Successful year for South Side

South Side’s baseball season ended in heartbreak, but was preceded by a strong campaign that positioned the Cyclones for a playoff run.

South Side finished 12-6 in Conference A-II and earned the No. 9 seed for the 16-team Nassau County double elimination Class A playoffs. The Cyclones opened with wins against Kennedy and defending county champion Division to get within one victory of making their first semifinal appearance since 2012. However, Division showed why it was the top-seeded team by taking the next two games, 5-0 and 3-1.

“We had a very strong season rebounding from last year,” South Side coach Tom Smith said. “We had great leadership from our seniors and team chemistry.”

Driving much of South Side’s success was senior ace pitcher Andrew Misiaszek, who recorded 12 strikeouts in the Cyclones’ 2-1 playoff win against Kennedy on May 16. The Northeastern-bound Misiaszek earned All-County honors with a 5-1 record and became South Side’s all-time leader in strikeouts after recording 93 as a senior. He gave up only four earned runs in the regular season and tossed a no-hitter with 18 strikeouts in a 3-0 win against Hewlett on April 6.

“He was a great leader by example,” said Smith of Misiaszek, who is up for the Diamond Award given to Nassau County’s top pitcher. “He was unflappable no matter what situation was thrown at him.”

Senior Joseph Barrett earned All-League accolades at catcher after leading a pitching staff that had a 2.23 earned run average (ERA). He captained the 2015 team with Misiaszek. “That low ERA has a lot to do with what Joe did behind the plate,” Smith said. “He was a great leader.”

Also contributing to South Side’s strong pitching staff were starters T.J. Avgerinos and Brendan Condon. Avgerinos earned four wins and was named to the All-Conference team.

“Our pitching was very strong,” Smith said. “That made us a contender and kept us in a lot of games.”

South Side (15-8 overall) was anchored offensively by leadoff hitter Andy Pena, who led the team with a .417 batting average. Pena earned All-Conference recognition as a junior after also leading the Cyclones in stolen bases, RBIs and extra-base hits.

“He was our catalyst at the top of the lineup,” Smith said of Pena. “He came up with big hits when we needed him to.”

Senior right fielder Vinny Frankini stepped up in his last year as a Cyclone with 13 RBIs. He went 4-for-5 with one RBI in the playoff win against Division.

South Side graduates 13 seniors, but returns a strong junior class led by Pena, who has committed to play on the collegiate level at Monroe College. Smith is also excited about bringing on players from a JV team that went undefeated in 2015.

“The program is very well positioned to build off the success of these seniors,” he said. “The outlook for the program is very high.”