St. Dominic
Up Next Powered by Eye Q Investigations: Lucien Saint Cyr
(This is the tenth installment of our weekly “Up Next Series Powered by Eye Q Investigations” in which we highlight the best underclassmen from across Long Island. Previously, we featured Miguel Sime Jr, Matt Cruz, Luke Coats, Michael Gardner, Tyler Scarry, Kenny Meliere, Jaiden Zoller, Max Donacea and Keegan McElligot. Make sure to check out Eye Q Investigations by clicking here) As I mentioned in the last edition, it is rare for a freshman to be the starting SS on varsity in the CHSAA. The teams are too talented and the talent pool is typically plentiful enough where it is not even a consideration. In the case of St. John the Baptist and St. Dominic, that is not a concern entering 2023. Both teams will likely be starting a freshman. Keegan McElligot for SJB and Lucien Saint Cyr for St Do...
Up Next Powered by Eye Q Investigations: Matt Cruz
Good look here at Matt Cruz (‘24, NY) snatching a few 87s early in outing. 82-85 mph range w/ FB that shows some riding life (2200-2300 RPM), strong feel for SL w/ horz & vert tilt, landing in zone often (2100-2300 RPM). Comes from extended 3/4 slot. #16uMASelect @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/f4cMZgEwmr — PG Mid Atlantic (NY, NJ, PA, MD) (@PGMidAtlantic) July 17, 2022 Typically players that get called up to varsity as a sophomore in the Catholic League struggle to find their footing at first. After all, it is the most competitive league on the island and the bulk of the players tend to be seniors. That age difference can make all the difference in many cases. Most players are not like Matt Cruz, though, he came up to varsity as a sophomore and all he did was lead the CHSAA in AVG (.5...
Under First Year Coach Joe Fusco, St. Dominic is Poised to Put Plenty of Runs on the Board
By Michael Malaszczyk Coach Joe Fusco of St. Dominic’s High School is ready to take the team to new heights this year. St. Dominic’s bounced back in 2021, the first season since baseball was cut short by the coronavirus pandemic, to have a strong season in the highly competitive Catholic League. St. Dominic’s finished fourth overall in the league, losing to Kellenberg in the semifinals. While this is Coach Fusco’s first year with St. Dominic’s, Fusco is no stranger to baseball and brings a ton of experience; Fusco previously worked as an assistant coach at Clarke High School under the tutelage of Tom Abruscato. “We made 2 county championship appearances and won a county championship,” Fusco said of his time at Clarke. Fusco also works as a coach for Team Francisco Hitting Academy. “We are...
Joe Fusco Named Head Coach of St. Dominic
There’s been a change at the helm for St. Dominic once again. Joe Fusco has been named the Head Coach of the Bayhawks ball club, replacing Matt Prokopowicz – who was hired in late 2019 and recently stepped down. Their Head Coach in 2019 was Brian Anderson and the year before was Jimmy Goelz. Fusco had been the assistant coach at Clarke HS for the past three season where he helped Tom Abruscato lead the Rams to a County Championship in 2019 and a County Final in 2021. He also coaches Team Francisco Select 16u. He stated the team has compiled a record of 78-24 over the past two seasons and ranked No. 60 by Perfect Game. As a player, in 2018 he was named to Axcess All-Long Island and hit .339 at New York Tech. At Clarke HS, he was 2-time All-State, 2-time All-Long Island, 2-time...
St. Dominic Rides Two Five-Run Innings To Power Past St. Anthony’s, 11-6
St. Dominic HC Matt Prokopowicz following their 11-6 victory over St. Anthony’s pic.twitter.com/x7lo4FTFw5 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 31, 2021 In a single-elimination format with a week between games, typically you will be very aggressive employing relievers as any sign of a rally can be thwarted with a new pitcher. That was not the case today, as St. Dominic RHP Logan Gersbeck was efficient and kept the St. Anthony’s offense at bay for most of the game and his offense backed him with a five-run third inning as the Bayhawks advanced with an 11-6 victory and they will face Kellenberg next Monday. Jack Vallario with an RBI single through the left side. St. Anthony’s leads 2-0 in the second pic.twitter.com/sWITdhcj6t — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May...
Matt Prokopowicz Eager To Start Coaching Career With St. Dominic’s
by Chris Sacchi Matt Prokopowicz is in his second year as head coach of the St. Dominic’s baseball team. Yet, he’s still waiting to manage his first game. “Getting to go now, I’m a little kid in a candy store. I’m all smiles ear to ear and I can’t wait, I need to get that baseball fix in… it’s starting to hit home that we’re going to be starting very very soon.” Coach has a lot to look forward to. As a former All-American at Hofstra, and a member of Massepequa’s 2006 Class AA State Championship team, coach brings great experience from his playing days to foster what he feels like is a fantastic team environment. “Being a team and having success, you’ve got to trust every single person… And those kids get it. They understand it and they’re buying in. And if you come ...
Kyle Young Decides To Walk Away From the Game
Phillies prospect Kyle Young (St. Dominic 2016) is coming along well in his rehab from Tommy John. Yes, he is tall (7’0) pic.twitter.com/XI0jBanADh — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) December 16, 2019 Kyle Young stood above the competition on every field he was on. Literally, the 7’0 southpaw is the tallest player to play professional baseball and had dominated at St. Dominic HS in 2015-’16 prior to that. The southpaw was drafted out of HS in 2016 by the Philadelphia Phillies and has been terrific during his minor league career. He compiled a 2.92 ERA, 14-8 record, 166 Ks over 172.1 IP. Despite his long limbs, he displayed amazing control – walking just 27 batters and holding a 1.03 WHIP. He has decided to walk away from baseball. MILB listed it on their minor l...
Who Was The Best Team of The 2010s?
When it comes to being considered the best–the bar is set high. Over the course of the past 10 seasons, there have been undefeated seasons, there have been back-to-back state champs, there have been pitching staffs loaded with Division-I talent and pro pitchers. But there can only be one team considered the best. I have watched a lot of baseball, but I didn’t trust my own instinct so I solicited the help of some trusted sources to put together my definitive list of the best teams of the decade. To make it a bit easier, we narrowed it down to teams that have won a Long Island Championship, because plenty of talented teams have made it to the finish line only to come up short. We also did not list any school more than once on purpose because many of the back-to-back champions featured the sa...
Q & A With Dylan Bruno
With the pandemic cutting short the high school playing careers for many athletes, and effecting the recruiting process for others, families have turned to alternate options to maximizing exposure. One option is attending a boarding school like IMG Academy. Many families on Long Island have the means to do so and it effectively negates the lost year of development. I spoke with Dylan Bruno, who transferred from St. Dominic to IMG Academy, this fall to see what went behind the decision and if we may see more students make similar moves. Who are some people in your life that played a big role in your baseball career? My father without a doubt. He pushed me day in and day out. He trained with me constantly and started coaching me since I was 8-years-old. He always put our team against the tou...
Matt Prokopowicz Excited For First Season With St. Dominic
Carlos Hidalgo gets the start for St. Dominic. The reigning CHSAA Pitcher of the Year pic.twitter.com/AltFcIrILU — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 28, 2019 Matt Prokopowicz knows exactly what it takes to be a successful player on Long Island. He was a part of the Massapequa‘s famed undefeated season in 2006 culminating in capturing the Class AA New York State Championship. He went on to have an illustrious career at Hofstra University in which he batted .376 and compiling 271 hits and garnering Baseball America All-American status. Now he’s the head coach of St. Dominic High School, becoming their third skipper in three seasons. They are looking to bounce back after an early postseason exit in May. The prior year, they made it to the Championship game but lost to St....
Brooklyn/Queens Schools To Join NSCHSAA
In a move that has been in the makings for over two decades, Brooklyn/Queens schools will be added to the Nassau-Suffolk Catholic League–effective spring 2020. This is big news, as it adds more parity to a league that was already very balanced. Rather than three-game series, there will be two-game series for the Long Island schools and one-game against the Brooklyn/Queens schools. This will not include the playoffs–the existing format will remain, but their hope is to build towards an intersectional or state tournament like public schools do. Below is the letter that was sent out by Ralph Dalton, President of NSCHSAA. Since the inception of the current format, here are the championships by school: Chaminade – 16 St. John the Baptist – 12 Holy Trinity – 6 Kelle...
