FEATURES
Mason Miles: East End Success Story
by Trevor Dugan Top 1: East Hampton wasted no time – they hit 2 homers in the first inning (Mason Miles and Victor Eddie Aguero) to take a 3-0 lead as the rain begins to come down pic.twitter.com/DJ5wry59w8 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 23, 2025 This summer, East Hampton infielder Mason Miles committed to Bucknell University to play Division-I Baseball. He is part of a surge in college commitments from East Hampton High School in recent years – they currently have three in college from the 2025 class, they have three college commitments from the 2026 class – with a fourth on the way. They’ve come a long way from their 0-20 season less than a decade ago. Mason has a solid support system in place, both at East Hampton and as a member of Titans Baseball, o...
Tommy Morton Finds Strength in Pursuing Dream of Playing College Baseball
Tommy Morton (North Babylon 2026) gets the start for Dodgers Nation and throws a scoreless first inning pic.twitter.com/YhDwP2IDZT — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 16, 2023 It would certainly be understandable, expected even, to miss a baseball practice when you receive the news that your father passed away unexpectedly on a business trip. Tommy Morton was just 12-years-old at the time when his world was turned upside down. He was the oldest of four children, with the youngest being just a couple months old. Steve Corrado, longtime head varsity baseball coach at North Babylon, was shocked to see Tommy at the little league clinic at the high school the next day. When he saw the young man, Tommy said, “I just want to be here and play baseball.” It’s what his...
Fresh Off Winning Gold Medal, Vanderbilt-Commit Aiden Ruiz Poised for Huge Senior Season
By Salomé Davoudiasl ARE YOU KIDDING AIDEN RUIZ?! 😱 pic.twitter.com/vAlAfKtmx8 — USA Baseball 18U (@USABaseball18U) September 14, 2025 Aiden Ruiz, the 18-year-old shortstop who helped lead Team USA to a gold medal at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan, is finally back home. His family, friends, teammates, and coaches had turned out to honor him at The Stony Brook School’s recreation center, just a few strides across from the baseball diamond where Aiden Ruiz built his reputation. A room with ping-pong tables, vending machines, and video games was blessed by trays of fresh food, steaming and still bubbling from the oven. Parents and coaches bustle around, blowing balloons, colors red, white and blue. Ruby Moreno, mother of one of Ruiz’s teammates, had prepared most of the spread, ...
Jeff Schaefer’s Second Act: Developing the Future of Baseball
by Tucker Terranova Jeff Schaefer is simply a baseball guy. It was a realization that came to the five-year major leaguer after his retirement in 1994, when he hung up his cleats and joined a denim company started by friends. But it didn’t take long for Schaefer to realize where his heart truly lied. Schaefer, who hails from Patchogue, achieved what just an estimated 0.05% of all baseball players have done in making it to the major leagues. He had the opportunity to share a dugout with the likes of Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson and Mark McGwire during his time in the show, but his real calling appears to be finding and developing the next household names. Schaefer is the founder of the Pro Stock Royals, a year-round baseball academy in Charlotte, North Carolina. Alongside former major lea...
Kyle Valasek and Jake Valasek: How One Boy’s Selfless Act Saved His Brother’s Life and Gave Him a New Inning of Baseball
Nice two strike hit from Kyle Valasek (Ward Melville 2028). Top Tier now has the tying run at the plate with nobody out. pic.twitter.com/HLcLyEOITL — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 5, 2025 Hearing that your young child has cancer is a nightmare that no parent wants to go through. However this was the reality that Kyle Valasek and his family faced 11 years ago. Through a heroic sacrifice from his older brother Jake, Kyle is now cancer free and is living a normal life where he has inspires those around him on and off the baseball field. Kyle Valasek is a normal kid. He likes to ride his bike and hang out with friends. He loves sports and, most of all, loves baseball. The rising Ward Melville HS sophomore plays for the Top Tier Aviators and played on his junior varsity team this p...
How Brendan Ott Refused to Let Injury Define His Career
by Tucker Terranova In baseball and in life, everything can change in an instant. Brendan Ott knows that better than most. It was January 18, 2024 – a date he won’t forget. The recent St. Anthony’s graduate had just wrapped up a Thursday afternoon workout and joined some friends for a pickup basketball game. Basketball had always been part of his DNA – a passion that rivaled even his love for the diamond. Then came a move he’d made a thousand times before, but this time, something felt off. Ott heard a crack in his knee. At first, he shrugged it off, thinking it was nothing serious. He tested it, bent it, walked on it. No sharp pain. No swelling yet. He went home thinking he’d be fine. But by that night, the pain worsened. The swelling grew. A long weekend of worry followed. On Monday, he ...
Underdogs No More: How the Narrative of Carle Place Baseball Is Shifting
by Tucker Terranova Carle Place wins Class B Nassau County Championship with a 1-0 victory over No. 1 Oyster Bay. It is their first Class B Title since 2003! WP: Roman Sandonato complete game shutout with 6 Ks Tommy Schoch 2-3, 1 RBI pic.twitter.com/L3wOyY6fbT — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025 As Tommy Schoch took the mound for game one of the Nassau County Class B Championship Series this May, the trust behind him was obvious. After years of his teammates watching him deliver, the confidence was earned. Schoch wasn’t just Carle Place’s ace—he was the conference’s best player. The junior turned in one of the most complete seasons in program history, posting a 1.40 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 35 innings while batting .333 with 20 RBIs and six stolen bases. The performance ea...
Sunday Spotlight: Evan Cabral
(Photo Credit: Ed Rotondo) Stony Brook-commit Evan Cabral’s homer in Garden City’s win pic.twitter.com/8ba0wAvpV8 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 11, 2025 How do you follow up a record-breaking season in which you post a school-record .603 batting average? How about a Long Island-leading 10 home runs and leading your team to the Class AA Long Island Championship. For Garden City, it was a dream season as they not only captured the Long Island Championship over East Islip, but won eight consecutive playoff games along the way before finally losing in the Southeast Regional to Fox Lane. Evan Cabral, a Stony Brook-signee, was among the most dangerous hitters in the region and a huge reason for their success. He finished a decorated career with exactly 100 hits. He batted .380 in ...
“Just Like The Boys”: Meet the 11-Year-Old Twin Sisters Paving Their Own Path In Baseball
(Photo Credit: Jean Truth) by Tucker Terranova In recent years, there has been continued growth in the number of girls playing and working in sports. With Major League Baseball’s recent investment in Athletes Unlimited Softball and the rising popularity of the WNBA and PWHL, it’s clear that girls now have a place in sports that wasn’t as accessible in previous decades. At the youth level, many girls begin playing baseball to learn the fundamentals before transitioning to softball in their teenage years. But for twins Camryn and Cassidy Bashian, that’s not an option — they’re baseball players. Members of the 11U B1 Ghost and the Merrick-Bellmore Little League, the twins have been immersed in baseball since they could first pick up a ball. While they’ve given softball a try, their love remai...
Sunday Spotlight: Joey Hiller
Congratulations to Center Moriches RHP Joey Hiller who is this week’s recipient of the Axcess Baseball x BK7 Brand Player of the Week. The junior fired a 3-hit complete game gem with 15 strikeouts. He also went 7-for-13 with 4 doubles, 6 runs scored and 4 RBIs Previous winners:… pic.twitter.com/B3fPVAzjcL — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 5, 2024 Center Moriches head coach Paul Gibson III knows Joey Hiller as well as anyone. He’s been coaching him since he was 12-years-old and called him up to varsity in 8th grade. Fast forward to May 2025 and Hiller was not just their ace, but one of the best pitchers on Long Island – twice named All-County and a 4x All-League selection. Hiller was locked in a pitcher’s duel with Kings Park RHP Everett Zarzicki, he fired 10 inni...
Sunday Spotlight: Sean Fanning
In a cruel twist of fate, Smithtown East had their 2024 and 2025 seasons end via walk-off. By the same team. In the same inning. With the same pitcher on the mound. That pitcher, Sean Fanning, certainly deserved better after compiling a record of 10-0 entering his start on Wednesday at Connetquot. He was a major reason that the Bulls captured the League III title with a record of 15-3 during the regular season. He was named League III MVP, All-County, All-League and the Gold Glove winner for 1B. He fired 31 straight scoreless innings at one point. In fact, the Fannings combined for 17 of Smithtown East’s 20 wins as his twin brother, Tom, went 7-1. The entire Smithtown East varsity team has been playing together for several years – it’s a big reason why they’ve been ...
Sunday Spotlight: Thomas Costarelli
Back in 2021, East Islip captured the Conference IV Long Island Championship with a convincing 14-2 win over the Nassau Champions, Bethpage, at Mitchel Field. While the Long Island baseball community saw that up close, there was another dominant team that quietly dominated on the same field. It was East Islip’s JV team who posted an undefeated record (18-0). The bulk of that team was comprise of not 10th graders, or even 9th graders, but 8th grader. In fact, had the 2020 season not been cancelled, they would’ve been called up as 7th graders. That core group of players, Thomas Costarelli, Alex Ciampi, Chris LaMacchia, Jaden Schmidt, Billy Mahoney and John Talt, are now anchoring the latest iteration of East Islip varsity baseball. They enter Monday’s Suffolk AA playoff mat...
