Neal Heaton
Neal’s Knowledge: The Season is Over–Now What?
(Editor’s Note: Neal Heaton is our Pitching Analyst. He spent 12 seasons in the Major Leagues as a LHP for several teams. He was named to the National League All-Star Team in 1990 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1979 MLB Draft out of Sachem HS. He opted to attend college at the University of Miami, where he set several program records and was named to their Hall of Fame in 1993. He is now a Pitching Instructor at All Pro Sports Academy in Bellport, if you’d like to book a pitching lesson with him you can email Kate@AllProSportsAcademy.com) For many players the 2017 season has come to an end. Now what should you do? Now is the time to give your body a much-needed break. When I was in the big leagues, I always took a two-week break after the seaso...
Next Level Baseball Takes First Two Games of Tournament
Final: Next Level 4, Cangelosi Sparks 2 WP: Ryan Martin pic.twitter.com/oZMbw6KlOK Axcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) October 6, 2017 Strong pitching, great defense and a red-hot bat of Aidan Larkin (Chaminade 2019) was the key to a pair of victories today for Next Level Baseball. Game One Pat Cullinan got the start, but struggled with his command and was lifted with the game tied 1-1 with bases loaded and one out in the third inning. William Kennedy (Smithtown East 2019) came on in relief and put out the fire in a big way. He fanned the cleanup batter and induced an infield pop out from the following hitter. Next Level wasted no time taking the lead in the top of the fourth when Kennedy walked and stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Larkin hit a sac fly to medium-ran...
Q & A With Mike O’Reilly
(Photo Credit: Allison Rhoades/Peoria Chiefs) Before Brian Morrell was dominating Suffolk County Class A, there was Mike O’Reilly. The 2012 graduate of Shoreham-Wading River won the Carl Yastrzemski Award in his senior year, when he performed like a superhero and smacked two walk-off HRs in the playoffs and struck out 19 batters in the Long Island Championship game. It’s easy to forget as the years go by, but O’Reilly compiled a career record of 17-3 before going on to attend Flagler College. In 2015, he was named Peach Belt Pitcher of the Conference. He compiled a record of 7-3, with a 2.89 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 93.1 IP. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 27th round of the 2016 MLB Draft. Over his first two seasons, he’s actually taken his perfo...
Podcast: Neal Heaton On Winning the Hamptons League Championship
Our Pitching Analyst Neal Heaton came on the Axcess Baseball podcast to discuss his experience with the LI Road Warriors. They won the Hamptons League in their inaugural season.
Podcast: Discussing the Mount Rushmore of Long Island Baseball Players
We had two very special guests on the podcast today discussing the best seasons in Long Island baseball history. Gregg Sarra, 32-year veteran reporter for Newsday and Sal Mignano (583 career wins) together have seen plenty of talented players on the diamond. We discussed who the best of the best are.
Eric Callahan Lifts the Aviators Over the Road Warriors in Extras
Jonah Karp interviewing the two heroes from West Hampton’s 10-8 victory over the Road Warriors pic.twitter.com/Z2kFMloYPH aXcess Baseball (@axcessbaseball) July 19, 2017 Fireworks were still going off two weeks after Independence Day. Didnt hear them? Well then you werent in Westhampton Beach Tuesday afternoon. Eight balls were hit over the fence at Aviator Field, six of them by way of Aviators. Those six home runs set a new single-game record for the Westhampton Aviators, breaking the five home runs they hit on June 30 against the North Fork Ospreys last season. But the discrepancy in home runs does not tell the story of the game. As a matter of fact, the Long Island Road Warriors were an out away from winning the game. Let me take you to that moment It...
The North All Stars Win the Fifth Annual HCBL All Star Game
by Jonah Karp The best prospects of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League were front and center at Baseball Heaven on Monday. The North All Stars defeated the South All Stars 14-5, in what turned out to be a tale of two narratives. The South All Stars plated the first two runs of the game in the top of the second on three hits off of Patrick Clyne (LIU Brooklyn). But Neal Heaton’s squad quickly responded with a solo blast off the bat of Freddy Sabido in the bottom of the frame to cut the deficit to one. The score remained 2-1 until Dan Luisi’s team tacked on two more in the top of the fifth on two hits to extend the lead to 3-1. Then the narrative shifted. In the bottom of the seventh the North All Stars bats came alive. Eight players reached base. Nine players recorded hits. Six players...
Neal’s Knowledge: What is ‘Pitching Backwards’ and Why Should You Do It?
If hitting is timing, then pitching is disrupting timing. There is no better way to do that than to be unpredictable as a pitcher. Hitters are taught to look for fastballs in particular counts–0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2. They sit back and look for a pitcher’s fastball. If they have any doubt what type of pitch is coming–they lose a little bit of confidence. That can be just enough to get him off his game. Throwing breaking balls and change ups in these hitter’s counts is called ‘pitching backwards’ and it is a very important for a young pitcher to eventually develop this skill in order to get to college because that’s when hitters will really make you pay for your mistakes. At the lower levels, it’s really not as important to pitch backward...
Garrett Heaton Commits to Stony Brook
When Garrett Heaton steps in the box against any high school pitcher he has the advantage already. Heck, he will most likely have the same advantage in two years also, when he steps in against a Division-I pitcher from the America East conference. That’s because he is one of the few local players who can say his father both lived it and was able to teach it to him. “I think the only difference between myself and a kid who doesn’t have a former MLB player as a parent is that i started learning things about the game that some players don’t learn until they’re in college or in some cases never learn,” said the senior at Bellport HS. For those unfamiliar, Neal Heaton was the Steven Matz of the previous generation. After winning the Carl Yastrzemski Award out...
