Playoffs an achievement for LWA

As the rest of the PSAA baseball teams played makeup games that extended the regular season by a few days, Lawrence Woodmere Academy played the waiting game as far as its playoff fate was concerned.

“We were on the bubble,” Tigers coach Michael Cohn said. “We needed some things to go in our favor to get into the playoffs. We just kept practicing with hopes we’d still be playing.”

Once Cohn received the good news — LWA was bound for the playoffs as the No. 4 seed — he decided to have a little fun with his players. “The first time I met with the kids after I knew, I brought a bag to collect uniforms,” he said. “I could tell on their faces they thought the season was over, but then I told them they had a game tomorrow.”

Although the Tigers (7-8 overall) came up short against defending champion Brooklyn Friends Seminary in the semifinals, getting to the playoffs with only two senior starters will bode well for the future, Cohn said. “It was a good experience and a good accomplishment,” he explained. “We were competitive with teams all year long. We didn’t get any bounces in the playoff game, and Brooklyn is a very strong team.”

Junior Jakob Cayne, the playoff MVP in 2010 when LWA took home the league title, led the team on the mound and at the plate this spring. The fourth-year varsity southpaw earned three pitching wins and batted .581 with 21 RBIs, 20 runs scored and 15 stolen bases. “Jakob was the main cog in the offense and our top pitcher,” Cohn said. “He’s always had very good stuff, but he became a more efficient pitcher this year. His accuracy improved and he pitched more to contact, so his pitch count was lower as a result.”

Freshman Wesley Gladstein proved a fine addition to the rotation, Cohn said, and came on strong towards the end of the year. He’s 6-foot-3, throws hard and locates well. “He had one game with 11 strikeouts and three hits allowed in five innings,” Cohn said of Gladstein, who played right field on most non-pitching days. 

Seniors Michael Licatesi and Hunter Braverman helped lead the infield defense at second and third base, respectively, and each filled the No. 3 role in the pitching rotation. Licatesi batted .343, while Braverman hit .330. In between them defensively was eighth-grade shortstop Jake Ellowitz, a fundamentally sound performer with great range and communication skills. “Jake’s a future captain,” Cohn said.

Sophomores Matthew Irizarry and Noah Schulman split time at catcher, and Irizarry also played some first along with junior Cody Schwab. In addition to Cayne and Gladstein, the outfield featured juniors Brian Ruiz-Diaz and Michael Levitt.