In 16 conference games last season, Head Coach Frank Tassielli led the Farmingdale varsity baseball team to a 12-4 record, good enough for third place in the conference. However, the mark wasn’t sufficient enough to lock down a playoff spot in the ability-based AA-II conference.
Although Farmingdale swept the No. 2 team Plainview and split the season series with Herricks, the team that finished first in the conference. Despite the 3-1 record against the best teams in the conference, Farmingdale was on the outside of the playoff picture.
With the team returning nine seniors and a talented group of underclassmen, Farmingdale will look to duplicate the same success they enjoyed last season while looking to take it to the next level in the AA-II Conference.
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Last Season: 12-4 in Conference AA-II
Coach: Frank Tassielli (ninth year), Mike Marchitto (seventh year)
Find out what's happening in Farmingdalefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Key Players:
- Alex Brosnan, pitcher, senior
- Chris Vitale, pitcher, senior
- Matt Oppedisano, center field, senior
- T.R. Waszkiewicz, right field, senior
- Nick Colasurdo, first base/pitcher, junior
Position Breakdown: After losing three graduating seniors that batted over .500 last season, Coach Frank Tassielli is looking forward to seeing what his returning seniors and underclassmen can bring to the table this year. With nine seniors, six juniors and four sophomores on the team, Coach Tassielli sees the different classes on the team as being a good mix.
“The sophomores are going to vie for a starting spot,” Tassielli said. “They’re going to push the older guys. We’ve always preached the best starting nine will start every day. We will rely on the seniors that were starters last season to bring the younger guys along."
Returning senior and All-County pitcher Alex Brosnan looks to follow up on a season where he went 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA and 55 K’s along with a save. Despite the outstanding season, Tassielli is expecting even bigger things from his ace hurler.
“He’s going to be our number one gun this year and hopefully he can repeat that,” Tassielli said. “Actually, we’re looking to get him better than that this season. We’re looking for big things from him and he’s looking to compete for the diamond award. We will push all individual goals aside to get that division title, however."
Chris Vitale, a four-year starter at varsity, is expected to be an integral part of the pitching rotation and Tassielli is expecting him to bounce back from a rough season.
On the offensive things, all-league center fielder Matt Oppedisano, batted over .400 last season and will be leading things off for Farmingdale this season. According to Tassielli, Oppedisano is going to set the table with his speed and ability to get on base.
With a lot of power leaving with the graduating class from the previous season, Tassielli is expecting strong pitching to keep the score down on most days.
“I’m excited and anxious to see what our bats will give us this year,” said Tassielli. “It’s going to be tough to replace that production we lost last year. Small ball will be a big part of our arsenal with all the speed on our team."
Expectations: “We’ll be back in AA-I with the usual foes again. Massapequa, Oceanside and Syosset,” Tassielli said. “A lofty goal would be to fight for the division title. We’re going to start there. We’re looking towards county’s but we’re worried about one game at a time. We have to shoot for our division title as that’s on the pedestal right now."
Key Games:
April 11: Oceanside @ Farmingdale, 4:30 p.m.
April 18: Freeport @ Farmingdale, 12:30 p.m.
April 26: Syosset @ Farmingdale, 4 p.m.
May 2: Massapequa @ Farmingdale, 4 p.m.
