Suffolk baseball preview
John Dondero of the East Islip baseball team. Credit: Handout
There is something to be said for the patience of East Islip baseball coach Sal J. Ciampi. His program had been decimated by austerity and the loss of players who elected to transfer to private schools.
With no middle school sports and the community helping to fund the program, Ciampi elected to invest two years of varsity baseball to develop his younger players.
He will reap the benefits of that vision this season. East Islip will be the team to beat in Suffolk League III and a contender for the Suffolk Class AA crown.
Buoyed by an experienced lineup led by standout centerfielder/pitcher John Dondero and outfielder Billy Rombauts, the Redmen are ready to make another run at a championship.
"We didn't just drop off the face of the earth," Ciampi said. "We had talented players leave our district and no middle school sports. We've been a young team for so long and we've taken our lumps."
Now it's payback time. The battle-tested Redmen last won a county title in 2006. With Dondero joined on the hill by junior Ken Rotunno and super sophomore Dave Palmer, the Redmen are for real.
"We lost seven games in the final at-bat last year," Ciampi said. "The growing pains are over."
Just a little farther east on the South Shore is another program loaded with talent at Patchogue-Medford. The Raiders are in search of the school's first county title since 1972. Preseason All-American Matt Vogel leads the deepest pitching staff on Long Island. Slick lefty sophomore P.J. Martino and senior Dan D'Onofrio give Patchogue a solid rotation. The League I champions are bolstered by the return of catcher Tom Palmese, the team's leading hitter who was injured in his junior season.
West Babylon, which won its first league title in 12 years, brings back a deep squad in hopes of recapturing last season's success. The Eagles have a neat double-play combination in shortstop Jordan Goldman and second baseman Matt Ballone. West Islip has a senior 1-2 punch on the mound with Christian Stancavage and Chris Anderson. Sophomore outfielder Sam Ilario is a dynamite hitter who had a .423 average and 20 RBIs as a freshman. Eastport-South Manor also has emerged as a Class AA contender. The return of 6-7, 225-pound senior first baseman Dalton McCarthy, who missed all of last season, is a boost to a lineup that already includes sophomore blue-chipper Mat Annunziata and his brother Anthony, a senior second baseman who hit .430 with 23 RBIs. The Sharks are deep with senior pitchers Billy Goncalves and Logan Frati.
In Class A, Shoreham-Wading River is the team to beat behind All-Long Island pitcher/outfielder Michael O'Reilly. Mount Sinai will contend for the League VII crown.
In Class B, Center Moriches is the favorite and boasts a 1-2 pitching punch with two sophomore righthanders in Patrick Bryant and Mike Columbi. Babylon and 6-8 senior righty Max Watt, who had 69 strikeouts in 57 innings, will have a say in League VIII.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
Out East with Doug Geed: Wine harvests, a fish market, baked treats and poinsettias NewsdayTV's Doug Geed visits two wineries and a fish market, and then it's time for holiday cheer, with a visit to a bakery and poinsettia greenhouses.
