Massapequa baseball's Jack Corrigan stellar in relief, keys Long Island Class AAA championship
Massapequa celebrates its victory over Connetquot in the Long Island Class AAA baseball championship on Saturday, June 6, 2026 in Selden. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
Jack Corrigan never knows when that bullpen door will swing open and his services are in demand. That’s the life of a relief pitcher — just be ready.
Corrigan knew he’d pitch at some point in the Long Island Class AAA baseball championship game Saturday. It was a matter of when.
The Massapequa senior is always ready. But he never thought he’d be called upon in the first inning of the championship.
Yet there he was, summoned by coach Tom Sheedy in the opening frame.
Corrigan came in with a runner on third and two outs to snuff a Connetquot rally that had already accounted for three runs.
He was masterful. Corrigan stranded the runner at third with a strikeout to end the first inning and went on to throw 4 1⁄3 innings of scoreless relief as Massapequa built an eight-run lead on the way to an 11-6 win over Connetquot to claim its second straight Long Island title at the Middle Country Athletic Complex in Selden.
“You have to be ready all the time,” Corrigan said. “It’s a mentality you must develop. You go out, fill up the zone, throw those strikes and let the defense do their job. I used to be a starter, but we found that I’m comfortable as a reliever.”
Massapequa (23-3-1) will play the winner of Mamaroneck and Monroe-Woodbury in the state semifinal round Friday at Union-Endicott High School at 7 p.m.
It was Massapequa’s 10th Long Island crown in 14 appearances in Sheedy’s 23 years as head coach.
This one was earned with a combination of effective relief work and clutch hitting. Massapequa scored nine of their 11 runs with two-out hits.
They opened the game with a two-out, three-run rally against T-birds starter DJ Filippone for a 3-0 lead. Brady Love singled, Anthony DiNello was intentionally walked after Filippone fell behind in the count 3-0. And with two outs, Ryan Moore drilled a two-run single to centerfield and Anthony Conza followed with sharp run-scoring single.
“We were successful in high-pressure situations because we have the right approach,” Conza said. “And we can do it throughout the lineup.”
Connetquot (21-4) answered with three runs in the bottom half of the first. Chris Steeneck keyed the rally with a two-out, two-run double to tie the score at 3.
The T-birds were then held scoreless over the next four innings as Corrigan blended a sneaky fastball with command of his off-speed pitches and yielded just three hits and a walk.
“He found a role that fits him perfectly,” said DiNello, the Massapequa catcher. “He settled things down and our offense took over.”
The T-birds found no answer for Corrigan, and Massapequa’s offense exploded for two runs in the second, four in the fourth and two in the fifth for an 11-3 lead.
Chris Sultana had a two-out, two-run single in the second for a 5-3 lead.
Massapequa batted around to plate four runs, including two-out RBI hits from John Neary and Joe Genova in the fourth. And Conza sealed it when he lifted a two-out, two-run double in the fifth.
Massapequa made five pitching changes in the game. The T-birds scored two in the sixth when Tyler Cope launched a two-out, two-run double to make it 11-5.
“We had a plan to match up certain guys with the Connetquot hitters,” Sheedy said. “Corrigan gave us a championship effort.”
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
