Baseball: Clarkstown South's Dan Winchester tops 2023 lohud Rockland All-County team
2023 Journal News/lohud Rockland Baseball Player of the Year
Dan Winchester, Sr., SS/P, Clarkstown South: A catalyst in the Vikings' run to the Section 1 Class AA finals, Winchester saved his best for last. It was a career year for the standout shortstop, who set career highs in nearly every statistical category. This spring, he led the Vikings in batting average (.381), hits (32), runs scored (26), and doubles (12). Winchester also had 19 RBIs and 11 stolen bases.
In addition to his dependable glove at shortstop, he was one of the Vikings' go-to arms on the mound. He went 3-0 with a 2.33 ERA across 10 appearances and 33 innings of action. Winchester logged 31 strikeouts and four saves. One of his best outings on the mound came in Clarkstown South's upset of Ketcham in the Section 1 Class AA semis. He pitched the final 6.1 innings of the 14-inning marathon and didn't give up any runs. The SUNY Oswego-bound senior was also awarded as the league and Conference 1 player of the year.
The rest of the all-county first team
Jack Gallagher
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Senior
Position: Pitcher
Highlights: A leader on the diamond, Gallagher thrived in whatever role the Falcons put him in, and he played a crucial role in their run to the state final four. As a pitcher, he went 6-2 with a 2.58 ERA and 40 strikeouts across 38 innings. When he wasn't pitching, he played at third base and batted .391, with five doubles, 29 RBIs and a .507 slugging percentage.
End of season honors: 2023 all-section selections, award winners announced
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Logan Kapusinsky
School: North Rockland
Year: Senior
Position: Pitcher
Highlights: The Red Raider ace finished with a 2.43 ERA and 35 strikeouts. During the regular season, he had a 1.45 ERA and only issued four walks across 29 innings. When he wasn't pitching, the Binghamton-bound senior was a solid glove at shortstop, and he batted .347 and stole 17 bases.
Connor Southwell
School: Suffern
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Highlights: The Suffern southpaw took the mound for the Mounties' big matchups and finished with a 2.02 ERA and 52 strikeouts across 41⅔ innings of work. The Boston College commit earned all-section honors and was named league Pitcher of the Year.
Zane Stone
School: Nyack
Year: Senior
Position: Pitcher
Highlights: A competitor on the mound, Stone gave the RedHawks a chance to win every time he took the field. He went at least five innings in all seven of his starts, finishing with a 1-1 record, 2.23 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 14 walks across 44 innings. Stone earned all-section and league Pitcher of the Year honors.
Patrick Veintimilla
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Highlights: The towering pitcher went 6-2 this season with a 1.75 ERA and 50 strikeouts across 44 innings. Veintimilla was named Section 1 Class B finals MVP and he helped the Falcons reach their first-ever state final four by tossing four solid innings in their regional final victory over Babylon.
Ben Raspanti
School: Pearl River
Year: Sophomore
Position: Catcher
Highlights: A versatile player who also spent a lot of time at third base and helped out at pitcher, Raspanti batted .354, with 11 extra-base hits, 23 runs scored and 13 RBIs. He also logged a 3.64 ERA and 23 strikeouts over 17.1 innings. Raspanti was named all-section this spring.
Devon Cass
School: Clarkstown North
Year: Senior
Position: Infield
Highlights: The Rams' shortstop returns to the all-county first team after an all-section campaign as a senior. Cass batted .408 with a team-high 29 hits, five doubles, two triples, 14 RBIs, and 19 runs scored. He also helped out in relief, logging a 2.55 ERA and two saves across 11 innings and eight pitching appearances.
Tommy Ocasal
School: Pearl River
Year: Senior
Position: Infield
Highlights: The heart of the Pirates' infield, Ocasal cracks the lohud Rockland All-County first team after landing on the second team in each of the previous two seasons. The senior captain helped lead Pearl River to a league title and was named all-section. Ocasal posted a .362 batting average while leading the Pirates in hits (29), RBIs (23), runs scored (23) and triples (3).
Aidan Proctor
School: Clarkstown South
Year: Junior
Position: Infield
Highlights: One of the top hitters in the county, the all-section first baseman finished with a .375 batting average and nearly half of his hits went for extra bases, with nine doubles, a triple and two home runs. He registered 10 RBIs and 25 runs scored from the top of the batting order, and led the Vikings in on-base percentage (.525), slugging percentage (.611) and OPS (1.136).
Ben Fishel
School: Tappan Zee
Year: Junior
Position: Outfield
Highlights: The Columbia commit earned league Player of the Year honors after a standout season in center field. Blessed with a strong arm and good defensive instincts, Fishel is an all-around player who batted .367 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs, 19 RBIs, 25 runs, and a .542 on-base percentage. He also helped out on the mound, posting a 3.50 ERA with 34 strikeouts across 22 innings.
Thomas Iaquinto
School: Suffern
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Highlights: While he was an integral player for the Mounties all season, Iaquinto elevated his game even higher when facing off against neighboring Rockland teams in league play. The Fairleigh Dickinson commit batted .792 against league opponents and earned all-section and all-league honors.
Anthony Marsico
School: Tappan Zee
Year: Freshman
Position: Outfield
Highlights: He made a strong first impression for the Dutchmen, quickly moving his way into the heart of the batting order. The all-section outfielder amassed a .404 batting average and a team-high 22 RBIs. He was also a dependable glove in left field, playing error-free all season.
Chris Ahle
School: Clarkstown South
Year: Senior
Position: Utility
Highlights: A talent on the gridiron, his athleticism translated well onto the diamond. His speed and hitting ability made him a fixture in the Vikings' lineup in the outfield or as a designated hitter. Ahle batted .317 this season with nine doubles, a triple, one home run and a team-high 27 RBIs.
Connor Benvenuto
School: Albertus Magnus
Year: Junior
Position: Utility
Highlights: Another versatile Falcon who relished in whatever role was given to him that day, Benvenuto was an all-around contributor in Albertus Magnus' historic season. He led the team in batting average (.458), on-base percentage (.562) and OPS (1.090), and registered 17 RBIs and 22 runs. Aside from starting at second base, he was also a dominant relief pitcher, giving up no earned runs across 14 appearances and earning seven saves.
Jacob Herrera
School: North Rockland
Year: Freshman
Position: Utility
Highlights: A speedy leadoff threat, Herrera batted .373 this season. He also racked up 23 stolen bases and scored 20 runs. He was also a defensive lifeline for the Red Raiders in left field.
Kaden Miller
School: Clarkstown North
Year: Junior
Position: Utility
Highlights: He enjoyed a standout season for the Rams at first base. Miller had a team-high .413 batting average, with five doubles, a home run, and a team-best 26 RBIs en route to all-section honors.
Coaches of the Year
Michael Amendola, Clarkstown South, and Matt Rivera, Albertus Magnus: Rockland was well-represented in the state postseason. After locking up a share of the league title, Clarkstown South went on to reach the Section 1 Class AA finals, pulling off an upset of top-seeded Ketcham in a 14-inning road affair to secure their first finals spot since 2018. Although the Indians got their revenge, the Vikings were able to do what not many could this season: topple the eventual state champs. Amendola was also named Conference 1 Coach of the Year.
As for Rivera, he got his team to turn the corner after a 6-6 start. The Falcons went on a 13-game winning streak that began once May arrived and upset top-seeded Bronxville in an extra-inning thriller on the way to capturing their first Section 1 Class B title since 2017. The Falcons went on to reach their first NYSPHSAA final four in school history to top their historic season.
Second team
P — Dan Barna, Sr., North Rockland
P — Thomas Campanella, Fr., Tappan Zee
P — Robert Kramer, Sr., Clarkstown North
P — Alex Polombo, Jr., Suffern
P — Logan Scholl, Jr., Albertus Magnus
C — Vincent Duffy, So., Nanuet
INF — Byron Arias, Jr., Nyack
INF — Brendan Carlacci, So., Pearl River
INF — Charlie Moustakakis, So., Nanuet
INF — Michael Robinson, Sr., Clarkstown North
OF — Sean Clinton, Sr., Clarkstown South
OF — Joe Dwyer, Jr., Albertus Magnus
OF — Billy Silver, Sr., Suffern
UTIL — James Buchanan, Sr., Clarkstown South
UTIL — Michael Carlacci, Jr., Pearl River
UTIL — Mason Gershenoff, Sr., Clarkstown South
UTIL — Michael LaRusso, Sr., Albertus Magnus
Honorable mention
Connor Buckley, Fr., P, Pearl River; Drew Ciganek, Jr., OF, Clarkstown North; Aidan Cucaj, Sr., P, Tappan Zee; Harris Cucaj, Fr., C, Tappan Zee; Matt Dinoff, Sr., P, Nyack; John Franchi, Sr., P, Clarkstown South; Ryan Gilligan, Sr., OF, Pearl River; Michael Goodman, Jr., P, Clarkstown North; Jack Haughey, Sr., OF, Tappan Zee; Aaron King, Sr., DH, Clarkstown North; Aiden McHugh, Jr., OF/P, Pearl River; Peter Morrissey, Sr., P/1B/OF, Suffern; Luca Pastina, Sr., C, Albertus Magnus; Mason Polombo, So., OF, Suffern; Collin Prisco, Sr., C, North Rockland; Jack Ryan, Sr., LF, Pearl River; Aaron Shulman, Sr., P/INF/OF, Suffern; Kyle Sperring, So., P, Clarkstown South; Michael Squillini, Jr., C, Pearl River; Trevor Sundvik, Sr., OF, Nyack; Dan Ulrich, Sr., 1B, Nyack
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Baseball: 2023 lohud Rockland All-County team, player of the year
