Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series
by Hunter Javeline
Major Key Alert 🔑
Sean Keys with a BOMB! pic.twitter.com/GXo7Idrcj0
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) February 21, 2026
Ian Schneider enters his fourth season as the head coach at Harborfields High School. The Tornadoes went 6–13 last season but showed improvement while gaining valuable experience in competitive games against strong opponents. Harborfields is looking to make a splash this year with ten seniors having multiple years of experience at the varsity level.
Coach Schneider believes “the team made strides in the right direction but fell short of the ultimate goal.” Harborfields lost six seniors including Joe Deceglie who is currently playing for St. Thomas Aquinas. Deceglie was a huge part of the pitching last year, and he is going to be tough to replace.
Despite losing six seniors, this team is still loaded with upperclassmen. Harborfields has about ten players returning to varsity for this upcoming season. One person who will be a leader on the field and off the field is Chris Palermo. This is a huge reason why Coach Schneider and the Harborfields coaching staff named him the captain of this squad during the offseason.
Just because there is only one captain on this roster doesn’t mean leadership only comes from one player. With a team filled with seniors, many players bring experience and help set expectations and goals for the year. All the leadership will be an important factor as Harborfields looks to flip the script this year.
Coach Schneider is very excited for Palermo to return for his senior year. Coach Schneider said “he’s a natural leader on the field.” Coach Schneider is excited to have Palermo as his athleticism gets him on the field and puts him in spots to succeed. Last year, he led the Tornadoes in home runs.
In the infield, Harborfields has two All-League returners. Gavin Rumore is one of those players. He had a .394 batting average last year. The team is going to rely on him to be a key contributor on both sides of the ball for this upcoming year.
The other All-League player who is returning is Callan Steel. He will be returning as an anchor in the middle infield this season. Steel played strong defense up the middle last year and he ended the year with a .304 average at the plate. Harborfields is excited to have the two All-League returners provide stability in the infield this season.
Despite losing Quinn Johnson-Wemyss and Joe Deceglie from last year’s rotation, Harborfields will look to senior Alex Ruisi to take on a major role on the mound this season. Ruisi showed a lot of flashes during the spring last year and is going to be one of the leaders of the pitching staff. The coaching staff is eager to see what Ruisi will bring to the table this spring.
Behind the dish, senior catcher Jacob Bouvin will be responsible for handling the pitching staff. Bouvin is another one of those players who is reliable and provides stability behind the plate. Coach Schneider said “Jacob Bouvin is a great defensive catcher and will be a big piece in helping the pitchers throughout the season.”
Harborfields competes in a tough League 5 along with Comsewogue, Hauppauge, Eastport-South Manor, Westhampton, East Hampton and Hills West. Schneider describes it as a challenging league filled with talented and well-coached teams. “Every game is going to be tough, and we can’t take any opponent lightly. We must bring our best effort every day,” Schneider said.
The goal for Harborfields is to reach the postseason and make a run. “We want to play our best baseball when it counts,” Schneider said. Having seniors with experience on varsity is a huge positive, but it comes with pressure to perform at high levels.
Harborfields will start their season on March 24th against Westhampton Beach High School at home. The Tornadoes will be looking to start the year strong and set the tone for the season.
