End of an Era for Bayside

As each player walked past Pat Torney for the last time in a blue and gray jersey, he made sure to thank them for their effort, embracing every senior in a hug. The longtime Bayside baseball coach reminded each one of their upcoming team dinner and to the seniors, asked them to save a few prom photos for him.
Torney had plenty of reasons for nostalgia.
When the 19th-seeded Commodores were knocked out of the playoffs, blanked 10-0 by No. 3 Lehman Friday afternoon in the Bronx, it signified the end of an era for Bayside, the graduation of four-year starters Jorge Ynoa and Antonio Koulotouros, and difference-making seniors Kevin Brown and Michael Fermin, players who carved out a niche and developed the program into one of the city’s best and Queens’ finest.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Ynoa, who will play at Caldwell College next fall. “I know after I leave this field I’ll never put this jersey on again. It’s sad.”
Each of the two years before this, they had advanced all the way to the PSAL Class A quarterfinals - the first time Bayside went that far since 1989 - led by the one-two pitching punch of Eric Strauss and Anthony Velazquez, the fire-balling right-hander who threw back-to-back perfect games as a junior. With those two having graduated last spring, expectations were low. Yet, Bayside jumped out to a surprising 10-0 start in Queens East-A and upset No. 14 Walton in the playoffs.
“We overachieved,” Koulotouros said. “I’m so proud of this year’s team.”
“If Eric and Anthony were the souls, these guys were the heart of the team the last four years,” Torney said. “They’re irreplaceable as far as I’m concerned. They’re great kids and great athletes.”
Considering the hard-throwing aces that typified the rest of the borough, that case can certainly be made. When they were put in a tough spot, Francis Lewis had Ethan Liederman; John Adams relied upon Christian Cardenas. Bayside, instead, leaned on control specialists Calvin Sternick and Jonathan D’Angelo, who struggled mightily against the hard-hitting Lions. Unable to locate his off-speed stuff, Lehman sat on D’Angelo’s fastball, hammering him for seven hits and seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings pitched.
“That,” Torney said, “was the key.”
These Commodores nevertheless set a standard for baseball at the school, a hard-working, intense mindset that did not exist before their arrival. Now, the program is looking up. Several transfer students and promising freshman are slated to attend the school in the fall.
“It’s a pleasure to have good kids who want to sit down and learn and understand the game,” assistant coach Matt Retundie said. “We’re not a laidback team anymore. The word is getting out.”