Hamptons Collegiate Baseball

Westhampton - In the aftermath of their 7-5 victory over Jersey to win the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League championship, the Westhampton Aviators have drawn their share of attention. On Tuesday, the league and division title winners made their debut in the Perfect Game Summer 25 rankings, coming in at No. 24.

The poll weekly rates the performances of teams from the 21 major summer collegiate baseball scene, including in Cape Cod, Alaska, Hawaii and more. Westhampton came from behind to beat the Pilots at Hite Field in the ACBL championship game on August 3.

Managed by Dave Walker, Westhampton grabbed the No. 2 seed in the Kaiser Division playoffs and promptly knocked off third-seeded Southampton 16-0 in the division semifinals. It then was locked in a tight three-game series with the North Fork Ospreys, who took Game 1 in dramatic fashion as Adam Clear belted a three-run homer in the eighth inning to win 7-6. At the brink of elimination, Westhampton snagged Game 2 at Cochran Park by a 9-2 count and then returned home for a convincing 7-1 win that wrapped up the series.

Against Jersey, the Aviators (28-17) were victorious despite giving up three consecutive home runs in the top of the first inning. Chris Griffin (Iona) smashed a two-run homer to bring Westhampton back to within 3-2 and a four-run fourth inning put the Aviators ahead for good. Alex Aycoth (Campbell) collected three hits on the night and Gerard Tingos (Long Island U.) added another two.

Through Tuesday, the Forest City Owls of the Coastal Plain League stood at the top spot with a 49-9 record. They are followed by Bourne (Cape Cod), Corvallis (West Coast), Newport (New England) and Santa Barbara (California) rounded out the top five. The rankings are determined by Perfect Game Crosschecker Allan Simpson and College Summer Ball Editor Andrew Hartwell. The summer's final poll will be posted sometime next week.