Seaford eyes conference title

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A challenging preseason schedule built a strong foundation for the Seaford baseball team to shine this spring.

Despite graduating 12 seniors from last year, Seaford entered the final two weeks of the regular season tied for first place in Conference A-V with a 7-1-1 mark. Longtime head coach Mike Milano said March scrimmages against some of the top teams in Nassau County including Division, Chaminade, Oceanside, North Shore and Holy Trinity helped his Vikings squad gain confidence to tackle what was in front of them.

“They responded well to the challenges of facing those tough teams in the early scrimmages,” Milano said. “We’re right where we want to be right now.”

An 11-3 home win against Mineola on April 25 capped a sweep of the Mustangs and kept Seaford tied with Clarke atop the Conference A-V standings. The Viking bats broke out led by catcher Nick Barreriros and first baseman Rich Apollo both driving in three runs and shortstop Tim Saulpaugh going 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Saulpaugh also sparked Seaford in an 11-2 win at Mineola to open the series going 4-for-4 with a three-run homer.

The Seaford offense has punch led by Barreriros, who closed the Mineola series with a .467 batting average, and the Queens College-bound Saulpaugh, who is hitting .424. Third baseman Brian McCloskey, second baseman Logan Masters, left fielder Anthony Ippoliti and Apollo have also delivered big hits throughout the spring.

“Out hitting has been tremendous,” Milano said. “The guys are getting the job done in the middle of the lineup.”

Seaford’s strong start has also been by pitching of Chris Pupa and Frank Cozzolino. Pupa tossed 13 strikeouts in a 4-1 win against Mineola on April 24 a day after Cozzolino struck out 10 Mustang hitters.

“We have a nice one-two punch,” said Milano of Pupa and Cozzolino, who he describes as one of the top starting pitching duos in Nassau County. “They give us a chance to win each time they go out there.”

Senior Luke DiCapua and junior Tom Lynch have also contributed to the pitching rotation. DiCapua was instrumental in Seaford’s 7-5 win at Clarke on April 18 with four innings of relief.

Seaford concludes a three-game series with neighborhood rival Island Trees at home Thursday starting at 4:30 p.m. The Vikings then conclude the regular season with three games against Valley Stream South that wrap up May 9 in Seaford.

The Vikings will look to finish strong so they can claim the Conference A-V title, which would allow them to play in front of the home fans for the start of the upcoming double-elimination Class A playoffs. Seaford has made the postseason the past 15 seasons and last reached the semifinal stage in 2014.

“If the pitching continues the way it has been going we have a chance to go far,” Milano said. “This is a hard working group of young men and they have responded to everything asked of them.”