2026 Season Previews
Carle Place Baseball Eyes Back-to-Back Class B County Titles
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Ryan Manno The message from head coach Steve Laurino is clear: the goal is another county championship. After capturing their first Class B title since 2003 last season, the Carle Place Frogs aren’t satisfied with making history once. They want to do it again. Last year’s 18-7 campaign ended with the Frogs on top, but it also reinforced how demanding playoff baseball can be. Laurino emphasized the importance of staying healthy and mentally sharp through a long season. Facing the same opponents six or seven times, seeing the same pitchers, and handling the physical toll of postseason play taught this group that talent alone isn’t enough. Maintaining focus and discipline deep into the playoffs is now ...
Port Washington Leaning On Pitching & Defense to Compete in Nassau AAA-I
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman The Port Washington Vikings finished 12-8 overall and lost a first round contest to Oceanside. Head coach Matt Holzer, entering his 16th season, looked back fondly on his team’s season. “I thought we played well.” Holzer said. “It was another good year for us. We lost a one-run game down in Oceanside in the playoffs that could have gone our way very easily. Overall, it was a good season.” Port Washington did have a pair of key seniors graduate in 2025, one of which, Jake Scharlat is now playing college baseball at Johnson & Wales in Rhode Island. Additionally, while not playing college ball, Derek Fine was a key player for the Vikings last season, earning all-county honors. De...
Syosset Looks to Make Noise In Ultra-Talented Nassau Conference AAA-I
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman Fresh off a 12-8-1 regular season that ended with a quarterfinal loss, head coach Tom Morritt is back for his eighth season with the Syosset baseball team. Despite the early playoff exit, Morritt still looked back fondly on a winning season with his young team. “We still had a young team.” Morritt said. “We had a lot of juniors getting a lot of playing time with two seniors who went on to play college ball in Tommy Martelli who’s playing at Scranton and Ethan Ramirez who’s at Emory. Some young guys had some innings under their belt, we’re playing in the toughest league in the county and still made the playoffs. We had a tough group and an awesome group of kids. I think we learned a lot a...
Despite Graduating Big Senior Class in 2025, Pierson Enters Season With Strong Roster
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Ryan Manno The Pierson Whalers enter the season embracing a new chapter, shaped by a standard rooted in work ethic. After graduating six seniors, this year’s group looks different on paper, but Head Coach Bob Manning believes the foundation is stronger than ever. The focus is simple: compete every day, outwork opponents, and let that mindset define the season. Last year ended in the Suffolk County playoffs against Babylon, a team Coach Manning described as a “buzz saw”. Babylon proved to be the better and deeper team, but the ending did not erase what Pierson accomplished. As the smallest Class B school, the Whalers battled through an extremely competitive league and won six straight gam...
Mike Postilio, Oceanside Excited For 2026 season
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Joe Bello Oceanside is heading into the 2026 season with a lot of excitement after a successful 2025 campaign. Mike Postilio heads into his 13th year as head coach of the Oceanside varsity squad. The Sailors finished with a record of 15-7 last spring, reaching the playoffs and finishing in the final four. They knocked off Port Washington in round one, but then were eliminated by Massapequa in three games. “We had a very good season and played some great baseball at times.” Postilio said. “Going into the Farmingdale series, it was us and them for the conference title. We were 10-1 at the time, lost the first game 1-0 on a bases loaded walk, and then 6-1 the next day.” “In the playoffs, we advanced ...
Westhampton Hurricanes Focused on Preparation
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Ryan Manno The Westhampton Hurricanes enter the 2026 season with a clear philosophical shift. According to head coach Asa Grunenwald, the Hurricanes are no longer framing success around a fixed endpoint such as wins. Instead, the program is focused on setting and maintaining a high standard of preparation that consistently places the team in a position to compete. That mindset defines everything about this year’s group, from leadership to roster construction, especially on the mound. The end of last season prompted reflection within the Westhampton program. The Hurricanes’ focus coming out of the year was not on a lack of talent, but on mindset. This led to an offseason centered on resetting that me...
William Floyd Looks to Build Off Recent Success
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman For the first time in a long time, the William Floyd Colonials made the playoffs in back to back seasons. Keith Kobaisuk, the head coach of the team for the last eight seasons, looked back fondly on a season in which his program continued to take steps in the right direction. “We finished 10-8 and got into the playoffs.” Kobaisuk said. “It’s the first time in a long time we’ve been in the playoffs back to back years. We went 1-2, we won the first game against Walt Whitman and lost to Smithtown East 3-2, and then lost to Riverhead to be eliminated. I was happy to make the playoffs, so we’re trying to build to be a playoff team every year.” Nine members of last year’s Floyd team wer...
Westbury Prepares to Make Switch to AAA from Countywide
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Hunter Javeline After a year of hard work and dedication, the Westbury Green Dragons finished 12-8 and earned a promotion to the AAA conference from the Countywide League. Transitioning from a non-playoff eligible league to a playoff eligible league will challenge this team more than ever before. In 2022, Coach Ryan Mulholland took over the program and they haven’t looked back. Prior to that, they were winless for 2 seasons. Each year they have been improving; from 7 to 11 and last year to 12 wins. Coach Mulholland won Coach of the Year in 2025. Two years ago, Coach Mulholland and the Westbury Green Dragons won the regular season championship. Last year, they finished in 3rd place. Jonathan Cruz wa...
Centereach Looks to Bounce Back from Down Season and Return to Postseason Play
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Max Edelman Centereach Cougars head coach Pete Cammarata is a baseball lifer. Having coached 26 years in various roles, Cammarata has been at the helm for the Cougars since 2018. As he entered his 27th season coaching, Cammarata reflected on the Cougars 2025 season, in which the Cougars won four games in a rebuilding season. “I think our guys last year prepared as hard as any one of our teams,” Cammarata said. “Even when we were league champs, or made the playoffs last year. They prepared as well as any team, we just didn’t have the horses last year. They played to their ability level, they played hard, we just didn’t have a successful season.” This past June, two key members of the Cougars graduat...
South Side Returns Strong Core Led by Reigning Conference Player of the Year
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series by Ryan Manno As spring approaches, the South Side Cyclones are preparing for what promises to be an exciting 2026 season. Coming off a year that ended just short of the county championship, the team is focused on turning past lessons into future success. “The biggest goal is to make a deep playoff run,” said Head Coach Tom Smith. “We want to try and get to the County Championship and be in it at the end.” Last season, the Cyclones came painfully close, falling 3-1 to Division and 2-0 to Carey in two hard fought games. Both contests showcased strong pitching and solid defense, but when it came time to deliver in the clutch, the team fell just short. One key takeaway from last year is that South Side’s...
Coming Off Game 3 Loss in Nassau Class A Finals, Seaford Looks to Take Final Step
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series Photo Credit: Ryan Kind by Ryan Manno Dylan Alt (left) and Matt Kind (right) talk about their standout performances and what it means for their program to make a return to the Nassau County Finals. pic.twitter.com/HaESynD5gI — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2025 As the 2026 high school baseball season approaches, the Seaford Vikings are gearing up for another competitive campaign under the guidance of Coach Mike Milano. After a memorable 2025 season, the team is focused on continuing “The Viking Way”, playing quality baseball, the right way, every day. Coach Milano laid out the team’s goals clearly. Success this season is defined by four key areas: league titles, playoff runs, championshi...
Island Trees Focused on Making Postseason Run in Nassau A
Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s series By Ryan Manno The Island Trees Bulldogs enter the spring season with confidence as they prepare for another competitive campaign under fourth year head coach Coach Valiando. After earning playoff berths in each of the last two seasons, the Bulldogs have established themselves as a consistent postseason team. Now, the focus shifts toward taking the next step and turning that success into a county championship run. “Every year our goal is to win a county championship,” Valiando said. “That doesn’t happen by accident. From day one, our emphasis is on playing high level baseball and building momentum as the season goes on.” That mindset has shaped the program during the offseason, where preparation, accoun...
