Forget about last year.
That was head coach Vinny Alversa’s message to his Bonackers after their 4-1 loss to the Pierson Whalers on April 10. East Hampton baseball is winless in the first four games, dropping three to Hauppauge before the most recent struggle with Sag Harbor.
“We’ve kind of got to forget what we did last year, hit the reset button, and find out who we are. We need to find an identity that suits everybody,” Alversa said.
Last year, Bonac baseball made it to the Suffolk County championship game for the first time in 30 years, losing to East Islip. Several of the standouts from that team graduated, leaving a lot of new faces in this year’s lineup.
“It’ll get there,” Alversa said. “Last year’s done and over. You lose a lot and you’ve got to hit the reset and figure out a better way to come up with your own thing and find a way to win.”
It’s hard to pinpoint one problem area. The team has simply looked lackluster to date, and it isn’t due to a lack of talent. Trevor Meehan, a senior left-handed pitcher, threw back-to-back no-hitters last year. Finn O’Rourke, a senior right-handed pitcher, was also stellar last postseason. Coach Alversa called O’Rourke “a stone-faced killer.” Both have already committed to play baseball in college — Meehan at the University of Bridgeport and O’Rourke at Saint Peter’s University in Jersey City — but have struggled to find their groove this year.
“We’ve got to be better on the mound. You can’t have two pitches, two outs, then have them rally for a run,” Alversa said. “We need pitchers to strike out one or two guys.”
Victoreddy Aguero-Castillo — a senior outfielder who has committed to play baseball at Felician University in New Jersey — made a nice catch in the field and stole third while on the bases against Pierson. He can bat too — his walk-off hit beat Half Hollow Hills West in the playoffs last year. Some consistent plate appearances from Aguero-Castillo, Mason Miles, and Livs Kuplins could help the team get on the right track.
“When we get guys on, we’ve got to do the little things — hit the ball the other way, move guys over, but right now we’re swinging and missing,” Alversa said. “The hole’s only getting deeper if we continue on this path.”
