The Commack Wiffleball League: Long Island's newest hotbed for baseball-hungry high schoolers

Luke Ferraro, 16, like many high schoolers on Long Island, didn’t have the easiest time making friends growing up. A lifelong baseball fan and player, he’d always had the idea of starting a league of his own as a way to cultivate a community of fellow baseball fans. In the spring of 2025, his dream became a reality.

The then-freshman at Chaminade High School started the Commack Wiffleball League with around 15-20 of his friends from school, forming four teams. They mostly played their games in the front yard of the Ferraro family’s East Northport home.

“The idea [of a Wiffle ball league] dates way back,” Ferraro said. “I first had this idea in fifth or sixth grade. Being able to see YouTube channels like Major League Wiffle Ball — that gave me the passion to start this, not only so I could be like those people, but also just to spend more time with my friends, have something to talk about, something to bond over.”

His mom, Anne Ferraro, has been more than supportive of her oldest son in his Wiffle ball pursuits.

“I was so excited,” she said when she was told he was starting the league. “He’s had a lot of issues growing up, he’s always had social issues in making friends. I was so happy to see him wanting to reach out and gain friendships and start something.”

Anne Ferraro is more than used to the chaos being the mother of three boys.

“It’s craziness,” she added with a laugh. “Jumping, running, throwing balls everywhere, broken windows, it’s interesting.”

Luke Ferraro has put his all into expanding and improving the league since founding it about 15 months ago. Now entering its fourth season, the league has nearly doubled its membership to seven teams. Implemented last season, the teams, including Ferraro's Eastern Empire squad, have custom jerseys they designed and printed.

“They have really put so much emphasis on what they’re doing,” Anne Ferraro said. “They design shirts, they have multiple teams, they have GameChanger (a stat-tracking app), drafts, they have award ceremonies. They have built this entire league into something that is so amazing to see.”

“A lot of this stuff is funded by my parents, I’m really thankful for them,” Luke Ferraro said. “They are a huge reason why this is happening. They let me go out there and let me host this, let me invite my friends over.”

The league also has its own YouTube, TikTok and Instagram pages where score updates, game highlights, awards and more can be found.

In an age where so many kids prefer to stay inside and stare at a screen, Ferraro is fostering an environment for himself and his friends where they can make connections and build friendships face-to-face, he said.

“It means so much to me to be able to do that,” he said. “During COVID, everyone was forced inside, and I think being forced inside like that led to people appreciating being outside so much. I feel like if I wasn’t able to do things like this, to have these shared experiences with my friends, I think my life would be a lot different.”

“You see so many kids just on their phones constantly,” Anne Ferraro said. “It’s so beautiful to see they’re really socializing and being outside like they should — building relationships.”

Luke Ferraro and his Wiffle ball league aren’t stopping anytime soon. They’re already planning further expansion.

“Every single season we’ve had more people and more talent join the league,” he said. “Logically, it would make sense to go up to eight teams and adjust from there.”

“This league, put most simply," he said, "is a way for me and my friends to get together and do something together."