One of the great predictors of future success at the high school level is the amount of winning that a young group has accomplished.
Most of North Babylon‘s young nucleus of players played together not just during the school season, but also during the past three summers for the PAL Blue Knights. This past summer, they won the Boys of Summer 16U American Division with almost exclusively their varsity team. That is very unusual in this day of elite organizations.
Head Coach Steve Corrado is very optimistic about his 2018 team.
“I was pleased with the progress of the team, they really got better as the season went on,” said Corrado. “We lost four one-run games and two two-run games–I expect that to improve this year,” he added.
Additionally, the team graduated only two players–albeit it their ace (Pat Solomita) and leadoff hitter (Joe Barbuto).
They will be relying on a young core that already has a year of competitive varsity ball under their belt. Six of their eight position players are returning from last year which typically leads to an uptick in wins.
Leading the charge is junior Brian Primm. He was a force as a two-way player in 2017. He batted .403 with one HR, 15 RBI and a .493 OBP. On the mound, he was lights-out in his final five starts of the year. Over 33.1 IP, he compiled a 2.10 ERA with a 0.99 WHIP and allowed only 24 hits while striking out 29 batters.
“He’s a tall, athletic kid that is still growing into his body,” said Corrado. “He started the year towards the bottom of our order but by the end of the season he was our three-hitter. He’s an above-average first baseman and line drive gap-to-gap hitter with a short, compact swing. Power will develop in time,” he added.
Another impact bat is Nick Burke, whom Corrado described as a “real throwback player.” He played every position except right field last year and he batted .378 in the second half of the season. Like Primm, he is also a key cog in the rotation. He compiled an ERA of 1.83 over his last four starts last season, which consisted of 23 IP and 20 strikeouts while yielding only 14 hits.
Possibly rounding out the rotation is LHP Anthony Palumbo. He “showed glimpses of the player he could be” according to Corrado. One example of that is his outing against co-league champ Bellport last season. He held the hitless through six innings but hit the pitch limit. Corrado noted he has a fastball touching the low 80s with a 12-6 curve
Senior P.J. Tchinnis will be counted on to galvanize the team and be a catalyst at the top of the order after compiling a terrific .430 OBP last year.
“He has plus-speed and he’s a team leader,” said Corrado. “He really gets the team going and he’s a high-energy guy.”
Zach Kolano will make the switch to catcher from the middle infield. He is a senior and has experience behind the plate. Evan Christopher will move from second base to shortstop with the graduation of Barbuto.. Corrado noted that shortstop is his natural position anyway. He will also contribute on the mound, he was 2-0 last season with an ERA in the mid 3’s as a relief pitcher but could get some starts.
Corrado spoke highly of sophomore outfielder Ross Tallarico, who is the starting QB of the football team and just led North Babylon to the Long Island championship game against powerhouse Garden City.
“He is the fastest kid–and one of the most athletic kids–on the team,” said Corrado. He batted .290 as a freshman last season and made a spectacular running catch at Ducks Stadium last year against West Islip in a game I attended.
All told, Tchinnis, Kolano, Primm and Burke played all of last year on varsity, while Christopher and Tallarico played the last 10 games. The nucleus of the team is in tact and hungry to compete in a revamped league that will feature plenty of firepower.
Newfield drops down from League III with the top pitching staff in the county, West Islip is one of the top programs on Long Island, Centereach had a record of 19-1 at the JV level last year and Copiague has the top pitcher on the island in LHP Franklin Parra.
Despite that, Corrado is confident in his group.
“We expect to be a playoff team.”
