Lynbrook Baseball Led By Star Combination of Weingarten and Bilello

The Lynbrook Owls have been working their way back to prominence in Nassau County largely in part to a pair of junior teammates that are giving the Owls the opportunity to do just that.

Pitcher Alex Weingarten and catcher Brian Bilello are longtime friends off the field and display that strong bond when working together for the baseball team. They take the field with that incremental factor on their side to compete against Nassau County’s top high school programs.

“We are best friends off of the field and good teammates on the field," Weingarten said. "We work well with each other and always seem to be on the same page. We’re always talking and make sure it stays that way."

Weingarten has had a breakout 2011 season for the Owls, pitching to a 4-1 record thus far. Three of his four wins were complete games, including two shutouts in which he recorded 13 strikeouts against Lawrence and 11 against West Hempstead. Weingarten has a combined 44 strikeouts, with just five earned runs given up in 37 innings pitched through May 3. 

The junior pitcher had an unprecedented run of 28 straight innings without giving up an earned run before Plainedge, the top-ranked team in Long Island, broke the streak in a league game in early May.

“Alex has been fantastic all year long and in my mind is a Diamond Award candidate,” said Lynbrook head coach Al Marrazzo. “He has got command of three pitches and throws them all at any time in the count and is confident in that he is not afraid to face great teams like Plainedge.”

The Diamond Award is given annually to the top-rated pitcher in Nassau County at the end of the season. Weingarten, who also participates with the South Shore Indians travel baseball team in the summer, hopes to be in the running for that honor this year.

The junior teammate calling the games and working Weingarten through his success this year is that of Bilello. Aside from helping Weingarten to his stellar record, he has helped Lynbrook pitchers Will Norris to three wins and Dan Grossi to two wins, including catching a no-hitter by Grossi on the road at Lawrence.

Bilello has also developed into the Owls’ top hitter, batting an impressive .438 average with a team-leading three home runs and 21 RBIs through Lynbrook’s first 15 games this season.

“I’ve put in a lot of practice during the offseason and played on a travel team, competing in multiple games throughout the summer,” Bilello said. The junior catcher is part of the Long Island Tigers, who play upwards of 100 games during the summer, both in and out of New York State.

The teamwork that Bilello and Weingarten display on the field is a strong signal of communication, knowledge of each other and trust between them and Coach Marrazzo.

“Brian knows what Alex wants to throw and what he likes to throw in certain counts,” Marrazzo added. “He calls a very good game, something we worked on a lot last year. Brian just does a very good job and we really trust each other with that.”

Lynbrook made the playoffs in 2006 after winning Conference A-III. They have not been back since, but with the leadership of both Weingarten and Bilello, the Owls are well on their way to getting back there again.

Coach Marrazzo and the Owls will be looking forward to another year with these two stellar players in 2012, where the production and success are only looking in upward directions.