Thursday, October 1, 2026
Freeport’s baseball team has orchestrated a turnaround 2026 season conducted largely by strong senior leadership.
A 5-2 win against Herricks Monday kept Freeport (16-0) unbeaten in Conference AAA-2 with three games remaining and a league title within reach a season removed from going 1-12-1 in a challenging AAA-1.
Fourteenth- year Freeport coach Roberto Delgado credits his eight seniors with creating a winning culture on and off the field this spring. The Red Devils are one of just two remaining unbeaten baseball teams in Nassau County, along with the Red Devils from Plainedge.
“The seniors have stepped up and taken care of business,” Delgado said. “It has been a real blessing for the whole program with how the seniors have handled themselves this year.”
Monday’s win to start a three-game series in a battle for first place with Herricks (14-1-1) featured seven strikeouts from Leondru Bonilla three and a third innings of relief. Senior Caleb Holin recorded two hits including a double that drove in two runs.
The Herricks win followed a three-game sweep of Hicksville that began with a 4-1 home win on May 4 featuring two RBIs from senior shortstop Jayden Brown and one run driven in by senior third baseman Justin Frometa. Junior pitcher Jermani Buchanan earned the win with four strong innings out of the bullpen.
The next day Freeport rallied from an early five-run hole for a 16-9 home win sparked by a two-run double from sophomore first baseman Max Jenkins.
The Red Devils completed the sweep last Thursday with a dominant 13-3 road victory featuring a 3-for-3 performance from Holin with a double and home run. Brown also had a big day at the plate going 2-for-2 with a double and triple while senior pitcher Manny Cruceta earned the win with five strong innings of work.
Cruceta is part of a pitching staff that also features Buchanan and junior JC Rodriguez. The pitchers have gotten strong leadership behind the plate from senior catcher Frewin Diaz, who also has power at the plate.
Diaz has hit five home runs including hitting back-to–back shots with Frometa in a 10-0 win against Baldwin on April 14.
Delgago said his core group seniors for going out strong in their final high school seasons after putting in hard work the last four years with the program. Players who are slated to compete on the collegiate level next year include Diaz Baezat (SUNY Old Westbury, Frometa at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland and Holin at Monroe College while Brown is still deciding between two schools.
“It's good to see the kids four years growing every year and then go to college and play baseball and continue their education,” Delgado said. “They have all stepped up.”
Freeport now gears up for the Class AAA playoffs where Delgado hopes the magical season can continue. Delgado previously spearheaded a turnaround at Freeport when he took over as head coach in 2012 after the program went winless for three years and led them to the county quarterfinals in 2018.
“I believe in the guys and I believe in the team,” Delgado said. “We have a deep team and we should be able to do some damage in the playoffs.”
