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Massapequa athlete pitches two perfect games
In laymen's terms, that means that none of the 18 batters on the opposing team reached base: all batters either struck out or grounded out. Hopes, age 12, is the son of Robert and Lorraine Hopes of Massapequa. His dad, who coaches one of the three teams Robbie currently plays on, attributes his son's success to "hard work, lots of practice, a love of the game, and a great team!" A sixth grade student at St. Rose of Lima School in Massapequa, young Hopes began pitching in the back yard with his dad at the age of four. He played with the Coast League, starting with the T-Ball Division in 2000. In addition to playing with the Massapequa Coast Little League, Hopes currently plays with the Long Island Marlins and the Long Island Express. With these teams, Hopes plays anywhere from five to seven games a week. Hopes receives private pitching instruction at All Pro Sports Academy, Bellport, from former Yankees pitcher, Neil Heaton. His goal is to earn a full sports scholarship to college and then pitch in the Major Leagues (preferably the Yankees). The 5-ft. 8-in., 151 lb. Hopes throws his favorite pitch- a two-seam fastball- at 71 mph. In addition to participating in summer and winter baseball clinics in the Massapequa and Farmingdale areas, Hopes received instruction at the New York Baseball Academy, NY Tech, Old Westbury.
One of his proudest accomplishments in Hopes' young career was being named Most Valuable Player at the Floral Park/Artie Hunt Memorial Tournament last year. But all of this recognition fails to divert his attention from his goal for very long: the young star pitcher just wants to play ball.
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