Young Tuckers aiming to emulate 2015 state championship baseball team

It is a longshot that the Mattituck High School baseball team will be able to duplicate the feat of the Tuckers’ 2015 squad which captured the school’s lone New York State Class B championship.

But head coach Dan O’Sullivan feels that the Tuckers can emulate that team in another way — by getting closer to a championship while growing for the future. The 10th anniversary of the 2015 milestone was commemorated ahead of Mattituck’s 13–4 home loss to Babylon in Suffolk County League VII action on Friday afternoon.

Before the game, O’Sullivan told the Tuckers how the 2015 players — most of whom attended the ceremony — walked together from the parking lot to the field.

“Just take a look at the fact that all these years, and they’re all so close — kids flying in from different states, coming from different jobs, coming here,” O’Sullivan said. “They’re from all over. They’re a family for life.

“This is a testament to show you that it’s not just on the field, it’s off the field, too,” he continued. “We have two ninth graders, all the way up to seniors. This is an example for you to see that even in a small school, it’s a family atmosphere. We’re trying to build a culture and a program.”

Junior right-hander Tyler Brown agreed.

“The one thing that we’re missing that they have, is they’re all still brothers to this day,” he said. “They say they still talk every day. That’s something we’re trying to get better at, trying to do team dinners, trying to blend more as a team.”

The Panthers (11-3, 11-3) swept the three-game series against the Tuckers (2-11, 2-11).

With a young team, progress can be slow.

“I just said it to them. I’m proud of the fact that we’re not rolling over,” O’Sullivan said, adding that the 12-0 defeat to Babylon on Thursday “was a tough day. We got behind early. But the bench was alive the whole time. They were rooting each other on. As a coach, that’s all I can ask for. Of course, you want to be winning games, but the fact that we’re not just rolling over and giving up is a testament to them. It’s a testament to the leaders that have instilled that, of whatever the situation may be, just fight.”

Brown was impressive early on, allowing only one run while pitching in and out of jams in the first three innings as Mattituck grabbed a 2-1 lead.

“I was just making sure I was keeping up with the change up, curveball, fastball, mixing it up,” he said. “Babylon’s a really good hitting team.”

But he struggled in the fourth, surrendering seven runs.

“I think I kind of let all the pressure get me, in a way,” Brown said. “It was like a base hit, walk, a pop-up [that dropped] in the middle of two guys.”

Babylon right-hander Jake Ostertag, who hurled four innings for the win, helped his cause with three hits and three RBIs. Designated hitter Aidan Kistner plated three batters. Third baseman Brett Coffey added three hits and two RBIs.

Mattituck matched its season high of four runs. Third baseman Trey Hansen and Brown each recorded bases-loaded walks in the third.

The Tuckers left a dozen runners on base.

In the fifth, freshman catcher Brayden Kruk made sure he didn’t leave anyone on base, singling to right to drive in two runs, which helped his confidence.

“It just helps the next at-bat,” he said. “I haven’t been hitting very well. I’ve been working on my swing pretty much after every game.”

Sullivan has been encouraged by Kruk’s progress. Mattituck doesn’t have a backup catcher.

“He’s not a catcher with his travel team,” he said. “But since January, he saw the writing on the wall. ‘If I do this, I got a shot to be on varsity.’ Sometimes I forget he’s a freshman. He’s out here every single day, catching bullpens during practice, catching every inning of every game.

“The fact that he’s able to come out here and give us everything he has, has just been incredible.”

Despite the record, with six games remaining against Class B teams, Mattituck still can qualify for the playoffs. The Tuckers are 1-5 in their class. They will need to win five of the remaining league games, against Pierson, on April 29, May 1 and 2. and Port Jefferson on May 6, 8 and 9, to finish at .500, the minimum winning percentage to qualify for the postseason.

“We just had a conversation,” O’Sullivan said. “If we can do like we did today … we’re going to hang in because we battled.”