East Islip's Thomas Costarelli wins Gibson Award
Thomas Costarelli of East Islip wins the Gibson Award at the Suffolk County Baseball Coaches Association banquet on Monday in Wading River. Credit: Michael A. Rupolo Sr.
When Thomas Costarelli was on the mound for East Islip, opposing teams knew that in order to win, it would have to be a low-scoring game.
Already a dominant pitcher the previous two years, the lefty took his game to another level in his senior season. The East Tennessee State commit pitched to an 8-0 record with a 0.40 ERA, a 0.63 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 67 innings. He helped lead East Islip to its first Suffolk championship since 2021.
Costarelli earned the Paul Gibson Award as Suffolk’s top pitcher Monday night at the Suffolk County Baseball Awards Banquet at East Wind Long Island in Wading River.
“Even on the days where he didn’t have his best stuff, teams were lucky to get three or four hits against him,” East Islip coach Sal J. Ciampi said. “That’s a byproduct of having an unbelievable amount of God-given talent, but he’s such an elite athlete that he’s able to repeat his delivery with good mechanics.”
At 5-11, 175-pounds, Costarelli isn’t the biggest or most powerful pitcher in the county. But his ability to mix up his fastball that sits in the high-80s with his slider and changeup keeps opposing hitters off-balance.
“When those other two pitches are on, he’s not gonna give up runs. He’s unhittable,” Ciampi said. “A lot of times in high school, kids can throw those secondary pitches sometimes and they’re a work in progress. His are polished.”
Costarelli struck out 11 in six scoreless innings in a 10-1 win over Smithtown West on May 12 to clinch the League IV regular season title. In the first round of the Suffolk Class AA playoffs, Costarelli struck out 10 and allowed three hits in nine shutout innings against Rocky Point. He scored the winning run in the 10th inning on a squeeze bunt by John Talt.
“He’s not gonna go out there and walk three guys in an inning,” Smithtown West coach Al Nucci said. “In order to score on him, you need to string hits together, which is very difficult to do. You need him to make a mistake, maybe walk a guy or two and then you need an error.”
Costarelli, who also played quarterback for Ciampi for three years, was selected to Newsday’s All-Long Island football team in the fall.
He batted .402 with 20 RBIs, 22 runs and 22 stolen bases this season.
Said Ciampi: “He’s gonna be one of those kids in the next year or two that’s gonna take a leap where he’s gonna be on the radar of all of Major League Baseball.”
