Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Max Edelman
Fresh off a 12-8-1 regular season that ended with a quarterfinal loss, head coach Tom Morritt is back for his eighth season with the Syosset baseball team. Despite the early playoff exit, Morritt still looked back fondly on a winning season with his young team.
“We still had a young team.” Morritt said. “We had a lot of juniors getting a lot of playing time with two seniors who went on to play college ball in Tommy Martelli who’s playing at Scranton and Ethan Ramirez who’s at Emory. Some young guys had some innings under their belt, we’re playing in the toughest league in the county and still made the playoffs. We had a tough group and an awesome group of kids. I think we learned a lot and got a really big senior class with a ton of innings under their belt.”
Syosset will rely heavily on that senior class as they head into 2026. At the very top of that list is Dylan Santucci. Santucci, a four year varsity starter, is committed to play at Hofstra University beginning in the fall. Last season, Santucci mashed, hitting .490 with a 1.307 OPS and struck out only three times across a very impressive All-County season.
OF Dylan Santucci (Syosset 2026) commits to Hofstra University. He will be representing Team Long Island in the Leiderman Cup @ShowTime_Select pic.twitter.com/RdgmeDtC4l
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 4, 2025
“For my money he’s the best first baseman in the county.” Morritt said. “He’s got power, he hits for average, he has a tremendous glove. He could play any position for us but he plays first base because that’s where he’s needed. He’s done it for three years and this will be his fourth year doing it.”
Christian Eliane is entering his third season as a starter on Syosset’s varsity team, and he will continue his baseball journey at Illinois Institute of Technology in the fall. Eliane primarily features on the mound and in the outfield. During his 2025 All-League campaign, Eliane hit .321 with a .880 OPS. On the mound, Eliane went 3-0 with a 1.93 ERA.
Christian Eliane (Syosset 2026) pic.twitter.com/uZyoV3VJLq
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 20, 2025
“He’s a stud everywhere he plays.” Morritt said. “He’s an old school ballplayer. He came up huge on the mound in a playoff game we lost 3-2. He’s somebody that does it all.”
After struggling much of last year, Morritt is excited for the bounce back of pitcher and infielder David Lieberman. In 2024, Lieberman was an All-County pitcher, finishing the season with a 7-0 record as a sophomore. At shortstop, Syosset is looking forward to Ryan Steinberg’s senior season. Steinberg has been a starter at short each of the last three seasons. Last year, Steinberg hit .357 with a .951 OPS.
“He’s a super athlete for us.” Morritt said. “He runs indoor track in the winter, he’s a real speedy kid and an awesome ball player. He’s a three year shortstop for us.”
Next to Steinberg on the left side of the infield is Scranton commit Carter Bullaro. Much like many of the juniors on the team, Bullaro was a starter last year, and is returning for his second season starting at the hot corner in 2026. Also a two-year starter is catcher Matt Mianulli.
With a team consisting of a senior class as large as Syosset’s, experience is plentiful for Morritt’s team. Morritt believes that his squad will use that varsity experience to their advantage in 2026.
“The first thing that comes to mind is their experience.” Morritt said. “They went through that Nassau County AAA schedule last year, they saw Massapequa and Farmingdale. They battled Plainview and Oceanside. We’ve had some awesome games with the other teams in the conference, so their experience has to be their greatest strength. This team was the closest team I’ve ever been a part of, and it was the most fun we’ve ever had. There’s a little bit of a different energy around them. It’s a super tight-knit group, they’re looking for another crack at it.”
The Syosset will open their season on March 27 against Port Washington.
