Long Island pitchers thriving early in college baseball season
Dominick Carbone of Rocky Point pitches for Coastal Carolina against UNC Wilmington. Credit: Jake Ewe
Long Island has always been a pitching rich area. Some have been drafted out of high school and opted to immediately started professional careers. Others have moved on to college and chose the path of education first and the hope of getting the call to a major league organization.
Here’s a look at a few pitchers performing at a high level early in the 2024 collegiate season.
Freshman Dominick Carbone (Rocky Point) is having an immediate impact for No. 18 Coastal Carolina. The lefthander has five appearances in the Chanticleers 12-2 start. He is 2-0 with a 2.31 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of work. His rookie campaign started with retiring all nine batters in a three-inning stint in a 7-2 win over UNCW. He struck nine in the game.
He followed that with another strong three inning performance in which he allowed one hit, one walk and struck out three in a 25-2 win over Cincinnati. And in perhaps his finest moment he delivered in a pressure situation in an 8-7 win in 12 innings over Michigan. Carbone came in relief with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the ninth inning of a 7-7 game. He escaped the jam when he induced an inning-ending double play grounder. He went on to pitch three scoreless innings before Coastal Carolina won the game in the bottom of the 12th.
Maryland’s redshirt senior Logan Koester of Merrick (Chaminade) is off to a sweet start for the Terrapins. Signed through the portal, the 6-4, 215-pound righty, has a team-leading 2.25 ERA and a 3-0 record. Koester has 16 innings pitched and opponents are hitting .194 against him. Koester, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019 from Chaminade High School opted to play on scholarship at George Washington University. The Terrapins are 10-4.
Senior David Falco Jr. (Center Moriches) of the country’s top-ranked team at Wake Forest is being relied upon as the Demon Deacons closer. Falco leads Wake Forest with seven appearances and three saves through a 12-2 start. He has 11 strikeouts in seven and a third innings of relief.
David Falco Jr. of Wake Forest Demon Deacons makes a pitch against the Binghamton Bearcats during Game 1 of a doubleheader at David F. Couch Ballpark on March 2 in Winston Salem, N.C. Credit: Getty Images/Isaiah Vazquez
Junior Rafe Schlesinger of Holbrook (Sachem East) is starting at the University of Miami and off to a great start. The 6-3, 200-pound lefty has a 2-0 record with a 2.08 ERA over 17.1 innings. He has 25 strikeouts for the Hurricanes, who are 8-5.
As far as hitters go, two Long Islanders are having a huge impact on the No. 10 Clemson season. The Tigers are off to a solid start at 11-1. Senior shortstop Andrew Ciufo of Medford (Phillips Academy, Mass.) is hitting .357 with two home runs and 12 RBI and started all 12 games. He had a walk-off two-out solo homer to lead Clemson in a 5-4 12-inning win over No. 12 South Carolina.
The home run came after the Gamecocks had retired 12 batters in a row. And with the base empty the 6-0, 200-pound, Ciufo unloaded on a fastball for the game winner to left centerfield, his second homer of the season. The home run marked Clemson’s first walk off home run to beat South Carolina in series history in the 334th all-time meeting.
Clemson teammate Nolan Nawrocki of Rockville Centre (Chaminade), a redshirt freshman is having success for the Tigers. The 6-1, 200-pound infielder is hitting .378 with three home runs and 13 RBI.
