by Tucker Terranova
Jack Durso discusses what worked and how he was able to navigate the St. Anthony’s lineup in Kellenberg’s 1-0 victory. pic.twitter.com/PExboTAb1x
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2025
Kellenberg has established itself as a Long Island pitcher factory, producing top-tier arms like Chris Cappas, Jason Diaz, and Andrew Koshy in recent years.
It’s now time to add Jack Durso to that list.
Durso, a southpaw heading to the University of Miami this fall, hasn’t just carried the torch in 2025, he’s added to the legacy.
“Jack has been watching Kellenberg baseball since he was in sixth grade because his brother, Joe Durso, graduated in 2021,” head coach Pat Miles told Axcess Baseball. “He told me two years ago that he wanted to be on that Mount Rushmore with those guys. Today was a Mount Rushmore game for him.”
From the moment Kellenberg and St. Anthony’s handed in their lineup cards, it was clear the two teams who’ve allowed the least runs in the NSCHSAA were about to deliver a pitcher’s duel.
Durso, starting for the third-seeded Firebirds, was matched up with West Virginia commit Luke Coats, the ace of the second-seeded Friars. The two, friends off the field, lived up to the billing going toe-to-toe and trading zeros all afternoon.
“We’ve been talking about matching up against each other all the time,” said Durso. “He’s a great pitcher and he pitched a great game today as well.”
In a game decided by the slimmest of margins, one run was all Kellenberg needed. Durso outdueled Coats and shut down the defending champions in a 1-0 victory.
“It definitely motivated me, facing off against him,” Durso said. “All respect for what he was able to do out there.”
After a quiet first from Coats, it briefly looked like the Friars might have an answer for Durso. Anthony Carlo led off the bottom of the inning with a triple, putting immediate pressure on the Miami-bound lefty. But Durso responded like an ace, calmly retiring the next three batters in order to escape unscathed.
Kellenberg made their move in the third, capitalizing on a rare shaky inning from Coats. Andrew Noe worked a leadoff walk, advanced to second on the first of three wild pitches in the frame, and moved to third on a flyout. That’s when Lucas Vamvaketis stepped up, lacing an RBI single back up the middle to give the Firebirds a 1-0 advantage, a lead they would never surrender.
Durso faced his biggest test in the fourth with runners on second and third and no outs. But once again, he stayed composed. A fielder’s choice erased a runner at the plate, followed by a strikeout and a popout to end the inning. Jam escaped, momentum secured.
Final | Kellenberg 1, St. Anthony’s 0
Jack Durso pitches a masterpiece as the Firebirds clinch a matchup with the Chaminade Flyers. pic.twitter.com/Df2GxNGMhc
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2025
“I just told myself this is supposed to be fun, and it’s just a game,” said Durso. “Yeah, I had no outs, but I knew Coach Foder was going to call the right pitches and my defense was behind me.”
From there, Durso never looked back, allowing just one baserunner the rest of the way. He finished with a complete-game shutout, surrendering four hits and striking out nine over 104 pitches. Coats, who also went the distance, allowed one run on five hits with three strikeouts.
“I was just trying to throw strikes and pound the zone,” Durso said. “They’re an aggressive team, so I was just trying to attack.”
St. Anthony’s will face St. John the Baptist in an elimination game tomorrow, while Kellenberg takes on its Marianist counterpart Chaminade with a championship series berth on the line.
