Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Vin Messana
For the first time since 2019, Sayville has won the Class A Long Island Championship!
FINAL: Sayville 1 – Wantagh 0 pic.twitter.com/vwbRbYnZap
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 5, 2025
Playing in the gauntlet of League 6 proved to be a blessing for the Sayville Golden Flashes who built up callouses during the regular season that benefitted them during the rigors of postseason baseball.
Sayville finished the regular season as co-champs (11-7) along with Kings Park, but played their best when it mattered – in late May and early June. They defeated Bayport-Blue Point in the County Championship and advanced to defeat Wantagh, 1-0, in the Class A Long Island Championship. They finally had their run end in the NYS Semifinals to reigning state champion Maine-Endwell, 2-0, at Mirabito Stadium in Binghamton, NY.
“They were a special group of players that learned to come together as a team,” said head coach Joe Esposito. “When that happens, special seasons happen. Last year happened to end up as one of them. A team I will never forget,” he added. It was their first County Championship and Long Island Championship since the legendary no-hitter by Brock Murtha against Clarke. He was in the news this week, as he tries to continue his collegiate career for one more year before becoming a Marine Corps officer in May.
Brock Murtha’s no-hitter sends Sayville to the N.Y. state championship for the first time in program history! pic.twitter.com/HOYA7iindr
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 9, 2019
The 2025 team had a remarkable mix of veteran leadership and talented underclassmen. The leadership was not limited to one or two players.
“Tyler Brown, Andrew Law, Kyle Messina and Chris Spatenga took last year’s team under their wing and just had that ‘refuse to lose’ attitude. Brought them all up as 10th graders and they did not disappoint,” said Esposito. Brown is currently playing at Utica, Spatenga is pitching at Molloy, Law is playing club ball at Boston College and Messina is playing football at Colgate.
On the other end of the spectrum, they had a couple freshmen that are exceptionally talented and mature beyond their years. Both were featured as part of our ‘Up Next’ series and both are likely to be Division-I players.
Aidan Devane (Sayville 2028) can blow it by hitters with his fastball which peaked at 88.5 MPH today, a new PR. Changes speeds with a low-70s sweeper that moves well. This sophomore has lots of potential. pic.twitter.com/ptPDk0zLgE
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 4, 2026
“I am lucky to have a group of players in which baseball is their thing. They all dedicated a lot of time to prepare and work at their craft. Aidan Devane is a top prospect in NY for the 2028 class. He batted leadoff as a freshman every single game with a .315 batting average and played third base and was the best I’ve had at the hot corner. He will be our SS this upcoming season and may step on the mound a bit as well. Nate Lewis is another very big bodied 2028 grad, that has a ton of potential on the mound and at the plate. He struggled a little bit last year as a freshman on varsity but has put in the work and dedicated the time to improve his craft and I expect Nate to have a strong season this year.”
Nate Lewis (Sayville 2028) got his fastball up to 83.7 MPH Tuesday. He mixes in a changeup and curveball with solid break that can buckle hitters, as seen in this video from live ABs Tuesday night. pic.twitter.com/f4WdDE9y2i
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 4, 2026
Arguably their most important player this year is catcher and Stony Brook-commit Shane Meehan. He was a critical piece of last year’s team as he batted .325 with 4 HRs and 18 RBIs and he will be the heart-and-soul of this year’s team. Coach Esposito stated that “he is one of the best, if not the very best, defensive catchers on Long Island. He is a lead-by-example player.”
They will especially be the strong up the middle with Brody Tellier as Devane’s double play partner. The St. Joseph’s-commit is a three-year varsity player and coach referred to him as a “very dedicated player that puts his time in the weight room as well as hitting.” He was a key part of last season’s team as he recorded 17 RBIs and Esposito said “he was a very clutch hitter and I expect a strong season from him.”
Bottom 2: Patrick Coan delivers a 2-out, 2 RBI single to center to give Sayville a 2-0 lead pic.twitter.com/zQSlQqMMeV
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 31, 2025
In CF, they have the utmost confidence in Patrick Coan. Esposito stated that he is “phenomenal defensively and showed what he could do in last year’s County Final vs Bayport out there.” His bat improved as the season went on, finishing around .270.
“He has that ‘refuse to lose’ attitude that he brings over from the football field and it only helps to build other guys up and feel confidence. I hope that he can get out to a good start and have a great season.”
1B/LHP Max Person will step into a larger role this season. Coach Esposito said, “We are hoping he can full the shoes of Andrew Law at first base and become a force in the lineup. He is a smart and dedicated player and will do whatever the team asks.” That role was initially slated to go to Alex LaBella, but he tore his ACL in the Long Island Championship football game which “opened the door for Person.”
They have junior C/OF Jack Lankowicz who was primarily a DH last season. He will “most likely be in the OF but can pick up catching duties behind Meehan whenever needed.”
The pitching staff will see significant turnover as a result of their veteran staff last season. Two pitchers that are expected to have a big impact are Joseph Strining and Grady Valenti.
Strining wound up picking up the win in the Long Island Championship when he came in relief of Law in the first inning.
“Joe is a true pitcher that can mix up speeds and keep hitters off balance. I’m excited for him this season.”
Valenti will also have a big role. “He was a reliever last year but shows a lot of intensity on the mound and is a complete gamer. He has put in the work this offseason and I expect a successful season from him.”
The team has been putting in the work all offseason at Center Island Sports and coach added that all the players have been strength training on their own since the end of the season.
They will open up against Kings Park on Friday, March 27 at home. That should be an excellent matchup as they’ll see one ofc Kings Parks’ Division-I aces.
