MacArthur flying high into playoffs

MacArthur is headed into the Nassau Class A baseball playoffs on a strong note after sweeping Bellmore-Kennedy to end the regular season.

The Generals finished near the top of the Conference A-1 standings at 12- 3 just a half game behind first-place Garden City following a 7-0 victory against Kennedy on May 4 that capped a three-game sweep. In the program’s first season competing in Class A since the mid-2000s, MacArthur has thrived despite graduating the bulk of its starters from last year’s team 15-5-1 team that fell to Massapequa in the Class AA quarterfinals.

The sweep of Kennedy was completed the sweep thanks to an eight strikeout performance in 6 1/3 innings by Max Ziegler in the series finale.  Joe Apollo, Chris Moustouka and Jason Tramontana all had two hits each in the commanding victory. 

Solid starting pitching from seniors Bobby Lewis, Michael Andreoli and Max Ziegler paced MacArthur’s regular season success. Lewis has recorded six wins as the ace of the staff and struck out nine in a 3-2 win against Mepham on April 24. Andreoli and Ziegler stuck out seven and eight batters, respectively in wins against Kennedy last week.

“Our three starting pitchers have been fantastic,” MacArthur head coach Steve Costello said. “They are all striking out at least one batter an inning.”

The starting pitching is receiving sold offensive support with the Generals scoring five or more runs in 10 games. Costello has been impressed by the clutch hitting of center fielder Kyle Draghi and third baseman Rob Iacono. The two seniors were competing for starting positions early in the season have been on a tear of late with both hitting above. 500 during the home stretch of the regular season.   

“They have been kitting it lately,” Costello said. “They are in the middle of everything we do.”

MacArthur is set to open the Class A playoffs next week versus cross-town foe Division in the double-elimination first round bracket. Costello said for the Generals to make a run in a competitive Class A solid defense is essential since very little separates one team from the other.

“Defense is going to be the key,” said Costello, who led MacArthur to county titles in 1994 and 2015. “Teams in Class A are very similar, but it’s the consistency in the defense that determines the winners.”

Costello said it is fitting that MacArthur’s first Class A playoff appearance in more than a decade will start with a neighborhood battle against Division. The two Levittown schools competed five times for county titles in the 1990s and both are championship contenders again in 2017. Division finished the regular season at 13-4 overall and was tied with Wantagh for second place in Conference A-III. 

“To think that our first year back in Class A of all the teams we could draw to start the playoffs we draw the team across town,” Costello said. “It almost seems like kismet.”