Top 15 high school baseball pitchers on Long Island

It’s always about top-notch pitching for Long Island baseball.

There are currently six Long Island pitchers employed in the big leagues. Steven Matz (Tampa Bay Rays), Anthony Kay (Chicago White Sox), Jason Foley (San Francisco Giants), Ben Brown (Chicago Cubs), Justin Topa (Minnesota Twins) and Greg Weissert (Boston Red Sox) have all earned their way into the big leagues.

There are more pitchers at various minor-league affiliates — such as Yankees righthander Harrison Cohen of Cold Spring Harbor — working for that big-league opportunity. There are 72 players from Long Island pitching at the college level.

The bottom line: Long Island has always had top-shelf arms.

Coaches will tell you the arms are always ahead of the hitters early in the high school baseball season when the weather is still cold and the bats haven’t awakened.

“The conditions are brutal in the early spring on Long Island, especially for the hitters,” Ward Melville coach Lou Petrucci said. “And pitchers that throw hard and have command are usually ahead of the hitters at this time of year.”

Here's our ranking for the top 15 high school pitchers on Long Island this spring.

1.Derek Yormack, Bellmore JFK, RHP, Jr.

Long Island’s top prospect committed to Vanderbilt University. The power pitcher throws 93 mph and has command of three pitches. He struck out 62 over 36 innings.

2. Jaxson Torres, Plainedge, RHP, Jr.

Swings and misses are what Torres is all about. He has a variety of off-speed pitches, commands the zone and throws an 89-mph fastball. He had 64 strikeouts. 

3. Luke Coats, St. Anthony’s, RHP, Sr.

The ace of the St. Anthony’s staff has his velocity up to 93 mph. Hitters batted .183 against him. He’s committed to the University of West Virginia.

4. Everett Zarzicki, Kings Park, RHP, Jr.

The hard-throwing ace of a pitching staff that will have a 1A and a 1B (keep reading). He averages a strikeout an inning and is committed to University of Connecticut.

5. Dylan Frers, Kings Park, RHP, Jr.

He’s the 1B of the Kings Park staff. He had five wins and averaged eight strikeouts per game with an ERA under 1.00. He will attend Rutgers University.

6. Matt Zambriski, Riverhead, RHP, Jr.

He emerged as a power pitcher as a freshman. He fired a perfect game as a sophomore and finished with 70 strikeouts in 40 1/3 innings. He’s committed to St. John’s.

7. Jacob Vaccariello, St. Anthony’s, RHP, Sr.

The Friars’ starting shortstop is also the team closer. The Stony Brook University commit held opponents to a .141 average and struck out 30 in 20 1⁄3 innings.

8. Jack Mulligan, Massapequa, RHP, Soph.

He is perhaps the top pitching recruit in the Class of 2028. A pure power pitcher with a fastball that reaches 91 mph, he struck out 24 hitters over 21 innings last season as a freshman ace. 

9. Andrew Caramico, Chaminade, RHP, Sr. 

The St. John’s commit held opponents to a .193 batting average while striking out 24 hitters in 15 innings.

10. Tristan Hickis, Carey,RHP, Sr.

He won five games for the Seahawks as a junior. The aggressive starter has a three-pitch repertoire. He is committed to Hofstra.

11. Chris Desiderio, Garden City, LHP, Sr.

The big-game pitcher for the Trojans was also a standout kicker for the football team. He had eight wins and a 1.64 ERA as a junior.

12. Joe Carey, Garden City, LHP, Sr.

He was one of Long Island’s strikeout leaders as a junior with 71 over 58 innings. He also recorded seven wins. He is committed to the College of Holy Cross.

13. Linus Frederick, Northport, RHP, Sr.

The ace of the Tigers' staff struck out 51 over 40 innings as a junior. He allowed a .146 batting average against. He is committed to Hofstra.

14. Conor Dietz, Shoreham-Wading River, LHP, Soph.

He struck out 40 over 38 innings with a 1.62 ERA. His fastball is between 86-88 mph and he’s one of the top two recruits in the Class of 2028.

15. Lucas Patton, East Islip, LHP, Sr.

He was one of Long Island’s strikeout leaders with 65 in 52 innings. He had seven wins and an 0.36 ERA.