Monday, April 21, 2025
If you’re playing the Uniondale baseball team, expect to be met with tough pitching and learn to deal with frustration. Currently on a 5-0 start to the season, the Knights are presenting themselves as one of the most formidable in the division.
The pitching is one of the strongest points for the Black Knights team this year, according to head coach Ciro Gentile. The starters and relievers all deserve attention: sophomore Jaxson Baptichon and junior Steven Frias open America’s pastime on the mound. Carlos Vasquez had a delayed start to the season due to injury but is on his way back to the mound nonetheless.
Gentile said that Baptichon is anchoring the pitching staff with his dominance, with Frias and Perez flanking him as pitching well this season. Baptichon is currently 3-0 with 26 strikeouts.
Beyond the stats, Gentile said his starters are gaining more confidence in general. They all have a myriad of experience: Vasquez is the only returning pitcher for the varsity squad as Baptichon was just prompted from the varsity level this season and Frias is fresh from the Dominican Republic.
“They’re working the strike zone a lot better, they’re hitting their spots a lot better,” Gentile said. “A little bit of a language barrier with [Steven], I speak a little bit of Spanish os I can understand some of the things that he’s saying and doing. He has a very high baseball IQ which makes it a lot easier.”
Then there’s the relievers, senior Aitor Nunez, junior Vaner Guerrero and senior Anthony Perez. The latter was noted to not have been a crucial member of the rotation last year, but has seriously refined his mechanics according to Gentile, making him a completely different ballplayer.
Then there’s the hitters, with Frias, Vasquez and Perez being some of the team’s best.
“They’ve been really anchoring the lineup for me and executing when we need to execute,” Gentile said. “Their experience, their knowledge of the game, their baseball IQ [sets them apart]. They’ll very rarely make mental mistakes, and that’s a big thing I always stress with the kids.”
Then there’s the question of how they all tie in together.
“It’s a good mix, we’re a fairly young team with only a couple of seniors, and they kind of push the younger kids to make them better,” Gentile said. “They really work together as a unit, especially in our last game against Elmont. Everybody played, everybody pitched in and I was really proud of them and how they played.”
That Elmont game that Gentile referred to saw Uniondale win 9-1 on the road, with Baptichon tossing a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts.
What’s interesting about this Knights team is that the positions are fluid, so to speak.
“Defensively I move a lot of kids around because I kind of have the ability to plug kids in different positions if I need to,” Gentile said. “Depending on who I have pitching, I can move kids around on the field.”
With all that, it’s about continuing the smooth sailing.
