the playoffs."

ANDY MORRIS
NASSAU COACH OF THE YEAR
Oceanside (24-3)
This was an Oceanside team that truly believed it could never lose. The Sailors used a six-run top of the seventh inning to come back and beat Smithtown for the Class AA Long Island championship. It was the second time that Morris, in his 11 years as head coach, has guided the Sailors to the state semifinals having done so in 2000. His teams are 101-27 over the past five years. "We're getting great support throughout our program, from the little league to the middle school," Morris said. "It's been incredible and we keep building on the success."