Nick Condos, McClancy, Pitcher
The senior right-hander is not going to wow the opposition with a blazing fastball, but he certainly knows how to pitch. A 90-average student, Condos moves the ball around well and can throw his off-speed pitches, particularly a nasty curveball, for strikes at any point in the count. He went 6-1 a season ago with an earned run average under three and won a playoff game for the Crusaders.
“He’s a tough, good pitcher,” McClancy Manager Nick Melito said of his 5-foot-11, 170-pound ace. “If you look at him once, you might not be that impressed. But he knows what he is doing. He’s not overpowering. He’s a very determined individual.”
Travis Swiatocha, Holy Cross, Left Field
For all the power Holy Cross has, the performance of their left fielder at the top of the lineup is perhaps the most important ingredient to how many runs they’ll score. That player is Swiatocha, a threat at the plate and on the bases.
“As Travis goes,” Holy Cross Manager Doug Manfredonia said, “the team will go. Travis is the key to our season.”
A season ago, Swiatocha was an integral component when the Knights won the Brooklyn/Queens division. The 6-foot, 175-pound senior honor student hit .392 with 18 stolen bases, 22 runs scored and eight doubles.
“Travis is like a Derek Jeter type of guy - he gets out there and just busts it,” Manfredonia said of the Navy-bound outfielder. “He’s a threat at the plate; he’s a threat on the bases. He gets on and guys get good pitches to hit.”
Dennis O’Grady, Molloy, Pitcher/Second Base
O’Grady was as vital as anyone in leading the Stanners, who won six times when facing elimination, to their first city title game since 2002. The pitcher/second baseman had a huge postseason, winning twice and tossing a complete-game four-hitter in the title game loss to LaSalle. This year, along with James Hounsell, the Duke-bound O’Grady will be asked to be the staff ace and bat third for Manager Jack Curran.
“He likes to compete,” Curran said. “He throws hard and he has pretty good control.”
Bobby Tesseyman, Christ the King, Pitcher
Christ the King Manager Allen Watson considered Tesseyman one of the top three hurlers in the league a season ago, and the southpaw has only gotten better since then, adding a few miles-per-hour to his fastball and refining his breaking pitch to go along with his already impressive changeup.
“So he has three pitches that are all working,” said Watson, the former major league left-hander who pitched for the Mets and Yankees.
Nearing a full baseball scholarship with New York Tech, Tesseyman, an all-city second team selection, will again be the ace of the Royals staff. So far, he’s looked the part, allowing just two hits and no runs through six innings of two scrimmages
Paul Karmas, St. Francis Prep, Right Fielder
The St. John’s-bound outfielder is perhaps the top power hitter in the city, and will likely be chosen in the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft this June. Since his sophomore year, the Douglaston native has only progressed. Last year, the cleanup hitter hit .452 with five home runs, 27 runs batted in and 16 runs scored. Numbers like that, however, will be hard to repeat with teams staying away from Karmas.
“They’re going to pitch around him, curveball him to death,” St. Francis Prep Manager Robert Kent said. “He has to learn patience. Don’t swing at bad pitches. They’re not going to pitch to him really, once the league starts. If he gets up with anybody on base, they’re going to walk him.”
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound slugger has also progressed defensively in the outfield, where he is able to track down line drives in the gaps with surprising range. “He’s always had the arm, but now he can get to the fly-balls, too,” said Kent, who will also use Karmas at first base and in relief on the mound.
