Syosset Baseball No Longer 'Left Behind'

Do a favor for Syosset Baseball Booster Club President Kerry Albanese and you may want to get a back brace: You're sure to get a hug and kiss that may knock you out of alignment. 

That kind of energy permeates the high school program right now, a rarity for a team that didn't even make the postseason. While many teams would have already disbanded in umpteen different directions, everyone was together this past Saturday for a car wash/tag sale to raise money for the newly formed Booster Club.

There's now a banner, a website, an upcoming Casino Night and, most importantly, a newfound sense of pride.

"Syosset baseball, the sport that's been forgotten no more," Albanese proudly proclaimed Saturday. 

Parents declared unity during a preseason meeting at the home of Karen Ventricelli, who is now the club's treasurer. The fact that such an organization never existed didn't seem to faze anybody.

"Why take it slow?" Albanese said of the group's development. "We decided to go full-speed ahead."

Parents who can't make it to games are now getting scores texted to them by those who can. As a sign of the Booster Club's reach, it made sure that Syosset Baseball T-shirt and jackets were provided all the way down to the middle school level. The idea is to keep everybody connected for years to come, and to make sure those in the community are exposed to the baseball team.

Obviously, the hope is that all this organization leads to better performance. A varsity summer league season is in the works, maintaining chemistry for a team that last season had 10 junior pitchers. But the atmosphere alone makes all the work worthwhile.

"It's more of a family now," Ventricelli said. "People are talking to each other at games, saying, 'It's good to see you.' There's a lot more communication."