Newsday's All-Long Island baseball first team 2026

Newsday Player of the Year: CJ Alfano, St. Anthony's 

Every time CJ Alfano stepped into the batter’s box, he was a threat to go deep. Whether he was hitting in the leadoff spot or elsewhere, opponents knew the danger. “No one challenged him as the year went on,” St. Anthony’s coach Paul Parsolano said. “CJ was dialed in all season.”

It’s no surprise that West Virginia University inked Alfano for a college scholarship. The Mountaineers, who reached the final four in Omaha at the College World Series, are getting a good one. “He has a few pro workouts before the draft,” Parsolano said. “Either way, he goes to West Virginia to play or signs a pro contract.”

Alfano, the Friars centerfielder, hit .500 with a .703 on base percentage. He led Long Island with 13 home runs, 32 runs scored and 27 RBIs. He was voted the NSCHSAA Player of the Year.

Nassau Player of the Year: Jaxson Torres, Plainedge, P, Jr.:

No Plainedge pitching records were safe when Jaxson Torres took the mound. He finished his junior season with an 11-0 record and a 1.03 ERA for the Nassau Class A champions. He formed Long Island’s top 1-2 pitching punch with teammate Taylor Nitsch. Torres struck out 122 batters in 67 2/3 innings, walked 21 and allowed 17 hits. He also accomplished something never done on Long Island, throwing three consecutive no-hitters and finishing with a total of four.

He has a 21-3 career record, 234 strikeouts and a 0.78 ERA.

He could hit too. He batted .443 with 31 hits, seven doubles, a triple, five home runs, 18 runs scored and 28 RBIs.

FIRST TEAM

Joe Carey, Garden City, P, Sr.

He earned the Doug Robins Diamond Award for pitchers with a 9-1 record and 0.67 ERA. He pitched 73 2/3 innings and allowed 37 hits, 12 walks and struck out a Long Island best 113 batters. His career record was 16-2 with 195 strikeouts. He will attend Holy Cross.

Dylan Cogliano, Smithtown East, P, Sr.

The Gibson Award winner, given to Suffolk’s top pitcher was also the Suffolk League III MVP. He was 6-0 with a 0.51 ERA and 0.71 WHIP. He pitched 41 innings, allowed 12 hits, 17 walks, struck out 64 and had a .091 batting average against. He will attend Virginia Wesleyan.

Anthony DiNello, Massapequa, C, Sr.

He was the linchpin to the Massapequa state Class AAA title. He batted .500 with 42 hits, including 10 doubles and six home runs. He had 31 RBIs, 19 runs scored, seven HBP and 13 walks. He was also a defensive standout at catcher. He will attend SUNY-Oswego.

DJ Filippone, Connetquot, P, Sr.

The two-time Suffolk champion was a two-way threat for the T-birds. He posted a 9-1 record with a 1.60 ERA over 61 innings. He struck out 78. He batted .390 with 10 extra-base hits, 30 hits, 16 walks and 24 RBIs. He will attend Mercy University.

Jayden Gigante, Carey, OF, Sr.

He finished with 35 hits, 32 runs scored and 25 stolen bases with a .515 average. He had 18 extra-base hits, including four home runs. He had 154 career hits for the Seahawks. The St. John’s University commit earned the Don Lang Diamond Award as Nassau’s top position player.

Matt Kurz, Clarke, P/OF, Sr.

One of Nassau’s home run leaders with six, he also had 32 RBIs and 32 runs scored. He batted .484 with 31 hits, four doubles and three triples. He walked 16 times with 18 stolen bases. Also had a 7-1 pitching record over 41 1/3 innings with 10 walks and 62 strikeouts for a 1.18 ERA. He will attend Hofstra University.

Richie LaVacca, Kellenberg, SS, Sr.

He hit .455 with an on-base percentage of .571. He had 30 hits, including nine doubles, two home runs, 31 runs scored and 20 RBIs for the Firebirds. He was also an outstanding defensive shortstop. He will attend Adelphi University.

Keegan McElligot, St. John the Baptist, SS, Sr.

He batted .458 with nine doubles, five home runs and 22 RBIs for the Cougars. He was 10-for-10 in stolen bases with 18 walks and only six strikeouts. His fielding percentage was .967 with two errors in 60 chances. He will attend Binghamton University.

Shane Meehan, Sayville, C, Sr.

The Stony Brook commit won the 58th Carl Yastrzemski Award given to Suffolk’s best player. He batted .486 with 36 hits, including eight extra-base hits, 28 runs scored and 25 RBIs. He threw out 40% of potential base stealers.

Matt Muzikant, Long Island Lutheran, P, Sr.

He is the pitching ace of the staff that helped LuHi win the NYSAIS state tournament. He threw 52 1/3 innings and allowed 22 hits, 11 walks and struck out 67. He had an ERA of 1.38 and opposing hitters batted .123 against him. He will attend Monmouth University.

Taylor Nitsch, Plainedge, P, Sr.

The Towson-commit led Long Island with 12 wins. He was 12-1 with a Plainedge record 134 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings for a 0.90 ERA. He allowed 36 hits, nine earned runs and walked 19 leading Plainedge to the Class A state finals in the 28-1 season. He also batted .270 with eight doubles, nine RBIs and 33 runs scored. He pitched the only perfect game in Plainedge school history as a junior in a win over North Shore on May 7, 2025.

Max Rayburn, Center Moriches, 1B, Sr.

He hit .491 with eight doubles and eight home runs to lead the Devils to the Long Island Class B crown. He had 35 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and a .650 on base percentage. He was awarded the Silver Slugger Award as Suffolk’s top hitter.

Derek Yormack, Bellmore JFK, P/1B/3B, Jr.

He was named the Joe Corea Dual Diamond Award winner after leading Bellmore JFK to the school’s first Nassau championship. He had 35 hits, including nine doubles, one triple and eight home runs. He drew 20 walks, was hit by a pitch eight times, scored 22 runs and had 25 RBIs. He had a 7-0 pitching record with 83 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings and 0.49 ERA.

Ryan Yormack, Bellmore JFK, P/3B/1B, Jr.

He batted .390 with 23 hits, five doubles, two triples and eight home runs. He drove in 26 runs and scored 34 with 31 walks and a whopping 18 hit by pitches. In seven relief appearances, he was 1-0 with three saves.

Suffolk Coach of the Year: Paul Gibson Jr., Center Moriches

He led the Devils to the Long Island Class B championship with a 4-0 win over Oyster Bay. His career record over seven years is 114-52.

Nassau Coach of the Year: Tom Sheedy, Massapequa

He led Massapequa to its 10th Long Island Class AAA title and third state crown (2005, 2018, 2026) in 22 years at the helm. Massapequa beat Liverpool, 7-1, in the state final.

Private School Coach of the Year: Shaun Manning, Long Island Lutheran

He guided the Crusaders to the school’s first state baseball title in the NYSAIS with an 11-2 win over Horace Mann.