The varsity baseball team began the year looking to build upon a very successful 2017 season that included a conference championship and a 15-7 record. This year, though the team it will be without key contributors like Nick Tuzzio, Paul Scibelli, and other graduates. For the 2018 season, Coach Al Marrazzo will rely on senior captains Taner Ceylan, Sean Sebasco, and Ryan Mueller to lead his team back to the playoffs and beyond.

The 2018 team is significantly younger than last year’s group. Sophomores Anthony Ulrich, Nick Foccarazzo, Jordan Caceres, Phil Piro, and Danny Dalrymple are all expected to fill important roles on the field. Though all are talented, fielding a younger team could prove to be challenging, according to Coach Marrazzo. “It is very important for our young players to step up to the varsity level and compete. With young players, you’re going to have a lot of ups and downs. There is a great upside to having a young team; however, there is also a downside. This is the first time many of them have been seeing competition such as what we are facing. So, it is a great education for them. It will only make them better next year and the year after.”

For the team to succeed, it will be imperative for first-time varsity players to perform on both sides of the ball. As important as the young players are for Lynbrook, the older players need to take on leadership roles in place of seniors who graduated after last season. “It is very hard to lose that type of leadership within your program. We still have some very solid players who came back that learned a lot from the seniors that we lost. Mixing that in with a group of talented young freshmen, sophomores, and juniors is only benefiting us,” said Marrazzo.

Pitching figures to be the strong suit of the team. Seniors Ryan Mueller, Taner Ceylan, Aramis Mercedes, and John Walsh anchor a pitching staff that will be instrumental if the team is going to be successful. The Owls will rely on Mueller, the team’s ace, who throws a high 80s fastball and can shut down an opponent’s lineup in any given game. The batting lineup is anchored by Danny Dalrymple, Sean Sabasco, Taner Ceylan, and Ryan Mueller when they are not pitching. Sophomore leadoff hitter Danny Dalrymple had this to say about the lineup: “To score runs, we need to put the ball in play and put consistent pressure on the defense.” If Lynbrook can score runs at will, and if their pitching performs to its potential, it could be a very successful season for the Owls. Marrazzo is quite confident on his pitching staff in particular: “I believe our biggest strength is in our pitching. With Ryan Mueller back, we don’t have many pitchers in our county who could beat him. Other pitchers like John Walsh and Taner Ceylan are also very good.” The versatility and athleticism of the players will be very important for the team. Pitchers taking the mound one day and being ready to play the field the next day will be crucial. Ceylan, a captain on the team, likes his team’s athleticism: “Our biggest strength is our overall athleticism, whether it be with the bats, our strong pitching rotation, or great fielding.” Ceylan is hugely important for the Owls’ success this season whether it be at the plate, in the outfield, or on the mound. He is one of the engines for the team’s success.

Putting expectations on a team with as much roster turnover as Lynbrook is difficult, but Coach Marrazzo does not doubt his team’s ability: “As far as expectations go, I think it is reasonable for us to be able to make the playoffs. Even though we are young and inexperienced, we still can make Nassau County playoffs. Other expectations will be the obvious, to work as hard as they possibly can to improve their game every day. I expect them to come out, learn from the older guys, and give a hundred percent each day, even though we are playing a very difficult schedule. If we do that, I think we have a shot to make playoffs.” For the Owls, this year will be marked by development. Not only does the future of the varsity team hinge on younger players learning and growing from game experience, the present does too; so, the quicker this young roster produces, the better this season can be. If the senior captains can set the right example for younger players on the team, this season could be one of the more successful ones in recent memory.