Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Anthony DiCocco
FINAL: Division 9 – MacArthur 1
Jefferson Biener shines, allowing only one run on four hits. Division moves to 4-3 in league play, and MacArthur drops to 5-2. pic.twitter.com/3puGAAn0rp— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 21, 2025
After failing to complete a Nassau County Championship three-peat last season, the Division Blue Dragons will seek to return to the Promised Land in 2026.
Head coach Tom Tuttle and the Blue Dragons put together another successful campaign a year ago, but it fell short of their usual title-winning expectations. Despite going 17-7, Division narrowly missed out on a trip to the semifinals and had its three-year streak of fielding Diamond Award winners snapped.
Nonetheless, Tuttle was pleased with the resilience and competitiveness his team displayed throughout the year.
“It was a tough loss; we were one strike away from getting to the semifinals,” Tuttle said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “I would have liked to have gotten there since it would have been like our 13th year in a row in the semifinals. But I was happy with how we responded after a tough start.”
Of their main contributors last season, the Blue Dragons graduated All-County SS Isiah Marino (Molloy), as well as LF Matt Hartmann and 2B Colin Connolly, who are both playing at CCNY.
In a change from previous seasons, Tuttle is planning to utilize a method that is usually foreign to Division when handling his position players. With a number of spots to fill, around 10 players will compete for starting roles and essentially all of them will be tasked with moving around the field as utility players.
“We’re going to be a unique Division team this year because we’re going to ask our guys to be more versatile and play multiple positions,” Tuttle said. “We’re going to try to put the best players in the best spots for us to be successful.”
To replace Marino and his .992 on-base plus slugging (OPS), All-Conference third baseman Jack Harrington will slide over to his left to man shortstop. As a sophomore in 2025, Harrington slashed .319 with a .431 on-base percentage (OBP), .793 OPS and 15 runs batted in (RBI).
“We’re going to expect [Harrington] to be more of a vocal leader with a year of experience under his belt,” Tuttle said. “He’s a quiet guy so we’re going to ask him to get out of his shell a little bit. Jack’s got some ability and we want him to get stronger … to take his game to the next level.”
Sophomore Brayden O’Toole will likely begin the season as Harrington’s double-play partner. Behind O’Toole, second baseman Devin Ramirez will push for playing time as well.
Though the middle of the infield is fairly shored up, there will be more of an open competition for the two corner positions on the dirt. Sophomore Jack Yonkman along with seniors Frankie Maiorano and Alex Alicea will battle for those spots.
Yonkman did not see much time on the diamond last season, but raked in summer ball. The slugger posted a 1.501 OPS and .524 average with 12 doubles, six homers, 39 RBIs and 33 runs scored across 36 games. He also did not sell out for power, as he drew 17 walks while striking out just 10 times.
Some swings from this past season pic.twitter.com/zsD0SC1hnt
— Jack Yonkman (@jack_yonkman) December 4, 2025
“I think Jack Yonkman can have a nice year for us offensively,” Tuttle said. “The plus side of his game is his bat; he can hit. If he can get stronger and get his agility better, he’s going to be a good player for us down the road.”
Maiorano has the most experience of the bunch, as he appeared in 14 games last year and batted. 281 with a .439 OBP. Alicea notched a hit and two RBIs in six at-bats.
All-League senior Jason Perez will patrol center field, while left and right will be occupied by whichever infielders can best convert to the outfield grass. In 2025, Perez scored 21 runs and drove in 16 while slashing .329 with a .440 OBP.
Jefferson Biener (Division 2026) with a strikeout for Giac Squad pic.twitter.com/4Md9ztNvPN
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 6, 2025
With a number of moving pieces on the field, Tuttle will look to a talented senior tandem of right-handed pitchers Jefferson Biener and Tyler Scarry to be the foundation for his young squad.
Biener was an All-Conference pitcher last season, pitching to a 5-1 record and team-best 2.25 earned run average (ERA) with 29 strikeouts across 46 ⅔ innings pitched. Tuttle will look for Biener to improve at the plate this season as well, as he may see time at first base when not toeing on the rubber.
Scarry, who is a Queens College commit, twirled 44 innings last year and went 5-2 with a 2.55 ERA and a team-leading 31 punch outs.
Division 5, Carey 2
WP: Tyler Scarry (8 IP, 3 Ks, 1 ER)
Tyler Scarry 2-3 RBI
Isiah Marino 2-3 Homerun
Alex Alicea 2 RBI
Aidan Quinn RBI— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 17, 2025
“I’m really confident in [Biener and Scarry],” Tuttle said. “We’re going to be inexperienced in a lot of positions, but not on the mound. We think those guys can give us a good chance to win every time they take the mound.”
For the No. 3 spot in the rotation, pitchers Brayden Wheeler and Shane Villaume will battle it out. As a sophomore last year, Wheeler ate 31 ⅓ innings with a 4.24 ERA and 11 strikeouts while going 4-3.
Villaume threw 9 ⅔ innings in relief last season and recorded a 0.72 ERA. He also struck out eight batters.
Backed by an impressive group of arms and a crop of moldable position players, Tuttle believes his current group of Blue Dragons has what it takes to uphold the program’s high standard of excellence.
“We have a really good, player-driven culture here,” Tuttle said. “Every grade wants to try to win a championship and that’s always our ultimate goal. We have players that want to be good, they put the time in and work to be the next great Division baseball team. They have a standard that they want to reach … and we won’t accept anything less in order to be successful.”
With its eyes set on reclaiming its Nassau County crown, Division will open its 2026 season at home against Mepham on April 7.
