End-of-season wrap-up of Rams’ baseball results shows returning nucleus promises happier ending

May 29, 2024 at 10:08 p.m.

Sophomore co-captain Bryan Sachs, who will be back next year, played shortstop, was one of the Rams’ best pitchers and also emerged as among the team's reliable clutch hitters. (Chloe Trieff/Westmore News)

With the regular scholastic sports season over and Port Chester's best baseball-playing senior student-athletes having played their last game for the Rams, the saying "Tradition never graduates" takes on new meaning. And the end-of-season results help tell the story of the past season and what is on the horizon for next year.

What an event-filled Rams baseball storyline that transpired with the final 2024 results hinting at an even better and happier ending next year when it becomes a whole new ball game for Port Chester.

This was basically a young, inexperienced Rams team that led in the late innings of nine of 11 games they lost and finished with a deceptive 6-11 record that included an epic tie on a last-inning home run blast against one of the state's top-ranked teams.

The shining moments

This is a story about a Rams team that had its shining moments, albeit not enough of them, as they came of age.

For openers, the Rams were good enough to place four players on post-season All-Star teams, that number evenly divided between juniors and seniors with both seniors winning college scholarships.

Junior ace pitcher Jordany German, the Dominican Republic transfer, was named to the All-Section Team, finishing the season with a 5-1 record. He had a 1.24 earned run average while racking up 103 strikeouts, ranking him as one of the Section 1 strikeout leaders. Port Chester head coach Sean Burke called him "The Rams King of the Hill" after he struck out 20 batters, had two base hits and gave up two unearned runs in the Rams’ 3-2 win over Lincoln earlier in the season on his way to becoming the team's MVP.

Close yet so far

German pitched well enough to win in the Rams’ one-and-done playoff loss, cruising into the bottom of the sixth inning against White Plains with a 3-2 lead, both runs unearned. Up until that point, he had chalked up eight strikeouts, allowing only three hits, but was tiring, hitting two batters and allowing a two-out base hit on a 3-2 pitch that tied the score when the outfielder bobbled the ball. Burke went to the bullpen because German was close to his mandatory pitch count and the closer wound up losing the game on an infield error.

So the Rams were almost there. And they once again showed they could play with the best teams in Section 1. But almosts don't count.

"We have to learn how to cut down on our errors and put teams away, and that's on me," Burke says.

The All-League performers

But the Rams are working hard to get there. And they are getting close with Burke's small ball approach of bunts, steals and opportunistic heads-up play.

Junior right fielder Billy Villanova was named to the All-League team, leading the Rams with a .333 batting average. He also showed promise as a pitcher and tied for the team home run lead with senior co-captains John (Tommy) Tomassetti and Joshua (Josh) Virella, both of whom received All-League Honorable Mention.

Tomassetti, the team's heads-up third baseman, closer and power bat, fittingly batted in the first run of the season and had two RBIs with a clutch double in the playoff loss in which was the Rams’ last game of the season. He also hit the team's most dramatic home run—a 390-foot, two-out, two-strike, game-tying last inning blast that landed halfway up the school building during an away game against former state champion Mamaroneck. Tommy is also one of the school's best students, has college athletic scholarship offers and has accepted an academic scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

Virella, pitcher/first baseman, hit the home run that helped the Rams beat Blind Brook in the finals of the Port Chester-sponsored annual Anthony Foust Memorial Baseball Tournament and has won an athletic scholarship to Rawlins College of South Jersey.

The prom, the steal and more

Josh also came up with the most innovative way to ask his date to the prom: He had some of his teammates hold up posters with his prom proposal as Olivia Tejada, a captain of Port Chester' nationally-ranked cheerleading team and a childhood friend, made her way to home plate where Virella waited for her with balloons and a bouquet of flowers. And rah, rah, hip, hip hooray, she said yes.

Senior Ryan Gagnon, centerfielder, utility infielder and relief pitcher, led the team with 12 steals on the season. And sophomore co-captain Bryan Sachs, shortstop as well as one of the Rams’ best pitchers, emerged as one of the team's best clutch hitters.

The Rams had a lot of up-and-coming players in second baseman Adam Castaneda, the first 8th-grader ever called up to play varsity ball by Burke, and strong-armed junior catcher Scott Sullivan who has been flashing college athletic scholarship potential, according to Burke. Both have showed home run power. Freshman outfielder Roy Morris and sophomore first baseman Erick Samano have also impressed in solid varsity debuts.

So the returning nucleus for a winning team is in place. Burke already has his key returnees geared up to play in the Greater Hudson Valley Summer Baseball League and is looking to win another GHVBL Fall Baseball League title as well as Port Chester's initial GHVBL summer league championship. And while the graduating seniors will be missed, that's not the end of the story because the Rams are looking forward to a happier ending next year.