Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Anthony DiCocco
Bottom 3: AJ Vurchio rips a 2-out, 2-run double to extend Sachem East’s lead to 5-0 pic.twitter.com/AxM1n0Isjf
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2025
Under the watchful eye of head coach Kevin Schnupp, Sachem East will hope to take the next step in 2026 after a strong finish to last season.
In 2025, Sachem East got off to a tough start before surging back into playoff contention. After beginning the season 2-5 while experiencing some growing pains, the team rattled off 13 straight wins, helping it finish the campaign 17-7.
Sachem East — a squad that featured a large number of underclassmen last season — was ultimately bounced from the postseason, but found some playoff success by securing an 11-4 win over Riverhead in the first round. With a playoff run now under its belt, Schnupp believes his battle-tested group is ready to leap forward.
“We’re excited about this group and their work ethic,” Schnupp said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “We try not to get too high and just work on the daily grind and try to get better everyday.”
Coming into this season, Sachem East lost four notable senior contributors. Starting 2B AJ Vurchio is now playing college football at Springfield, while All-League two-way player Joe Rondinella is continuing his baseball career at Suffolk Community College.
C Aaron Brown, who was a big piece of Sachem East’s infield defense, and OF Matt Toia are now attending Tennessee and Binghamton, respectively, where they are focusing on their academics.
Despite graduating some talented players, All-County RHP/1B Jake King will be back to lead Sachem East both on and off the field. Last year, the Iona-commit solidified himself as an ace by going 5-2 with a 2.10 earned run average and 46 strikeouts. Along with his dominance on the bump, King was equally dangerous at the plate, slashing .368 with 15 runs batted in and a .500 on-base percentage.
“We have a very talented, leadership-oriented senior class and Jake’s one of those guys,” Schnupp said. “He’s one of our leaders that has individual and team goals that he wants to reach and expectations are high on both sides of the ball.”
Complementing King on the starting staff are senior pitchers Tyler Raynor and Dante Algeri.
Five Star National Gold is going with Tyler Raynor (Sachem East 2026) on the bump pic.twitter.com/Rqt4PO8vAI
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 6, 2025
Raynor posted a 3.60 ERA with 10 strikeouts over 12 innings, while Algeri went 4-0 and pitched to a 2.66 ERA with 27 punchouts across 44 frames.
Senior 1B/OF Ryan Lane will be a fixture in the middle of Sachem East’s order. Lane is set to play Division-III football at Cortland next year, but for now, he will look to build upon an All-League campaign during which he batted .270 while posting a .382 OBP, two triples, a home run and 18 RBIs.
“[Lane]’s a football-first guy that just has that intensity level and he’s looking to win,” Lane said. “He’s a guy that can play multiple positions for us and he’s been awesome to have.”
Another All-League infielder in Chris Ragona will reprise his role as Sachem East’s starting shortstop while also coming out of the bullpen. Last spring, Ragona — a St. Joseph’s Long Island commit — produced a .275 batting average, .400 OBP and 14 stolen bases. He was a strong defender as well, committing four errors in 90 chances. Across 13 innings, Ragona pitched to a 2.10 ERA and picked up three saves.
Christopher Ragona (Sachem East 2026) had the fastest throw during outfield drills at 85 MPH pic.twitter.com/AAkIJhdbph
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 18, 2025
“[Ragona] can play any position on the field,” Schnupp said. “He’s kind of a throwback player.”
Junior pitcher Nick Meyer, who twirled 18 innings last year and recorded a 1.18 ERA with eight strikeouts, will also come on in relief. Fellow juniors Parker Romanowski and Johnny Mulqueen will round out the pen.
Sachem East’s final All-League returner is junior Ryan Margolis. As a sophomore, Margolis started every game in center field last spring and excelled in the leadoff spot. He is a speed threat and table-setter, as he swiped 17 bags and scored 23 times, and he found himself on base often, batting .395 with a .462 OBP.
“[Margolis] is one of the top defensive outfielders and he came on strong offensively at the top of our lineup,” Schnupp said. “He’s a quiet leader and competitor; he just comes to work every single day. He wants to play college baseball somewhere and there’s been interest.”
Like Margolis, 3B Frank Greco broke into the lineup as a sophomore last year and is expected to be a staple at the hot corner for his junior season. Junior infielder James Damiano will also push for playing time.
Schnupp mentioned senior utility player/P Matt Haggerty as a player he is “excited about,” citing his “offseason improvement.” Junior Xavier Gomez, who transferred in from McClancy Memorial, can play all around the diamond and will be another player to keep an eye on.
“Gomez can play multiple positions, he could throw and he’s just been a great kid to add to the mix,” Schnupp said. “We were very excited to get him and he’s definitely going to help us out this year.”
Seniors Nick and Rich Mannino are expected to see time in the outfield, with Romanowski and C/OF TJ Kuchcicki also vying for a spot there as well. Junior Will Zuckowski will provide depth behind Lane and King at first base.
Top 1: William Zukowski (Sachem East 2027) gives 5 Star an early lead with a two run double to right field.
5 Star 2, B1 Ghost RF 0 pic.twitter.com/qhknirBAyK
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 22, 2025
Senior C Bryan Orticelli will replace Brown as the starter behind the plate and provide leadership.
“[Orticelli]’s been a guy that’s just a hard worker throughout his time with the program,” Schnupp said. “He’s one of our leaders. He sat behind Brown last year, did the right thing and … he’s really taking the bull by the horns.”
In addition to improving upon their on-field success, Schnupp and his players have another shared goal heading into the season: Maintaining a strong culture.
“We want to keep that culture about how we go about our business,” Schnupp said. “Our kids work very hard and winning comes from the way we prepare. It’s Sachem and the kids are born into it.”
To kick off its season, Sachem East will take on Commack in a three-game set starting on April 6.
