Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
Prior to the 2022 season, Calhoun head coach Art Canestro recalled one of his senior pitchers, Brian Chin, say to him during a winter workout, “We are winning the LIC this year.”
“I told him, ‘take it easy, ‘let’s just make it to counties,” said Canestro, in an interview with Axcess Baseball.
It proved to be prophetic as the Colts ran roughshod through Nassau County and then shocked Rocky Point in the Class A Long Island Championship.
“They just worked their butts off and took everything serious,” said Canestro. “That’s how it’s going to have to be this year. We are going to focus on fundamentals. A lot of times, they play so much travel ball, play so many games that the practice time is limited. The skills can only improve so much without a focus on fundamentals.”
The Colts are coming off a solid but not spectacular season, as they went 12-7-1 and lost to East Meadow. Coach Canestro noted that they “had a two or three runs lead before muffing a run down” and that’s where things spiraled.
From last year’s team, they graduated a few impact players including All-County RHP Ryan Morash who went 5-1 with a 2.10 ERA over 36 innings. They also graduated Anthony Landolphi.
“He worked hard, he moved up to the 2-hole and he was probably our leading hitter,” said Canestro.
Fortunately, they return plenty of experienced players for the upcoming season.
Manning the shortstop position is senior Tim Lynch. Coach Canestro stated, “he was one of our leading hitters, he batted .380 and he can run. He hits the ball with gap-to-gap power.”
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They return SUNY Polytechnic Institute-commit Luca Facciponti.
“He’s a top of lineup hitter, an excellent outfielder, contact guy and can run,” said Canestro.
Canestro also mentioned middle infielder Brandon Meyers as an impact player. He batted .350 last season.
Behind the dish they return junior Andrew Marino, who started as a sophomore.
Andrew Marino (Calhoun 2027) looking sharp behind the plate, his 1.9 pop time tied teammate Damian Balkcom for best on the day pic.twitter.com/5N8uqZznbk
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 22, 2025
“He grew a lot over the last year. I think he’ll be a breakout player. He batted .320 last year. He’s gotten a lot better with his arm strength.”
Continuing the trend up-the-middle, they have junior centerfielder Nick Maresca. “He can really run it down – he’s very fast,” said Canestro. “He could be one of our best hitters if he puts everything together.”
The pitching rotation should be strong as well. Canestro noted that “we have never been blessed with a 90 MPH guy. We do it the old fashioned way – command the zone with three pitches.”
They return several players with varsity experience. They have a Major League size pitching staff.
“We have 12 pitchers on the team – we will not be running out of arms this year. There’s a lot of possibilities,” said Canestro.
6’2 LHP James Smith is a junior and went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and was named All-League. They will be looking for the big lefty to match or exceed his results this year.
Senior Nick Rogers will be one of their starting pitchers. He went 3-3 with a 2.60 ERA last season. “He’s crafty, he can really mix it up,” said Canestro.
6’1 190 lb Nick Esposito is a junior who will contribute on the mound and at third base. Coach had high praise for him.
Two-way Nick Esposito (Calhoun 2027) is a durable RHP with a fastball that has reached into the upper-80s, which he pairs with an effective slider and curveball. He is a threat at the plate too, generating plenty of pop pic.twitter.com/XBuF3VCiuz
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) February 1, 2026
“He pitched last year, he’s grown since then. He’s physically ready. I think he can dominate.”
Hobart-commit Jack Zagariello and Queens-commit Vinny Barretti are two more returning pitchers that will be impact guys for them.
The Colts will be competing in Nassau Conference AA-I this year along with South Side, New Hyde Park, Long Beach, Elmont and Bellmore JFK. They will open up and jump right into the fire against Bellmore JFK.
“They are probably the front runners,” said Canestro. “It’s gonna be fun.”
