Hamptons Collegiate Baseball

The first year of the Sag Harbor Whalers, they won the division title in grand fashion. Last year, they were down, finishing out of the division playoffs. With a new coaching staff in place and a highly touted crop of talent, Sag Harbor is poised to be back at the top of the division standings.

It starts with the coaching staff, between manager Jim Buckley, pitching coach Dave Pahucki and assistants Scott June and Len Kies. At the top, Buckley was drafted by the Red Sox out of Siena, where his named is sprinkled all over the record books. He played five-and-a-half years of pro ball, reaching Triple-A Pawtucket, before becoming an instructor at All-Pro Sports Academy in Bellport. He recognizes the importance of summer ball, having played for the 1999 ACBL champion Jersey Colts and the 2001 Newark Raptors of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

“The biggest thing for the college kids is getting repetitions, getting as many at-bats and innings as they can,” Buckley said. “That’s what summer ball is all about.”

Sag Harbor brings back three players from last year’s squad, including the only three-year player in the organization’s history, Albany utilityman Kyle Crean. The Miller Place grad has hit over .300 in each of his seasons on the East End. Infielder Ed Squeri (Dowling), the All-Star Game starter at shortstop, and outfielder Stanley Fich (Stanford) also return. Among the schools represented by players here are Texas Tech, Boston College, St. John’s and Dayton.

The elder players had experiencing swinging the wood, whereas others, especially the players just completing their freshman seasons, have not. Buckley said that prep players are swinging wood bats more and more, but without the constant repetition, it may take some time for them to adjust.

“A lot of these guys don’t realize what a big difference it is compared to swinging a metal bat, but I think they’ll understand it in a week or two,” said Buckley, whose team also has Pierson grad Ryan Miller in the middle infield. “As far as the offense goes, I think we’ll be all right. I see some guys who look like they can swing the bat well.”

Among those is Luke Campbell, who hit .383 with nine homers and 65 RBI for Seward County CC. He was tabbed an NJCAA All-Region First Teamer and is targeting a number of Division I schools for next season. For many of the Whalers, it’s a matter of showing up to work and even putting in overtime.

“We had extra hitting the other day and everybody showed up,” Buckley added. “That’s 90 percent of it. Everybody wants to work. Everybody wants to get better.”

While the hitters adjust, the pitchers should have an early edge. Buckley has liked what he’s seen out of Suffolk County CC right-hander Ryan Bresnahan, and thinks that there are a number of quality arms to go along with him. The pitchers will work under the tutelage of Pahucki, who played with Buckley at Siena and also in the Sox farm system, compiling a 3.01 ERA over five minor league seasons.

Just like their players know their role, the Whaler coaching staff does too.

“Our role is not to re-invent anybody but to take what they’ve been working on and what their college coach wants them to work on,” Buckley said. “If we can send them back a little bit better than when they left, we did our jobs.”

Sag Harbor opens up its season Friday night at Southampton before returning home on Saturday for its home opener. All Whaler home games will take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays this summer, with first pitch set for 5 p.m. for single games and 2 p.m. for weekend doubleheaders. 

Winning, while important, is secondary to improving the players’ skills and confidence, but doing the latter often leads to the former, and vice versa.

“When you’re winning, you’re more relaxed, and when you relax, you play better,” Buckley said.