Thursday, October 1, 2026
Through the first four games, the North Shore baseball team soared to an undefeated record with a pitching staff that dominated.
In two wins apiece over Locust Valley and Valley Stream North, North Shore didn't allow a run and issued seven walks.
The offseason mantra had paid off during its 4-0 start. Junior lefty Brady Ayres went 2-0 with 18 strikeouts. Jake Lau was equally solid as he flirted with a no-hitter against Locust Valley April 2, allowing his first hit in the seventh inning.
"I'm proud the boys put in the work we needed to do,'' North Shore coach Rob Gates said. "Our pitching wasn't good enough last year. That was our biggest focus all winter along. We put away the radar gun and high-tech stuff and went back to charting balls and strikes. We've seen a gigantic improvement. All of our guys are pounding the zone.''
North Shore took its 4-0 record into a two-game series versus Class A powerhouse Plainedge last Saturday and Monday.
"When I saw schedule, I wanted to come out of the gates 4-0 going into Plainedge,'' Gates said. "And there we were. They're a measuring stick but I would like to see us compete against them.''
The first Plainedge match was a sobering 15-0 defeat in which the Vikings got no-hit. However, that was followed by North Shore flexing its pitching muscle, taking a two-run lead into the sixth inning before Plainedge rallied for a 6-4 win.
It was still a superlative pitching performance by senior Marco Visintainer, who carried a shutout into the bottom of the sixth.
"We're still young and growing,'' Gates said. "We didn't have to beat them Saturday and Monday. We have to beat them in the playoffs.”
North Shore finished just 7-13 in 2025, missing the Class A playoffs in League 2. In the new format, all teams are bunched under the same Class A umbrella with 8 of 11 teams making the postseason.
"The (4-0) start puts us in good position no matter what happened against Plainedge,'' Gates said.
That's because of the deep pitching staff that also includes senior pitcher Aurelio Cagno. Visintainer and Cagno combined for a 1-hitter March 30. Valley Stream North.
When not pitching, Ayres (first baseman) and Lau (second baseman) are still in the lineup, both flirting around .400 during the 4-0 start.
The duo will key the playoff push. Ayres has been in the rotation since freshman year. Lau's control has been exquisite with his three-pitch mix.
"(Ayres) is the guy who made the jump we needed,'' Gates said. "A legit Game 1 starter.''
Hitting-wise, the Vikings are usually formidable when Plainedge isn't the foe. Senior James Camardella, who missed last season with a knee injury, has six RBI in the first four games and homered on opening day.
An All-League outfielder as a sophomore, Liam Ricco is back doing damage with six RBI, five runs scored and a homer and is arguably their best hitter.
Senior Jonathan Versocki is a catcher and third baseman and hit.500 in the first four wins. Versocki and Canon Evans rotate at catcher and have been super steady with just one passed ball.
With Plainedge out of the way, the future looks advantageous. "It's 20 games so it's too early to say,'' Gates said of making the playoffs. "But last year we had two freshman, six sophomores playing a lot and we had growing pains as young team, young lineup. But we've made the jump.''
