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St. James/Smithtown Little League

Winning pitcher Alex Peña celebrates St. James-Smithtown Little League’s 14U championship with coach Rich Conner. Peña had two hits on the day and pitched the final 3 2/3 innings for the win. Photo by Steven Zaitz

By Steven Zaitz

In the world of Little League baseball, when players reach their 13th birthday, they are forced into retirement – barely teenagers yet too old to play. 

Those days are over. 

In just their second year of existence, the St. James-Smithtown Bulls won the 14U Half Hollow Hills Summer Little League Championship on Saturday, Aug. 5, at Otsego Park in Dix Hills. In dramatic fashion, the Bulls scored two runs in their final turn at bat to triumph with a 3-2 victory over Bay Shore.  

This team of grizzled “veterans” now join in on the summer-long celebration of softball and baseball excellence in Smithtown.

Smithtown 14U shortstop Brandon Castoro strokes a two-run double to give the Bulls a 3-2 lead over Bay Shore in the Half Hollow Hills Junior C championship game. Photo by Steven Zaitz

The improbable win capped off a 10-6 season following their inaugural season in 2022 when they stumbled to a 5-16 record. Head coach, Rich Conner, assembled this team and applied for admittance to Half Hollow Hills Junior C League because he wanted to prolong the baseball life expectancy for kids who “age out” of traditional Little Leagues when they become teenagers. 

His son Dylan, who plays second base for the 14U Bulls, wanted to keep playing without the joining the grueling and ultra-competitive travel leagues. It was out of Dylan and his friends’ desire to continue that motivated his dad to launch the team.

“Initially, we sent an email to everyone our league, I think we got three or four kids,” said the elder Conner, who played at SUNY Albany and has coached at St. Joseph’s and Hofstra universities. “Dylan reached out to some of the kids he knew and from there, with some word of mouth, we were able to put a product on the field. The first season we did this, we were a younger team and we struggled but nobody wanted to quit. One year later, look at what happened. We won the championship.”

To win it, the Bulls had to go through Bay Shore, who won 11 out of 16 in the regular season, including five in a row to end their year. The South Shore team trotted out their ace right-hander Tyler Drago to try and secure a ring. Drago was untouchable over the first four innings, striking out eight and allowing only two baserunners.

Smithtown starter Nathan LoRe, despite loads of heavy traffic, managed to keep Bay Shore off the board for three innings. He allowed the first two runners to reach and was relieved by Alex Peña, who allowed his inherited runners to score but nothing more. The only ball that was well struck in the inning was by cleanup hitter Christopher DiGiovanni, who Peña dueled for nine pitches until Giovanni knocked in the first run of the game with a single up the middle.    

“Alex plays at a very high level, and he’s a perfectionist,” Conner said. “That inning could have gotten out of hand, and Alex did a fantastic job of limiting the damage and keeping us in the game.” 

“I wasn’t happy giving up that hit,” said Peña, who missed a chunk of games in the middle of the year with an ankle injury. “We battled hard against each other, and [DiGiovanni] won that battle.”

The way Drago was throwing, it looked like Bay Shore was also going to win the war. 

“He threw pretty hard,” Peña said of Drago. “But not only that, he was locating his pitches where he wanted to, so he gave us a hard time.”

Niko Kostas steals second base for the Bulls. Photo by Steven Zaitz

But after 106 pitches, Drago was out of the game after six innings. Clinging to a 2-1 lead, Bay Shore summoned righty reliever Jake LaGrange. The Bulls got to work on him immediately. 

Left fielder D.J. Savage, who saved three runs in early in the game with a nifty, two-out, bases-loaded catch, led off the seventh with a single to left. He was sacrificed to second by Jake Scandaliato.  

Peña drove a hard single to center and Conner, who is the third base coach, elected to hold Savage at third and not risk running the Bulls out of a very promising inning. After Peña stole second, Smithtown had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position for power-hitting shortstop Brandon Castoro. 

Castoro drove LaGrange’s  second offering deep into the left-center field gap and all the way to the wall – a two RBI double that turned a 2-1 Smithtown deficit into a 3-2 lead. 

Castoro pumped his fist proudly as he stood on second base. His teammates in the dugout and Bulls fans on the first base side screamed in delight. 

“I took the first pitch for a strike so Alex could steal second,” said Castoro. “After that, I was looking for something in the middle, and I put a good swing on it.”

The shortstop and his family were not even supposed to be at the game, as they had tickets to a Metallica concert in New Jersey. But after the team won their semifinal game against West Babylon three days earlier, the Castoros altered their travel arrangements. 

“I’m extremely glad I was able to play in this game,” said Castoro. “It feels great and refreshing to see all the work that we put in paying off with this championship.” 

Despite the sudden good fortune on the Smithtown side, it may have been lost on some folks that there was the matter of the bottom of the seventh. This was still a one-run game.

“I knew that there was still work to do,” Peña said. 

Named the game’s MVP for his work at the plate, on the bases and on the mound, Peña, who pitched a scoreless 3 2/3 innings to earn the win,  calmly struck out the first two batters on six pitches and got the last out on a harmless fly ball to Savage.

The game was over, and for Smithtown the rest of the day at Otsego Park was filled with bear hugs, Gatorade showers, smiling parents and photo ops with the championship trophy. 

“Over the two years that we’ve done this, the players and parents have become like a family,” Conner said. “Hopefully this will result in interest from the community and let people know that baseball is not over for a large portion of Smithtown kids at ages 13 and 14, if they don’t want it to be. Just look at what can happen.”

A championship happened — pretty good for a team that is competing in only its second year with most of its members playing at the ripe old age of 14

St. James-Smithtown Little League 2023 Accomplishments:

14U
Baseball:
Half Hollow Hills Junior C Champions 12U
Baseball:
District 35 champs, Section 4E finalists

10U
Baseball:
District 35 and Section 4E champs, New York State “Elite Eight”

12U
Softball:
District 35 and Section 4E champs, New York State “Final Four”

11U
Softball:
District 35 Champs, Section 4E finalists

Host Location for 2023 New York State Softball Championship Tournament for 10U, 11U, and 12U

 

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The smoke cleared from the skies just in time, and the St. James-Smithtown Little League concluded its regular season and playoffs with a gala, daylong championship Saturday, June 10, at Gaynor Park in St. James.

Due to the poor air quality from the Canadian wildfires earlier in the week, the weekend was jam-packed from sun-up to sundown with baseball and softball games from all age groups. In addition to the exciting action, players, parents, and fans enjoyed music, face painting, a bouncy house and the smell of smoke of a much more pleasing nature wafting from the east parking lot — free hot dogs and hamburgers all day long. There were also churros, cotton candy and big, salty pretzels.

“It was the best ceremony and festival we’ve ever had for the league,” said S.J.S.L.L. President Richard Tomitz. “We were able to raise a lot of money for (former New York Jet and current radio voice) Marty Lyons’ foundation and Legislator Rob Trotta’s donation to our league is much appreciated.”

Lyons, whose construction company LandTek helped build the league’s new turf fields, also runs a foundation that works with children from ages 3 to 18 with terminal illnesses and grants them wishes. His foundation has raised $43,000,000 since its inception four decades ago.

“Never take anyone or anything for granted in this world,” Lyons told the crowd. “What we have today, we might not have tomorrow, and we should give thanks to God for the opportunities that he’s allowed us to have. I do this every day of my life.”

Through the sale of raffle tickets and individual donations, Tomitz raised several thousand dollars for the foundation. Suffolk  County Legislator Rob Trotta also spoke to the crowd and presented Tomitz with a check for $2,500 as Trotta’s office, S.J.S.L.L. and BusPatrol America — an organization devoted to creating a system to sustain the safety of children as they travel to and from school — have partnered to help the Suffolk County Police Department to issue tickets and enforce critical law to change driver behavior.

“We want to bring the number of school bus accidents and violations to zero in Suffolk County,” said Trotta in his remarks to the crowd.

When the microphone and podium were removed from the field, it was time for baseball. In the first game, the 11 and under minor league championship game pitted Trophy Hut v Smithtown Ninja, with Trophy Hut winning 15-9. The 12U Championship was played next and Armor Fence defeated Memas Little Italian 12-7. Armor Fence capped off an undefeated season with the win.

 In Majors Softball, La Familia won the Championship 9-2 in finals vs. Team Sciortino.

For the smaller players, Tee Ball and Coach-Pitch leagues for kids 4-7 also played their finales on a colorful, balloon-filled, and sun-splashed morning, afternoon into early evening. The eight-year-old All-Star game kicked off the activities early in the morning.

Although the 2023 S.J.S.L.L. intraleague season is in the books, the action is just heating up for baseball and softball in Smithtown.  Six different age groups have qualified for participation in Williamsport tryouts, which is where the Little League World Series is held each August.  In July, Smithtown will host the New York State Softball tournament, which will send the winner of the 12 and under group to North Carolina to compete on a national level.  The Smithtown girls who played on the 11 and under team last year, won their State Bracket. Many of them are the 12U team this year and have a real chance of playing in the national championship.  Tomitz is one of the coaches on that team.

“Everyone is really excited about the softball tournament coming here,” Tomitz said. “We can’t wait to host and hopefully win again. It’s going to be awesome.”

All photos by Steven Zaitz

The late Brooklyn Dodger great Jackie Robinson once said that a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.

It was only fitting that the St. James-Smithtown Little League Opening Day parade and celebration coincided with Major League Baseball’s annual day of recognition of Robinson.

Over 1,000 players, coaches, parents, and baseball fans marched and lined the sidewalks of Woodlawn Avenue west to Gaynor Park in St. James on Saturday as the league marks its 66th year of little league competition — and the impact of this celebration of baseball’s return to Smithtown could be measured by the smiles of everyone who was there.

The 11 and Under Girls Softball team, who won the New York State Championship in July of 2022, rode in the Fighting Two Fire Engine of the St. James Fire Department, which led the parade west on Woodlawn to the new artificial turf field at Gaynor. The champs were honored lavishly throughout the day. Five hundred other players and coaches followed them, dressed in full uniforms, all carrying decorative team banners with one hand and waving to adoring onlookers with the other. 

This trip down Smithown’s version of the Canyon of Heroes was the thrill of a lifetime for the girls.

“The fire truck arrived and one of the firefighters asked the girls to enter, the shocked look on their faces said it all,” said Coach Sean Singh, who piloted the team to glory. “As the fire truck slowly drove along the parade route, they quickly realized that the cheering from friends, family and community was all for them! Having so many people come down to personally congratulate the young ladies was such an honor and their success spoke volumes to the quality of programs Smithtown provides such as our Little League program, along with the opportunities we can provide for our younger athletes.”

Singh’s daughter, Jiselle, plays shortstop for the team.

“Riding in that fire truck was so cool,” Jiselle said. “When I heard the cheering and knew it was for us, I almost cried.”

Tears of joy and laughter were de rigueur on this day, as hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn and soft drinks were available to all at no cost. League sponsors pitched tents along the foul line of Gaynor Field 3 to ply their wares and dole out raffle tickets, most to kids who didn’t know or care what the prizes were. Two giant, rainbow-colored bouncy houses rollicked behind the centerfield fence, as the rain that had been predicted earlier in the week for this day, exercised a reasonable restraint.

SJSLL Board Member and Co-Softball Coach Peter Russo welcomed the crowd and then league President and Master of Ceremonies Richard Tomitz introduced the girls individually in his customary carnival barker style.

“This is a great day and great celebration of our league, our town and our State Championship girls,” said Tomitz. “It is the first time we are able to have this party on the new turf field here at Gaynor and I’m happy the rain held off and everyone is able to have a wonderful time and stay mostly dry.”

Tomitz then brought Town Supervisor Ed Wehrheim to the podium and he, along with Councilman Tom Lohmann, who played in SJSLL in the late 1960s, threw out the ceremonial first pitch of the season to softballers Gabrielle Krayewski and Riley Connelly. Players and coaches formed a semi-circle around the two politicians as parents and fans cheered from the bleachers.

Wehrheim also gave his congratulatory remarks to the softball champs, the league and spoke glowingly about the project team who helped to complete the turf field. This improvement was the clincher that enabled St. James-Smithtown to acquire the hosting rights to the New York State Championship later in the summer.

“This is an amazing group of girls, and they represented this town with class and excellence,” Wehrheim told the crowd. “This new field surface and improved grounds project was truly a team effort with the league, town hall and the community and is a great example of your tax dollars working for Smithtown.”

Lucas Neems, who is six years old, is not yet focused on a championship, but was nevertheless having the time of his life.

“I loved marching with my new baseball friends,” said Lucas, who plays on Pietro’s Sandlot Scrappers. “I also loved the chocolate ice cream and the pretzels.”

When the ceremony was over and most of the crowd took to the free food, it was time to play ball for a select few. On the main diamond, Singh, Russo, Eric Hanson and Mark Sciortino shared coaching duties for a mixture of girls in blue and red, while minor league boys kicked off the baseball season on Gaynor Field Two. Later on, the 12-year-old boys, the oldest group in the league, played a game on the new turf. This ballgame closed out the party, as sponsors, food vendors and face-painters folded up their tents. 

“It was a great time,” Tomitz said. “We had competitive baseball and softball, everybody seemed to have fun, and I’m happy the girls got the recognition and kudos that they deserve.  If they win again this year on our home turf, I hope Supervisor Wehrheim gives them one of those giant keys to the city.”

For more photos, visit tbrnewsmedia.com.

Rich Tomitz, above left and below right, in his element, coaching members of the St. James-Smithtown Little League. Photo by Steven Zaitz

Throughout his tenure as president of the St. James-Smithtown Little League, and over the course of his life, Rich Tomitz has always been a big dreamer. 

Rich Tomitz, above left and below right, in his element, coaching members of the St. James-Smithtown Little League. Photo by Steven Zaitz

So much so, that when his friends and associates tell him that he is out of his mind or he is wasting his time with his latest ambitious project or idea, he has a simple response for them: “It’s my time to waste.”

Thanks to this defiant determination, hundreds of Zoom calls and a dash of Tomitz’s legendary enthusiasm and panache, there are now two gleaming artificial turf baseball fields for the kids of Smithtown and beyond to enjoy. 

With the help of Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim’s (R) office, the Smithtown Parks, Buildings & Grounds Department and internal fundraising campaigns, Gaynor Park and Veterans Memorial Park in St. James have been modernized. What the naysayers labeled a pipe dream, Tomitz turned into reality.

“Both fields are beautiful,” Tomitz said. “It took a lot of phone calls and favors that I had to cash in, but we got it done. Ed Wehrheim and the Smithtown parks department were very supportive and getting these fields redone was truly a team effort.”

In addition to being more resistant to bad weather, the project resulted in the fields getting enhanced safety features, dugouts and backstops. Even the surrounding playgrounds and landscaping got makeovers, thus improving quality of life for non-baseball kids, too. Personalized bricks adorn the area behind home plate at Gaynor and serve as a nostalgic touch to players and families, past and present.

“There is nothing quite like building a park where our young residents can enjoy and build lifelong memories,” Wehrheim said. “This was truly a private and public partnership and was a great example of what can be done when there is community collaboration.”

Tomitz, a former Wall Street worker, took over SJSLL in 2017, and he has devoted much of his time to the kids of this community for close to a decade as a board member. The league serves over 600 area boys and girls from ages 4 to 13 and competes in the national Williamsport Little League tournaments for baseball and softball every year.

“I’ve known Rich since the sixth grade, and he’s always had the gift of gab,” said Peter Famighetti, who is treasurer of SJSLL and grew up with Tomitz in New Hyde Park.

“To know him is to love him, and I really think that it took somebody like Rich to bring all the necessary parties together along with effective fundraising to get the wheels in motion for the new fields,” Famighetti said.

Tomitz’s wheels didn’t stop turning there.

Rich Tomitz with members of one of the St. James-Smithtown Little League teams

With the upgrade to Gaynor and Veterans Memorial parks, he has been able to realize another dream — having the New York State softball championship tournament held locally. 

Tomitz, Peter Russo, Sean Singh and Eric Hanson coached the 11-and-under Smithtown softball team during their state championship run in Rochester this past summer and while there, they had a group epiphany — we could host this tournament in our town and make it extra special.

After four months of negotiating with multiple parties locally and in Rochester and again working closely with Wehrheim, Tomitz and his project team struck a deal to move the tournament here.

In July of 2023, the state softball championships for 10U, 11U and 12U will be held on the new fields in the town, and it promises to not only be exciting, nearly month-long competition, but a family friendly extravaganza for Smithtown and visiting families from across New York state.

“This is a huge opportunity for Smithtown and our league to showcase where we live as well as our new fields,” Tomitz said. “We plan to make it a great family experience and I think that will not only be great for the kids, but also for the restaurants and hotels. Smithtown is the greatest place in the world to live and we can’t wait to show our New York state neighbors what we have to offer: baseball movie night on the outfield grass, ‘50-foot-long subway sandwiches,’ balloon animals … you name it, we’ll have it.” 

“I’m ecstatic about the softball tournament coming to town,” Wehrheim said. “Hosting these types of major tournaments was a big part of why we invested in the renovations of these parks. The tournament will be great for tourism and will generate an uptick in commerce and small businesses. It will put our park system on the proverbial map and inspire our community youth to engage in the sport of softball. We’re excited to host so many families and looking forward to welcoming the tournament to Smithtown.”

Singh, whose daughter Jiselle is the starting shortstop for the champion 11U softball team, would love to repeat the triumph in 2023 in front of a hometown crowd.

“I’m honored to be a part of something so special,” coach Singh said. “Rich is a pillar of the community and of the league, and he has gone above and beyond to help our athletes grow and develop. When I moved out here, he shared his vision of rebuilding the Smithtown softball program from the ground up and when he asked me to help him do this, I knew I could not say ‘no.’ The result was the first-ever state softball championship in Smithtown’s history and now we’re hosting it, it’s a really special achievement.”

Tomitz’s daughter Nadia, who just turned 11 and plays second base for the champs, beams with pride over her dad and the efforts he has put forth for the team, the league and the town.

“I love my dad and he’s the best,” Nadia said. “He’s always on the phone, talking about something and trying to do good things for all the kids. He never stops talking about this stuff.”

Even with the tournament secured, Tomitz’s talking has just begun. Over the next few months, he will focus on securing vendors, sponsors, entertainment and housing just to name a few. Plus, he still has the regular business of the Little League to deal with. Despite all of that, he intends to take his place in the dugout as part of the coaching staff of the 11U team that is looking to repeat as state champions.

“We want to win two in a row,” he said. “And I want to be there for every second of that.”

Win or lose, it surely will be time very well spent. For his enterprise on behalf of SJSLL, TBR News Media is pleased to name Tomitz a Person of the Year for 2022.

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The team and their coaches, above, hold the New York State 9-11 Year Old Softball Champions banner at a recent practice. Photo by Steven Zaitz

In what could be a boon to both the St. James/Smithtown Little League and the Town of Smithtown, the New York State Softball Championship Tournament will be held here in July of 2023 and possibly beyond. 

Richard Tomitz, president of SJSLL, and Peter Russo, vice president, have been working closely with New York State little league officials, Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R)  and Little League District 35 (Western Suffolk) President Bill Sukow to make this possible.   

Girls in the 10 and Under, 11 and Under, and 12 and Under divisions will battle for NY state supremacy, and the games will be held at newly renovated facilities at Gaynor Park and Veterans Memorial Park, which are both in St. James, and Brady Park, which is in Smithtown.  

Tomitz and Russo, whose daughters Nadia and Isabella were on the winning 11 and Under team in 2022, are both excited to have this event come to town. It had been played in Rochester for the past several years. 

“This is a huge opportunity for Smithtown and our league to showcase where we live and our new fields,“ Tomitz said. “We plan to make it a great family weekend experience for not just the kids, but the adults, too, and I think it will be very beneficial for local businesses.” 

SJSLL is renowned for its gala opening and closing parades and ceremonies every spring,  and now that the deal has been signed off, Tomitz and the SJSLL board of directors will begin planning logistics, game schedules and events. 

“We are going to have Movie Night in the outfield, a carnival with bouncy houses, face painting — the whole nine yards,” Tomitz said.

This is a developing story. Look for more details on tbrnewsmedia.com and in The Times of Smithtown.

 

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By Steven Zaitz

When you are 10 or 11, and you’re on a team that has accomplished something that no other Smithtown little league squad ever has, life is as sweet as — Krispy Kreme?

“These girls made history because no softball team has ever won the New York State Championship out of Smithtown.”

— Rich Tomitz

The Smithtown 11 and under girls softball team, which is part of the larger St. James/Smithtown Little League family, traveled up to Rochester in late July to win the New York State Softball Championship. They outscored their opposition by a composite 58-6 in their five victories and put an indelible stamp on the softball world as well as the local community.

Left-handed pitcher Isabella Russo was a perfect 4-0 in the tournament and got the win in the title-clinching game against New City — a 14-2 mercy-rule rocking of the team from Rockland. She mixed a power, windmill fastball with a devastating change-up to bedevil opposing hitters throughout the tournament. Quinn Amari also picked up a win on the way to the crown.

“My circle grip change up was working pretty well,” Russo said. “It keeps the hitters off balance.”

“This is going to make all of our summers even more awesome than ever!”

— Brooke Hanson

That pitch fooled more than just the opposition, for whom Smithtown forced mercy rulings in three of the five playoff games.

“She even froze me in the dugout three or four times,” joked Rich Tomitz, head of the entire St. James/Smithtown Little League for baseball and softball and one of four coaches on the championship team. His daughter Nadia plays second base.

“These girls made history because no softball team has ever won the New York State Championship out of Smithtown,” Tomitz said. “I’m so proud of these girls.”

Peter Russo, who coaches with Tomitz and is Isabella’s father, also beams with pride.

“We as coaches are lucky that we got a group of kids that know how to set goals and accomplish that goal,” Russo said. “This championship is great for the team, the coaches and the parents of these girls and it just proves that they can do anything they put their minds to, and no dream is too big.”

“We as coaches are lucky that we got a group of kids that know how to set goals and accomplish that goal.”

— Peter Russo

The community of Smithtown at large also seems to be energized by this tremendous victory.

“A lot of parents grew up in this area and competed athletically in Smithtown at the high school level,” coach Eric Hanson said, who is the father of first baseman Brooke. “Now, our kids are playing community sports for the town itself and hopefully more kids will join the league and play town sports with a greater sense of pride.”

“It felt great to win,” Brooke said. “We are state champions, and nobody can ever take that away from us.  This is going to make all of our summers even more awesome than ever!”

Shortstop Jiselle Singh was also awesome, smacking a three-run home run in the tournament finale. She is the stabilizing glue in the middle of the infield for this team and has a good chance of making the Smithtown West Lady Bull team in 2023 — as a middle schooler.

“I love being part of this team and I’m so happy we were able to win,” said Singh, who will attend Accompsett Middle School in the fall. Her father Sean is the coach who always has a fungo bat in
his hands.

“The one thing our team has more so than a lot of teams I’ve been around is chemistry,” the elder Singh said. “They act like they were literally born together; they have fun and that’s what this sport is all about. They’re actually here just enjoying their lives and having the best time of their lives and building lifelong memories, so I think that’s the reason that they’re such a special group of girls.

“We played great and when we won, and we all threw our gloves way up into the air.”

Gabrielle Krayewski

Catcher Gabrielle Krayewski remembers most vividly the moment the final out of the tournament was made and exactly how she felt when the ball hit her catcher’s mitt and the trophy belonged to Smithtown.

“We played great and when we won, and we all threw our gloves way up into the air,” Krayewski said, who stoked a two run double in the fifth inning against New City to put a little icing on the championship cake. “We all had Krispy Kreme after that, and the whole experience was amazing!”

The other players on this amazing group of 10- and 11-year-olds are outfielders Casey Connelly, Vanessa Borowski, Sydney Wetstein, Liana Roehrig, Avery Wierzbicki and third baseman Riley Connelly — and as the girls on this team embark on their middle school and higher-level athletic careers at different places across the district, they formed an unbreakable, lifelong bond on that last Monday of July in 2022.

“These girls, the coaches, the families and all of the siblings are connected for all eternity,” Tomitz said.