Fast start for youthful Oceanside

For lesser programs, having just three seniors on the roster would be a source of concern. That’s not the case at Oceanside. The Sailors may be relatively young on paper, but experience is aplenty in the baseball rich community. 

Led by a starting pitching rotation comprising three juniors, Oceanside broke out of the gate quickly and is unbeaten over its first six games in Nassau Conference AA-1. The Sailors, who start four sophomores, recently capped off a three-game sweep of Freeport with a 5-2 victory at Hofstra’s baseball stadium on April 13.

Junior hurler Brendan McFall, who improved to 2-0, fell just an out short of going the distance. McFall struck out six batters. Junior catcher Dylan Judd had three doubles, an RBI, and scored a pair of runs to lead the offensive attack. Judd is batting .389 for the season.

With the prolonged winter now in the past, head coach Mike Postilio believes his team is starting to hit its stride. “It was tough for a little while, because the weather was so bad, and then we had a bye week,” Postilio said. “We played very well in the Freeport series. The pitching was strong, the defense made some outstanding plays, and we started to get into a groove at the plate. While this is the youngest team I have had, they’re experienced players who know what the mentality is and what the expectations are.”

Oceanside’s pitching shut down a Red Devils nine that came into the series riding a four-game winning streak. In the opener, T.J. Thorne pitched a gem, striking out six while going the distance in a 5-0 victory. Sophomore second baseman Jake Lazzaro, who is hitting .380 and leads the team in stolen bases, was 2-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored.

The following day, Matt Carey put himself in the record books when he fired a no-hitter. Carey struck out nine as the visiting Sailors took the middle game of the series by the score of 6-1. Senior Tyler Judd went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, and sophomore Chris Siklas, who is batting .389, was 2-for-2 with two RBI. Sophomore Leo Alvarez knocked in four runs over the first two games of the series.

“Matt was getting ahead in the count by being around the strike zone,” Postilio said. “Freeport is an aggressive team, so they’re up there swinging. He was spotting his pitches really well. He had to get the last batter, because he was at his pinch limit. He pitched a great game, and the defense was terrific behind him.”

The Sailors are getting contributions from nearly everyone in the lineup. Junior Chris Murphy is leading the team in hitting with a .400 average through the team’s first six games. In addition to playing stellar defense, senior shortstop Jared Campo in getting things done at the plate. He was 2-for-3 with two runs scored in an opening day 8-4 win against Port Washington.

Oceanside welcomes in Massapequa on April 24 at 4:30 p.m.