Nassau baseball: MacArthur, Island Trees rising

There's no need to look further than last year's playoffs to find the two most tightly contested races in Nassau.

While Class AA and A champs Massapequa and Clarke continue to demonstrate their long-established ability to reload year after year, the superlative individual talents at MacArthur and Island Trees may just be enough to upend the baseball giants.

CLASS AA

There's heavy buzz around MacArthur (19-4-2), which returns All-State pitcher Frankie Vanderka and shortstop Nick McQuail. The Generals are looking to regroup after a disappointing postseason; a favored MacArthur came into the playoffs as the first seed but fell to fourth-seeded Carey in the semifinals.

MacArthur boasts a deep rotation, led by Vanderka, who clocks in the mid-to-upper 80s and can throw four pitches for strikes. Vanderka, McQuail (.500 OPB), and Mike Scro (.410) are a potent combination.

Despite this, Massapequa (22-8) remains the favorite. The Chiefs have strong pitching, led by All-State righty Joe Lipari, but will need veterans like all-league first basemen Rob Veltre to set the tone.

Carey ascended to the big show after dominating AA-II in 2009 and defeating No. 1 MacArthur in the semifinals. With the likes of John Daddino, the staff ace who notched a no-hitter against Mepham, and Kyle DeMeo (17 RBIs, 14 stolen bases), the Seahawks will be competitive.

CLASS A

Island Trees (20-6-2) is led by strong pitching and Diamond Award-winner Bryan Verbitsky. He is a heavy-hitting outfielder with a professional-grade slider. Verbitsky, Brandon Garcia (0.82 WHIP) and Dan Bartlett (5-0, 1.17 ERA) comprise a three-ace rotation.

It may take more than that to unsettle Clarke's winning tradition. The Class A state finalist was 25-4 and is led by Connor McCarthy (4-1, 2.21 ERA) and Ryan Sloane (.337, 17 RBIs, 10 stolen bases).

The big name in AA-II is Matt Demitroff. The Manhasset pitcher and shortstop hit .471 and has more than 100 career hits and stolen bases. He and rightfielder Tom Heenen make Manhasset a top contender. The Indians will be challenged by Seaford and North Shore.South Side also returns a loaded lineup.

CLASS B & C