Oceanside softball tourney remembers Zachary Allen

Oceanside resident Zachary Allen was 23 when he died in a car crash on June 15, 2022. A year after his death, his friends plan to honor him at the Zachary Allen Classic Memorial Softball Tournament on Saturday, at 10 a.m., in Oceanside Park.

Alex Ducorsky and Jake Manyin, who were two of Allen’s best friends on the Oceanside Mariners travel softball team, decided to create an event that would pay tribute to him. They eventually decided on a softball tournament, to honor Allen by playing the game he and his friends loved the most.

“We were all friends on that Mariners team, but one thing about Zach that brought the three of us closest is that we always wanted to hang out,” Manyin said. “It didn’t matter what we were doing, because we all had enough in common.”

Manyin and Ducorsky attended elementary school together, and the trio grew up three blocks from one another and played for the Mariners. They and other players have remained friends for the past 20 years.

“I don’t even think he could have imagined he had that much of an impact on people,” Manyin said of Allen. “Guys don’t really talk about their problems that often, and he was the kid who would notice if someone was feeling off, and the kid that everyone would kind of turn to.”

The inaugural memorial tournament will feature 12 teams, and more than 150 players will take part. Allen’s close friends and family members will be the captains of all 12 teams.

Once the framework for the tournament was established, Manyin and Ducorsky began creating a scholarship to be presented at Oceanside High School in memory of Allen, who graduated in 2017 before going on to the University of Buffalo, where he earned a degree in 2021.

“We thought the softball tournament would be a good way to bring people together, and we know the scholarship can keep his name going, especially in our hometown, even when we aren’t in our hometown anymore,” Manyin said. “I think that that’s something that he would like, and we know his parents and his family are super appreciative.”

Ducorsky wrote a prompt for the scholarship and outlined its qualifications, which require the recipient to be a student with a GPA of 90 or above, with a passion for life, exuberant and ambitious, who plans to attend a four-year SUNY college.

“Throughout his life, Zachary had the unique ability to light up the room with his sense of humor and vibrant personality, a feeling so palpable to those around him,” the prompt reads. “He leaves behind a legacy of demonstrating what it means to live life to the fullest.”

The scholarship was presented for the first time this year, to Oceanside High seniors Olivia Ormiston and Alexander Roemer. The proceeds raised during the softball tournament will go directly to the scholarship fund.

“Nobody has to pay out of pocket to fund the scholarship,” Ducorsky said, “and with the tournament, it’s something where his friends can get together, have a good time and honor Zach, and we’re doing something good by raising money for the scholarship all in the same day.”

Manyin and Ducorsky were able to stick with baseball even after their Mariners softball days were over. Ducorsky works for the Mets’ marketing department, and Manyin is the assistant clubhouse manager and the assistant to the director of retail and merchandise for the White Sox triple-A team the Charlotte Knights. While the three friends took separate paths after high school — Ducorsky went to SUNY Cortland and Manyin, the University of South Carolina — they remained close.

“I have a younger sister, Alex has two younger brothers and Zach has two older brothers, but I’d say that we’re all each other’s brothers,” Manyin said. “I know it sounds a little corny, but I think we’ve known each other long enough.”

Manyin and Ducorsky are expecting anywhere from 350 to 500 people to attend this weekend’s tournament. It will include food trucks, raffles and T-shirt sales, and the expectation is that it will grow in the years to come.

“It kind of all came together quickly, and we didn’t have too much time to plan, so seeing how much support we’ve already gotten before this one has even started is amazing,” Manyin said. “I think that with this much time, once this tournament ends, we can even start planning for next year, and maybe even try to get it a whole weekend or a place where we can use more than three fields.”