Preview: Sachem East Baseball

It's been two years since the Sachem High School East baseball team has made an appearance in the Suffolk County playoffs, but coach Kevin Schnupp is optimistic that the tables should turn this season.

"We're confident in the players after a very well-attended off-season program," he said.

League I: Many figure Longwood will lead the way, but you can never count out Patchogue-Medford. Schnupp said William Floyd is an up and coming program as well.

Outfield: Senior Taylor Genoino hit .512 last year on his way to an All-County and All-League season. He'll be looked upon for major offensive production again this year. He was also a finalist for a Gold Glove award from his right field position with a perfect fielding percentage last year. This year he'll play center field.

Senior lefty hitter Justin Steigerwald will play right field. Schnupp said there will be an open competition in left between Ryan Murphy, C.J. Hafner and Mike Amato, who is also a candidate to be a starting pitcher.

Infield: Mike Shada will lead the infield from his second base position. He'll be followed by shortstop Chris Carroll, who Schnupp said was working out very hard during the off-season in the weight room. Gaven Helring will play third again this year and can be utilized in the outfield and on the mound. Mike Westerhaus will play first base and pitch. Dean Papakonstatis and Greg Binfield will get some playing time as well.

Catching: It's an open competition between George Stenby, Brendan Jones and Ryan McCloskey.

Pitching: Junior Dylan Caruso should be the ace of the team. He brings a mid-80s fastball and a 2.25 ERA into the year. Amato, Westerhaus and Helring will back him up.

Depth: Schnupp said Steve Sperry and 6-foot-4 Vin Bina will both be important down the stretch.

On the rise: Schnupp said he is also, "keeping a mindful eye on some key players on the JV, who are making some noise." They include juniors Bryan Vaccaro and Tom Trifaro, sophomores Chris Kennedy and Brian Castles and freshmen Dan Hetzel and Nick Liegi.

Schedule: The boys kick off their season March 25 at Riverhead in a non-league game, then open the League I season with a series against William Floyd (April 5-8). They play Pat-Med, Ward Melville, Commack, Brentwood and Longwood in three-game sets throughout the year. The series against Pat-Med from April 26-April 29 could be important for the end-of-season stretch. On May 15, East will play Sachem High School North at Baseball Heaven in the Tim Crowley Memorial Tournament.