High playoff drama, as Tech loses epic, extra-inning pitching duel to John Jay, 2-1.

5/24/24

From Coach Nardiello: Round 2 of PSAL playoffs came close to being a perfect day for our Engineers team and program. For 7 innings, sophomore Jake Rapoport, junior Nico Harvey, and super-freshman Cooper Chung held John Jay to only 2 hits. (They did walk a few, but our defense was also fantastic.) Most of our at-bats proved our guys were clearly battling. Alumni bolstered the bench. Our parents and students were loudly supportive, and we were 1 out from advancing. But? Home field advantage means the other team bats last, and just has to tie it. Which they did. Heartbreaking. Our boys gave it their all, and nearly shocked NYC baseball, legitimately. Our seniors deserve every praise. Our team deserves every applause on another outstanding season in 2024.

More from Coach: It’s been about 24 hours since the Round 2 Playoff at Parade Grounds 3. And I’m still mentally and physically exhausted from it.

In fact, while I usually carry all gear from my car into our home after each game, the Memorial Day weekend exodus afforded a parking space directly in front of my home (thanks to God?), and I just left it all inside, last night until this morning. After entering the statistics into the PSAL website, and getting a flurry of texts & calls from coaches wanting to know about the game, I actually passed out on my couch with the laptop on and the Yankees game (at San Diego) on. And awoke at 1:30am or so to get upstairs and call it a day. The shovel, rake and tamper are now in my basement for the Summer. The car is close to being cleared out, although there’s still clay bricks and bases. Now I just have to clear my living room of large gear bags, take them back to Tech’s storage room and vacuum all the Parade Ground dust out of the Volvo. Maybe the benefit of being eliminated from the playoffs. Is my wife’s regrowing happiness with a clean car and less baseball stuff apparent in the house?

A NEAR-PERFECT ENDING.

Our boys did all they could for the length of that epic game. Giving the #3 seeded team all it can handle. As I’d posted on our Facebook pages they played their hearts out (Friends of Brooklyn Tech Baseball and Friends of Brooklyn Tech Group pages, with video) and were maybe 1″ from a great catch in CF for a win that would have resounded across NYC high schools. I wanted this for them, as a memory of an ultimate accomplishment and the continuation for a march to Yankee Stadium (without ever mentioning that). We would have played Beacon next Wednesday, same field as we set-up for a non-league game on that cold, windy March day. After the game, some John Jay players commented that they thought we had them beaten. And thought our Engineers could have beaten Beacon HS behind Hugo/SP. I thought so, as well. So close!

But we had our parents and their friends out in force. And 5-6 recent alums in our dugout, helping and strategizing and supporting our players loudly. They wanted this for our present guys and for the legacy of beating an ascending rival/ team that recruits players and transfers, based on baseball ability. We never took ANYthing for granted, right to the last pitch. And each move, each at-bat and each pitch and play was a focused struggle and competitive feat. Winning 1-0 as a visiting team is near impossible at the Parade Grounds, as so many ground balls can become an adventure – but we were doing the impossible. Jake, Nico, Cooper combined for a 2-hitter and into the extra innings, they just got to Jadon a little bit. And that’s all that was really needed. A team that scores 10-20+ runs a game.. and destroyed Grand St., Midwood, etc. etc., just got by us, 2-1. That team is filled with players that are far less centered and disciplined and they did say some things that upset some of our boys – but tempers stayed cool, even in that heat. We are the better team, no matter the score. And that is not just a throw-away Coach’s line. It’s part of the fabric of each boy on this team. Even the boys surrounding them in the greater Baseball club and their friends at school know it. They can walk with heads held high, when they get back to Tech on Tuesday.

SENIOR EMBRACES.

Cannot say enough about this year’s seniors. Many let emotions out. Some angered by it ending. Some saddened and some both. Some frustrated they couldn’t do more. Some understanding that each game ahead would have been another chance to shine. But it was cut short. We spoke openly in RF – and heard from Val, Dylan, Cooper, Jonesy, and Devin. Trying to put it all into perspective, to help cope and to allow the boys to feel what they want. And speak it. Coach Eli and myself praised them, and the effort. Some of the senior Captains spoke openly from the heart about what it meant to them and how short the last 3-4 years felt.

RECENT ALUMNI visits

Across the season, recent alums asked to come back, take part and see what’s going on with the team or just visit at the fields or at Tech. Some lifted spirits in dugouts. And that works the other way, as the current HS boys can hear first-hand information about a flurry of colleges from Chicago to Boston to Indiana, NY State and beyond. Thanks go to: Val Tartamella/Capt, Dylan LaBella/C, Robert Reatz, Russ Silverman/C, Owen Bassett, Morgan Small, Aryan Kahtri, Devin Yuan, Aiku Chalmers, Maddux Clarke, Mark DeDona/C, Jonesy O’Keefe/C, Cooper Gee/C, Cassius Brook-Dempsey, Johnny Yang, Waveland James and Josh Lee. I wanted to recognize and thank them – and always keep the door open for our current seniors (if they want to even come by and let the younger ones know what life is like, starting in the Fall).