Team Hits its Peak to Reach East Shore Travel League Final

The players on this year’s Madison Tigers’ 17-U AAU baseball squad had an opportunity to fine-tune their skills while competing against some of the best teams in the Northeast this summer. Head Coach Adam Nuzzo said that the Tigers did a good job of learning on the fly and working together to be successful, ultimately helping Madison make it to the championship game of the East Shore Travel League Playoffs.

Madison notched three wins in the playoffs to advance to its league final, earning victories over the CT Riptide (8-1), the CT Fury (7-4), and the Hit Club (5-1). The Tigers went on to face the Technique Tigers Navy for the title on Aug. 13 and took a 5-2 defeat to finish the year with an overall record of 14-14-2.

The roster for the Madison Tigers’ 17-U AAU baseball for the 2022 season featured Braeden Simmons, Brandon Rosa, Charlie Carmichael, David Quoka, Jake Roberts, Kiran Pathy, Shailen Pathy, Matt Fasulo, Max Corbett, Nick Denovellis, Nick Antonetti, Preston Markham, Ryan Halas, Sam Markovitz, and Vinny Benevento. Coach Nuzzo was joined by assistant coaches Luke Nurmey and Vin Benevento.

Heading into the season, some of Madison’s athletes already had experience playing together. While there were some new people on the roster, Coach Nuzzo said that chemistry was never a problem for the Tigers. With the chemistry in place, Nuzzo said that his players just had to work on finding the correct mindset for success.

“The chemistry from the get-go was really good. It was just about building the right mindset and mantra we wanted to get going,” Coach Nuzzo said. “We had a couple moments where we had to evaluate what our mindset was. Once we figured out how to be successful and everyone started buying in, it made it easier for us.”

Prior to competing in the playoffs, Madison battled through its regular-season schedule throughout the summer months. Coach Nuzzo felt that the most important thing in the regular season was making sure that every player got enough playing time. The Tigers were facing difficult competition throughout the season, and Nuzzo wanted to see each athlete grow individually as Madison came together as a team.

“Going through the summer, the biggest thing is getting guys playing time and getting them game reps,” said Nuzzo. “Most of these guys are JV guys, and this is the first time you really get to see varsity pitching. It’s about what you can do individually to help our team be successful.”

On July 30 and 31, Madison competed in the War at the Shore Summer Sizzler Tournament in East Lyme. Madison reached the championship game and claimed a 5-2 win versus the Berkshire Bandits out of Pawtucket, Rhode Island to take the title. Kiran Parthy got the start on the mound and pitched 5 innings for the Tigers, allowing

2 runs on 2 hits to go with 4 strikeouts. Brandon Rosa threw the final 2 innings to get the save, giving up 1 hit while striking out 1.

One week later, Madison entered the East Shore Travel League Playoffs as the No. 8 seed and defeated the CT Riptide by an 8-1 final in its opening game on Aug. 9. Max Corbett started the game and pitched 5.2 innings in which he allowed no earned runs and 1 hit with 7 strikeouts. Matt Fasulo had 2 hits with an RBI, while Nick Antonetti and Vinny Benevento both went 1-for-2 with 2 RBI. Sam Markovitz was 1-for-1 with 2 RBI in the victory.

In round two, Madison matched up with the No. 1 seed, the CT Fury, and pulled off a 7-4 upset on Aug. 10. Pathy threw the first 5 innings for the Tigers, and then Preston Markham came in for relief to finish off the win. Rosa had 2 RBI, while Fasulo went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Tigers.

With a spot in the final on the line, Madison took on the No. 3 seed, the Hit Club, in the semifinal round and came away with a

5-1 victory on Aug. 11. Markovitz tossed a complete game for the Tigers, allowing just 1 run on 3 hits. Markovitz needed just 75 pitches to get through 7 innings, throwing 50 of them for strikes.

On Aug. 13, Madison faced the Technique Tigers Navy in the East Shore Travel League championship game and lost the contest by a 5-2 score. Rosa pitched 4 solid innings of relief for Madison in the game, allowing no earned runs on 3 hits with 3 strikeouts. Benevento had 2 hits with an RBI, and Fasulo was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Coach Nuzzo said that the Tigers were uncertain if they were going to qualify for the playoffs once the regular season ended. When Madison’s players found out that they’d made it, they were ready to compete. Nuzzo said that other clubs doubted his team in the postseason, and the Tigers were determined to prove them wrong.

“After our last regular-season game, we weren’t even sure if we were going to get into the postseason. Our mentality going in was that we weren’t even supposed to be here—let’s go and let the horses run,” Nuzzo said. ‘We just came dialed in. It was a different kind of energy. It was a, ‘You want to doubt us mentality?’ The kids took it to heart. It was good to see that fire in our guys.”

Coach Nuzzo said that Madison’s pitching staff was one of the team’s strengths as the Tigers featured several dominant hurlers this year. Madison’s pitching staff was led by Corbett, Pathy, Rosa, and Markovitz, along with Markham, who was used extensively out of the bullpen.

On offense, the Tigers were led by Bevenvento, a catcher/first baseman; and Antonetti, a middle infielder. Coach Nuzzo said that Benevento had a strong at-bat every time he stepped to the plate, while Antonetti brought a ton of speed to the basepaths.

No matter what position they played, Nuzzo said that every athlete on the roster was willing to fill any role for the Tigers. Their main goal was putting in the work for the betterment of the team. Madison operated with a next-man-up philosophy, and Coach Nuzzo said that the Tigers excelled with that approach.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who are willing to do whatever it takes. There might be a guy who pinch runs, and that’s his time in the field, but that guy is giving me 110 percent every time. If he could create a run for us, he has done a great job,” said Nuzzo. “We’re not afraid to put a bunt down. We’re willing to sacrifice our self for the next guy. The next guy has been stepping up and getting the job done.”

By the time the season came to a close, the Tigers had realized the importance of playing as a team. They understood that they needed to success in their own roles and work together and form a cohesive unit. Coach Nuzzo said that his players were always willing to learn and always ready to compete next to one another on the diamond.

“This is a group of guys who have been able to learn on the fly. If you look at where we were in the middle of the season, did I think we would be as successful as we were? Probably not,” Nuzzo said. “Guys started to understand the, ‘We is greater than I,’ mantra. If they do their job today, it helps the team in the bigger picture. It has been great to see.”