Follow the Leader

As a freshman, Phil Stamatis did not possess the tools to play varsity baseball. However, his passion for the sport compelled him to be near the diamond so he served as the team’s manager.
That season, Stamatis recalled, set the foundation for his high school career. He merely watched, keeping his eyes and ears open. Stamatis observed how upperclassmen such as his older brother, Andrew, and the team’s catcher, Josh Payero, who is now playing at CCNY, went about their business after wins or losses, how they led by example at certain times and vocalized their concern on other occasions.
It was an experience he has not forgotten, seasoning Stamatis, now Francis Lewis’ starting senior first baseman and unquestioned team leader. With the arrival of new coach Ian Millman and continued emergence of senior Ethan Liederman, the Minnesota-bound pitcher/centerfielder, the Patriots have skyrocketed close to the top of Queens East A with a record of 9-2. However, Millman said, Stamatis is the poster boy for their success. He does not have the label of a captain, because Millman does not believe in naming them, but if he did Stamatis would be the logical choice.
“There are hundreds of better ballplayers out there,” the first-year coach said, “but I would take a Phil Stamatis everyday.”
On a team that is performing in far greater fashion than the sum of its parts, Stamatis is the glue guy, the player that keeps everyone together, through tough times and good ones. When a pitcher is struggling, he is the first to the mound to relax his teammate. When someone strikes out, he offers a congratulatory pat on the helmet. When a shoulder is slumped, he is there to lift their head up.
“I’ve definitely learned from him to come out every day, keep giving 110 percent, even when things aren’t going so great,” Liederman said. “He’s one of the most positive players I’ve ever met.”
Often, Stamatis keeps his feelings to himself, until the proper time arises. He likes to lead by example; he has it written on the bill of his cap. Stamatis - who in addition to maintaining an 93 grade point average at the Fresh Meadows school and holding a job at Bagel Oasis, and will attend Marist College next fall. He is hitting .313 this year with seven runs batted in and 10 runs scored.
Team first is Stamatis in a nutshell. With nine underclassmen on the roster, the Fresh Meadows native has taken it upon himself to prepare his younger teammates like others did for him. During the school day, he makes sure everyone is eating and drinking right, going to class and staying academically eligible.
“I try to get them in the right frame of mind,” said Stamatis, who has coached 9-10-year-olds’ little league teams the last four years.
Last week, before Lewis’s 3-1 victory over Cardozo, his parents’ Dodge Caravan was smashed in a bizarre car accident as he was warming up for the game. After giving local police officers his information, he was back in the dugout, preparing to lead the Patriots to their first win over the Judges in seven years.
“‘Dozo was much more important than my parents’ car,” he joked. “It was pretty beat up anyway.”