A fan recovers the homerun ball hit in the finals by Matt Prokopowicz. On the way to becoming the first team in ten years to have an undefeated season, the Massapequa varsity baseball team won the state title to capture its first state championship in the district's history. It has been ten years since a Long Island team has brought home a state victory.

The Chiefs ended up dominating 11-0 in the final game at Binghamton, but found it tougher to get through the semifinals against Pine Bush in an excellent pitchers duel that resulted in a one-run differential. Massapequa starter Mike Bartlett pitched 6 and two-third innings, along with five strikeouts and six hits.

In the June 10 semi final, Dan Robinson was able to score the winning run after hitting a double with two outs and Tom Maloney hit a dribbler to pull the first basement off the bag. Maloney dove into first base and beat him back to the bag, giving Robinson the chance to run home.

Taking out Pine Bush was the team's toughest task. Entering the final round of the Class AA championship matched up with Colonie was apparently more relaxing, sending 10 runners home out of the fourteen at bats, just in the fifth inning. This run explosion occurred with two outs already on the board. With the way Mike Scudero was throwing on the day, finishing with a seven-strikeout two-hit shutout, the culmination of the game came long before the tenth run stepped on home plate.

The Chiefs celebrate their #1 status following their win in the state finals Winning is not anything new to this perfect team. Many of the players have been together since Little League, taking home trophy after trophy and building their dream team from the ground up.

"These kids have been playing and winning since they were ten," said Scott Mulford, whose son is a junior on the team. "If they hadn't won, I would have been shocked."

In retrospect, Tom Sheedy, head coach of the Chiefs, said that he knew at the beginning of the season that these athletes had something special going for them. They made a pact that the team didn't need any captains, and that leadership was something they could draw upon from each player as needed.

"They all have leadership roles," said Sheedy. "We talked about it in March and that's what t h e y wanted."

A p p a r ently that decision has worked well for the team and throughout the season, and there's always been someone to step up, whether it was on the field or in the locker room. If one player needed a little pep talk, there was someone there for him. And, if the the team was having some offensive problems, then solid pitching kicked in, and vice versa. are second on the East coast. The only team that stands in their way of East coast supremacy is James Monroe, which has Major League Baseball prospect Danny Almonte as one of its starting

pitchers.

" I t was an easy year as head c o a c h , " Sheedy said in discussing the team's extraordinary year.

Katie Fanneron a senior from Massapequa High School sang the National Antem at all of the games. In addition, the team was supported by many parents and students who attended the games to show their support and add excitement from the stands.

"Despite the cold and the rain of the first game, it was really exciting," said Massapequan Donna Sullivan.

Eight out of the nine of last year's starters returned this season. They won

Take for example, the Long Island Championship game against East Islip. With the Chiefs down by two, Jason Buono hit a tremendous homerun to lock things up at six a piece. Then, the following inning, Dan Nagorski nailed the game winner way over the left field fence.

Massapequa has not only been the talk of the state but also of the nation. The team ranked 22nd on USA Today's National High School Baseball Poll and twenty in a row, only losing three times in two years and giving them a career 53-3 record. Twenty-nine wins with a big circle to the right of it has people wondering if they can carry that winning streak to next season.

Those who know the team best said that this year's juniors are just as good as the seniors who will be leaving, which means Massapequa could be looking at another shiny trophy at about the same time next year.