Special thanks Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Anthony DiCocco
East Islip LHP Lucas Patton fires a complete game 2-hit shutout against East Hampton to capture the Suffolk Class AA Championship! 🏆
They will face Garden City in the Long Island Championship on Thursday at Farmingdale State College pic.twitter.com/ch6RRKlVVK
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 31, 2025
After capturing the Class AA Suffolk County Championship a season ago, the East Islip Redmen will look to continue to ride their stellar pitching pipeline to a repeat.
The Redmen were dominant this past season, going 22-3 overall and 16-2 in League 4 play. Backed by a strong pitching staff, East Islip took down East Hampton, 4-0, to secure the Suffolk County crown before running into a buzzsaw in Garden City to fall, 10-5, in the Long Island Championship.
For head coach Sal Ciampi, last year’s team was one of the more special ones that he has helmed.
“We were blessed with a lot of talented kids that had played together for a long time,” Ciampi said in an interview with Axcess Baseball. “It was a pretty magical season that didn’t end well. We just picked a bad day to have our worst day, but it’s one of the better teams I’ve ever had.”
Congratulations to Thomas Costarelli on capturing the Axcess Man of the Year Powered by LI Field House. Costarelli led East Islip to winning the Suffolk Class AA Championship. He went 8-0 with a 0.40 ERA during the regular season and struck out 100 batters over 67 innings for the… pic.twitter.com/cQZyD0YUmH
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) November 9, 2025
Despite featuring a plethora of talent heading into the spring, the Redmen did graduate multiple stars from their 2025 roster. All-Long Island LHP/OF Thomas Costarelli (East Tennessee State) batted .400 with a 1.103 on-base plus slugging last year, while also posting a 0.22 earned run average (ERA) and 92 strikeouts across 63 innings to earn the Paul Gibson Award and Axcess Baseball’s Man of the Year.
RHP Jaden Schmidt, who was the team’s No. 2 starter before suffering an injury last year, is also pitching at the Division-I level for Albany. Ciampi’s son – Alex — is now patrolling the outfield at St. Joseph’s while LHP John Talt is playing both baseball and basketball at Dickinson University.
Finally, OF Dylan Casani plays club baseball for Sacred Heart and East Islip’s starting shortstop last year — Chris LaMacchia — also earned his diploma. As the top three bats in East Islip’s order, Casani, Ciampi and Costarelli all posted on-base percentages over .500 and went a combined 69-for-70 on stolen base attempts.
Even though the Redmen will be entering the new campaign without some heavy hitters, Ciampi is very comfortable with this year’s group, especially on the pitching side.
We are pleased to announce Staten Island-commit Lucas Patton (East Islip 2026) has been named Axcess Baseball’s Preseason Pitcher of the Year. He compiled a record of 7-1 with a 0.39 ERA across 53.1 innings while holding opposing batters to a .130 AVG. He was the winning pitcher… pic.twitter.com/hYBFr76myX
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 22, 2026
“Our juniors last year would start on any other team I’ve had; they were just stuck in a situation where the team was filled with a great group of seniors that were all college baseball level players,” Ciampi said. “They were just waiting their turn. All of our pitchers are going to be breakout kids; they’re going to be good.”
Senior LHP Lucas Patton will be back to lead the rotation. The Staten Island-commit would have been the ace on almost any other team last year, but he had a pair of Division-I arms in front of him. He went 7-1 with a sparkling 0.39 ERA, and when not on the mound, Patton found a home in the outfield. At the plate, he slashed .333 and drove in 18 runs.
“Pitching will be our strength again and it starts with Lucas at the top of the rotation,” Ciampi said. “He’s been outstanding for two years and his playoff starts were as good as you could get. He was a very good offensive player for us as well.”
Wagner commit Michael Tramaglini (East Islip 2026) pic.twitter.com/O1s1PFVqYJ
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 1, 2026
Slotting in as East Islip’s No. 2 starter is senior Mike Tramaglini (Wagner). While filling in for Schmidt a season ago, Tramaglini went 2-0 with a save and pitched to a 1.61 ERA. Tramaglini also mans the hot corner and is a potent performer as the Redmen’s cleanup hitter, batting .327 with 30 runs batted in (RBI).
Senior RHP Tim Coakley (SUNY Plattsburgh) will round out East Islip’s starting rotation. Coakley mostly pitched in relief last year, but Ciampi described the limited innings he appeared in as “excellent.”
Another senior in Chris Rizzo, who is committed to St. Joseph’s, will also eat some innings on the bump. Rizzo mostly took the field as a designated hitter last year while batting .306 with 12 RBIs, but he is set to see a bulk of the playing time at first base this season. He is the youngest of the Rizzo boys who are both pitching at Stony Brook University.
Junior Jayden Espinal — who transferred to East Islip last year — and seniors Dylan Longo and Ian Frey will provide additional pitching depth out of the bullpen.
A number of the team’s starting position player spots are still up for grabs. However, Ciampi expects senior Ryan Moore to post up at second base for East Islip this year.
“[Moore]’s a super smart player,” Ciampi said. “He’s got a high IQ and I would’ve trusted him last year if he had to play; he would’ve done excellent.”
One spot that is already set in stone is behind the dish. Senior Matt Pasfield, who Ciampi called “one of the best defensive catchers in the county,” is prepared to receive the ball from more talented Redmen pitchers this year. As of now, Pasfield is the only other player that is committed to continue his career at the collegiate level, as he will take his talents to Wheaton College in the fall.
With most of the 2026 East Islip team getting the chance to watch and learn from a loaded 2025 squad that conducted itself as true professionals both on and off the field, Ciampi is looking for this current crop of Redmen to show that same level of character and selflessness.
“Talent is talent, but if you don’t have those intangibles, it’s going to be hard to win,” Ciampi said. “As talented as some of last year’s kids were, nobody cared about their stats or who was in the paper; they only cared about the team and winning. After sitting back and looking at them last year, I think this group understands that’s the important thing.”
East Islip will begin its Suffolk County Championship defense and quest to bring home a Long Island Championship on Thursday, March 26, when it hits the road to take on Bellport.
