It’s been four years since Michael Dolce recorded a 2.1 inning save over Old Westbury to clinch the seventh consecutive Skyline Conference for the Farmingdale State Rams.
Since then, the conference championship has eluded them, despite playing in the championship game in 2015 and ’16.
The 2018 team opens up on Sunday, as they host New Rochelle in a DH and they are ready to roll.
Their leading hitter from last year, OF Vinny Rice (.413/.488/.541) cited the team’s camaraderie as a reason for their optimism entering the new season.
“I love this group,” he said. “We are close-knit group, close-knit bunch of guys. We have a lot of good ball players too–a lot of guys that are going to fly under-the-radar.”
Speaking on their roster composition, he feels the overall level of talent is there as well.
“We have a lot of pop this year, last year we were a little small. We have a lot of bigger guys–seems like more men than kids so that’s good. We also have some speed. I think we are a real complete team,” he added.
In addition to Rice, Head Coach Keith Osik, is high on a number of players. He stated that his lineup is “beefier than in recent years.”
Suffolk CC-transfer Shawn Blasberg was named to the 2017 Axcess Baseball All-Long Island team thanks to a .355 AVG, 34 RBI and .399 OBP. He will most likely be starting at SS.
They had a couple of noteworthy transfers, such as Ernie Geraci from Coker College, who will man the first base position. His predecessor, Dalton McCarthy, had a great career for the Rams and he participated in our Battle of the Border game last May.
Joe Roche will likely be their leadoff hitter. The junior batted .333 last year with a robust .439 OBP. Osik noted that it’s been a while since they’ve had a leadoff hitter of his caliber.
He also cited freshman 3B Jake Jacobs as a player that’s performed well to this point. He was a key cog in Commack winning their first County Championship since 1997.
Sophomore infielder Tyler Schimpf, who batted .352 last year over 54 at bats, will be another key offensive piece.
A big hit for the offense was losing Nick Attardi to ACL surgery last month.
“It’s going to be hard to be without Nick, we love him, he’s a leader” said Rice. “But we always have the motto ‘next guy up’ so someone is going to have to step up and I truly believe someone will step up,” he added.
The pitching staff is deep despite the loss of Matt Seelinger to the MLB Draft last season. He had one of the most decorated careers in program history and was a two-time Axcess Baseball All-Long Island pitcher. Last season, he compiled a 1.39 ERA over 51.2 IP. He had the highest strikeout rate in the history of the program, breaking a record previously held by myself.
Osik noted that the team has 15 pitchers and he’s confident that the players will emerge into their roles after the Florida trip, as is usually the case.
Their expected opening day starter is senior LHP David Otero. He was dominant last season, compiling an ERA of 1.16 over 31.0 IP and a K/BB rate of 35/5.
Joining him in the rotation is Kentucky-native Logan Hicks. The 6’2″ 190 lb RHP is a transfer from the University of Cumberlands, a private school in Kentucky. In high school, he was third-team All-State and named Pitcher of the Year.
Osik has been pleased with the performance of Nassau CC-transfer Tommy DiGiorgi. The Hills West grad has been clocked in the low 90s in the past and could be a real difference-maker for them.
Junior Matthew Constantine, sophomore LHP Joe Marino, junior Ryan Mallon and freshman Brendan Haas are all pitchers capable of contributing this season as well. Haas was a crucial member of Wantagh’s back-to-back Long Island Championship and has proven himself capable of pitching in critical spots.
Rice is confident in his teammates entering Sunday’s season opener.
“I think we can shock a lot of people.”
