Thursday, October 1, 2026
It won't be an easy path but a good group of five sophomores and the injury return of senior Ryan Lau spells potential for North Shore's baseball team.
Last season, the Vikings made the playoffs and lost a competitive series to Wantagh. The Maroon graduated 12 seniors and hence a bevy of youngsters, including two freshmen, will key the season.
"This year we will be young,'' said Rob Gates, in his second season as head coach after being a longtime assistant.
North Shore is off 3-6 start in Conference A2 after losing two of three games to Island Trees during Easter Break.
"Injuries and growing pains of a young team is kind of where we are right now,'' Gates said. "The record doesn't look good now. But we have talent and trying to build it up.''
The headliner is Lau, the third baseman who missed all of 2024 with a wrist injury. He had hit .330 as a promising sophomore All-Leaguer, also known for defense. Lau attempted a comeback late last season but broke a bone in the wrist area again in his first game back.
"He's had a number of injuries and tough luck,' Gates said. "Give him credit. He pushed the issue to get back because we were in the playoff hunt.
Now that he's healthy, Lau is ripping the ball to the tune of a .381 batting average, two home runs and 10 RBI.
An injury has beset sophomore lefty pitcher/first baseman Brady Ayres, who bruised his knee early in the season on a slide. As a freshman, Ayres posted a 2-3 record with a 2.44 ERA and he's just getting back to 100 percent.
The senior of the staff is Mateo Rincon, who committed to Nichols (Mass.) College. He posted a 3.17 ERA in 17.2 innings as a junior, coming on strong at the end. "He's got a college arm and got college stuff,” Gates said. “He's just got to command the zone a little better.''
Junior righthander Marco Visintainer had a .252 ERA in five appearances after a midseason callup. Now Visintainer inherits a bigger role on the mound. His ERA is lowest on team at 4.50 and he's churned out the staff's most innings.
At the plate, North Shore is relying on senior outfielder Gianluca Sferrazza, the leadoff hitter. After hitting .240 last season, he's raised it to .330 in 2025 and is a base stealer. "He's a key part of our offense,'' Gates said. "He's the vocal leader of our team. He's a multi-sport football kid and really well liked by the seniors last year. He's really grown into an emotional leader.''
Starring against Island Trees were two gifted sophomores in second baseman Liam Ricco and Casey Gates. They each had five hits in the Island Trees series. Ricco is hitting at.455 and smacked a crucial RBI double in the 5-3 win April 16. Both are hitting over .400 and leading team in hitting. The tandem are also very athletic infielders, the coach said.
Two freshmen are making contributions in reliever, Jake Lau, and infielder Joey Cristofari, versatile on defense and getting solid at-bats.
North Shore's biggest test loom in the season's last two weeks when they get red-hot frontrunners Seaford and Plainedge.
"We got some work to do,'' the coach said. "We've left meat on bone in the first few weeks.''
