Axcess Baseball's Podcast

Welcome to Beyond the Diamond! Co-hosts Lou Bernardi and Vin Messana will delve deep into the landscape of the game of baseball. Special guests from college baseball and the professional ranks!

On this episode, Lou Bernardi and Vin Messana are joined by Iona Head Coach Conor Burke. He is a 2007 graduate of St. Dominic HS and has rapidly ascended in the college baseball ranks. He is entering his third season at the helm for the Gaels. They discuss the recent news surrounding an increase in scholarships permitted for college baseball programs as well as a cutdown in roster limits from 40 to 34, NIL and the transfer portal

On this episode, we are recording from the LI Field House in Hauppauge, NY joined by St. Dominic HS ace Victor Frederick and catcher Thomas Garrett

On this episode, we are recording from the Town of Brookhaven head quarters joined by special guest Paul Gibson III. Paul is the Head Coach of Center Moriches, who won the New York State Class B Title in 2018, 2019 and the Long Island Championship in 2022. He is also the VP of Operations for MVP Baseball and Program Director for MVP NY East.

On this episode, we are recording from Max Effort Baseball in Farmingdale, NY with NY Longhorns founder Erik Paulsen Sr. We discuss how they began as a town team in Massapequa and turned into one of the premier teams in the state, culminating with winning Cooperstown Dreams Park back in August with a perfect record of 10-0

On this episode, we are recording live from Max Effort Baseball in Farmingdale, NY. Dan coached Holy Trinity to the 2023 NYS Catholic League Championship - and their first Nassau-Suffolk Championship since 2012. 

We are back! On this episode, we are recording live from LI Field House in Hauppauge, NY joined by two very special guests - reigning Diamond Award Winner James Sill and Division Coach Tom Tuttle. Sill just capped an incredible season, leading  Division to the Nassau County Class A Title over Calhoun. He recently announced he will be attending SUNY Old Westbury. Tom Tuttle, longtime head coach of the program, joined us to discuss when he knew the team was special. why he never names a captain, how his team narrowly finished with a perfect record and why Levittown is such a big baseball town.

On this episode, we are recording live from 1 More Rep in Farmingdale, NY joined by special guest Cornell Warick. He is a Sports Performance Specialist that is a former Long Island Champion football player at Amityville HS. We spoke about the importance of in-season training for athletes and how they can see improvements in the off-season. He works with a number of Long Island baseball players such as Massapequa's varsity team, JJ Palumbo, Nicholas DelVecchio, Cristino Tufano and many more. Make sure to check them out on IG @1mr_one_more_rep_

On this episode, we are filming from LI Field House in Hauppauge, NY joined by St. Anthony's HC Paul Parsolano. We discuss the offseason spending spree of the New York Mets, the pending acquisition of Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Carlos Rodon, St. Anthony's ace Jason DeCaro and the whether modern high school baseball players are multi-sport athletes or specializing in one sport.

On this episode, we are recording from LI Field House in Hauppauge, NY joined by special guest Erik Paulsen Jr. He is a senior at Massapequa HS and is committed to Stony Brook University. Erik helped lead the Chiefs to the Class AA Long Island Championship over Commack before losing to McQuaid Jesuit in the NYS Tournament. We discuss his experience with the college recruiting process, playing for the Titans organization since he was 10, winning the Axcess World Series and the match up he's most excited for this season.

On this episode, we are recording from the brand new LI Field House in Hauppauge joined by Glenn Mitchell. Glenn is a graduate of Malverne HS where he signed with the Atlanta Braves as a 17-year-old in 1987. He pitched five seasons in the minors before getting into coaching. He now owns GEM Pitching and GEM Mental Game Pro. He works with pitchers of al ages and focuses not just on the physical but the mental side of pitching. Plenty of insight from Glenn

Last night was the Suffolk County All-County dinner in which the coveted Carl Yastrzemski Award, Paul Gibson Award and Silver Slugger Awards were named. The NYS Championships are also complete including the first ever CHSAA Championship which was won by the Chaminade Flyers. We also get you up to date on the some of the events we will be hosting

On this episode, we are recording from Athletic Movement Protocol in Syosset, NY with special guess Garrett Rogers and Dennis Treubig. We discuss On Base U, some important factors to keep pitchers on the mound and healthy, how to avoid losing strength during the season, what pitchers should be doing following starts, why is Jacob deGrom always hurt, how many pitches is too many, why it's important to be a multi-sport athlete, the danger of attending too many showcases and what's with all the hamstring/oblique injuries in baseball.

On this episode we are recording from Patrizia's of Massapequa with all the coaches (minus one) of the Catholic League. Vinny Messana - Axcess BaseballPaul Parsolano - St. Anthony'sMike Pienkos - ChaminadeJames Bailin - ChaminadeJoe Fusco - St. DominicDan Luisi - Holy TrinityChris Estrada - St. Mary'sCasey McKay - St. John the Baptist

On this episode, we are recording from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by Trinity-commit Dylan Schnitzer (Huntington 2022). Dylan batted .475 in 2021 in helping his team capture their first County Championship since 1960. He also has played in a big part in the success of the Body Armor Titans United. Special thanks to the Vitality Center for sponsoring this podcast series - we will see you after the New Year!

On this podcast, we are recording from The Yard Sports Academy in Deer Park joined by Jon Kourie - founder of Freedom Baseball. We discuss their growth since the organization launched and recapping their 2021 season.  Then we discuss some of the issues with travel baseball, the fallacy of ranking youth baseball teams, why you should not commit early to a college, what you should be focusing on during the college recruiting process and when a player looks pro ball ready. Lastly, we touched on his relationship with the late Mike Leiderman, the impact he had on his career and his life and the legacy he leaves behind.

On this episode, we arm filming from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by special guest Jack Quinlan (Sayville 2022). We discuss his recruiting process with Army West Point, winning a Long Island Championship as a freshman, playing with the East Coast Lumberjacks and recapping their 2021 season which ended in the playoffs to East Islip.

On this episode, we are filming live from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by Longwood senior Mason Mehling - who just recently committed to Muhlenberg College. We spoke about how covid impacted his college recruiting process, why he chose to focus on academics-first, the sting of losing to Commack in the playoffs, playing behind a future-pro pitcher in Tommy Ventimiglia and previewing the 2022 season for Longwood. Special thanks to the Vitality Center for sponsoring this podcast series!

On this episode, we are filming live from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by Fairfield-commit Aidan Colagrande (Kings Park 2022). Aidan discusses his experience with the college recruiting process, why he chose Fairfield, his summer playing with Team Steel National, what we can expect from Kings Park this upcoming season and how made made a big jump in velocity last offseason. Special thanks to the Vitality Center in Commack, NY for sponsoring this podcast series!

On this episode we are recording from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by Central Connecticut State-comit Nic Benhardt (Rocky Point 2022). Nic discusses his experience with the college recruiting process, why he chose CCSU, his talented Rocky Point team that dominated the regular season and how he dealt with losing his father when he was very young. Special thanks to the Vitality Center for sponsoring this podcast. Make sure to check them out at vitalitycenterli.com

This episode is presented by The Vitality  Center in Commack, NY: We are filming live from Showtime Athletics joined by Hofstra-commit Jake Deslauriers (Eastport-South Manor 2022). We discussed his experience with the college recruiting process, how social media helped him gain exposure, playing for Team Steel, what it was like getting called up to varsity as a freshman, and why he enjoys playing volleyball as well as baseball.

This episode is powered by The Vitality Center - We are filming from Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY joined by special guest DeVonte Bailey (North Babylon 2022). We discuss his college commitment to Alabama State, his summer playing for Team Beast Galiano, how much he enjoys being an underdog, preparing to play in Jupiter, FL and much more

On this episode, we are recording from the brand new studios at Showtime Athletics in Holbrook, NY with special guest Brady Clark. He is a 2023 graduate of Bayport-Blue Point and recently committed to St. John's University. Brady also is the starting QB on the football team and plays for Body Armor Titans

Previewing some huge games today of playoff baseball on Long Island and recapping some of the recent games 

This is a brief episode in which I discuss the America East's decision to send NJIT to the Regional and not Stony Brook, also a quick breakdown of the CHSAA Finals between No. 1 Kellenberg and No. 2 Chaminade

On this episode we first discuss the America East tournament and Stony Brook's comeback win, USMMA delivering the upset over nationally ranked Eastern Connecticut, Molloy bashing the baseball and the previous week of high school coverage

On this week's episode, I talk about the action from the past week including-Northport late-game heroics vs  Bay Shore-Adelphi Advancing to NE-10 Championship-Commack defeating Rafe Schlesinger-Division Holding Off Manhasset -Joey Marchese's Go-Ahead 3-Run HR

High school baseball on Long Island opened up on May 4 and since then, we've covered several games including the Coaches Memorial Weekend hosted by the Town of Brookhaven.I recap the games we covered including:-Mepham @ MacArthur-Massapequa @ Port Washington-Island Trees @ Wheatley-Hungtington vs Connetquot-Sayville vs Westhampton Beach-William Floyd vs Longwood-East Islip vs Hills West-Newfield vs Smithtown West

On this episode, we are gathered with all the Nassau-Suffolk Catholic League coaches to discuss several topics including some big news regarding Kellenberg coaching staff, putting a bow on the 2019 season, discussing some of the impact players, picking one pitcher to start a must-win game.Special thanks to Roslyn Social for hosting this podcast and thanks to Brothers 3 for sponsoring this podcast series!

On this episode, I am solo and I'm breaking down my top-5 pitchers in the 2021 class - including how they have progressed recently, what we can from their 2021 season and whether they can get drafted now or enter college.

On this episode, we are joined by Joe Francisco, owner of Team Francisco Hitting Academy. We discuss him winning the vote for Best Hitting Instructor on LI for 2021. We discuss the success of his travel organization, the state of hitters on Long Island, what makes a great hitting instructor and his plans for the upcoming year.

On this episode, we are filming live from St. Anthony's HS with head coach Paul Parsolano. We discuss the passing of legendary head coach Bill Batewell. Pars played for Batewell at Sachem HS and maintained a friendship with him, he discussed the impact on his life and why he was beloved by his former players and opposing coaches. We also discussed the Hall of Fame electing no players and our thoughts on whether each player will ultimately end up in Cooperstown. Special thanks to Brothers 3 Pool for once again sponsoring this podcast series.

On Episode 2 of Talkin' Baseball W/ Pars & Vinny we discuss the mega deal that brought 4-time All-Star Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets. We also discuss:-Where the other top free agents may sign. -Why many high school baseball players are making the wrong decisions in their college recruiting process.-What do great players have in common?-Why do so many 'can't miss' prospects actually fail?-Can you tell if a player has what it takes to handle a big moment?-Staying motivated while playing in the low-minors-Why Div-III baseball is underrated

This is the first episode of a multi-part series in which St. Anthony's HC Paul Parsolano and Axcess President Vin Messana discuss relevant topics regarding Major League Baseball, college recruiting and amateur baseball.Topics on this episode include:-Will Trevor Bauer's personality work in New York?-Why are pitcher's discouraged from showing emotion?-Why did Kevin Cash remove Blake Snell?-Does clutch exist?-Biggest difference from college and the high school game?-Are the last 3 outs of a game really 'different'?-Does the 'Opener' work?-How did Mariano succeed with one pitch?Special thanks to Brothers 3 for sponsoring this series. Call them at 516-735-7435

On this episode, we are filming from Pro Game Athletics in Bay Shore, NY with Frankie Noto (Westhampton Beach 2022). He spoke about playing with Team Steel 2022 team, we discussed their outstanding team coached by Cam Sorgie with teammates such as Taj Farmer, Brady Steinert and Jason Ambos. We previewed the Westhampton 2021 season, getting recruited as a two-way player and why he roots for the Houston Texans.

On this episode, we are recording from Pro Game Athletics in Bay Shore, NY joined by Stony Brook-commit Chris Leone (Hauppauge 2021). He is widely considered one of the top catchers on Long Island and has been on varsity since 9th grade. We spoke about his experience with the college recruiting process through a pandemic, playing with Team Beast, previewing the 2021 season and how he's preparing for the upcoming season.

On this episode, we are recording live from Pro Game Athletics in Bay Shore, NY joined by University of Chicago-commit Hayden Leiderman (Roslyn 2021). Hayden is a hard-throwing RHP and talented SS that plays for the LI Junior Ducks-Caputo. We spoke about how he was able to commit to a high-end Division-I school during a pandemic, how he enjoys playing for Tom Caputo, his goals for the off-season and why pizza is his favorite

On this episode, we are filming live from Pro Game Athletics in Bay Shore, NY with Chaminade 2022 LHP John Downing. He had an outstanding season in which he recorded a 1.30 ERA over 13 starts. We discussed everything from his success this season, previewed the upcoming season for Chaminade as they attempt to defend their crown as CHSAA Champs and why he loves the Mets. Thank to Ken Kortright of State Farm for sponsoring this podcast series.

On this episode, we are recording from Pro Game Athletics in Bay Shore, NY joined by Adelphi-commit Phil D'Aguanno (Bethpage 2021). He had an outstanding summer this year, compiling a 1.96 ERA with 89 Ks. He also batted .422 with .642 SLG, 28 RBI and 31 runs scored. He discussed what it was like playing during the pandemic-shortened season, how Dodgers Nation has become a top travel program, watching the epic 14-inning playoff game against Division in 2019 and the chemistry he has with his catcher.

On this episode, we are recording live from Pro Game Athletics. Special thanks to Ken Kortright State Farm Agency for sponsoring this podcast series. We are joined by GeorgeWashington-commit Ty Acker (Sachem East 2021) discussing his experience this summer playing for the East Coast Lumberjacks, his experience with the college recruiting process, what it's like playing behind pitchers like Roman Kimball and Rafe Schlesinger and a quick preview of the upcoming season.

The Fall Ball Series returns for a fourth year. Special thanks to East Coast Strength & Performance for making it possible. We are joined by Suffolk CC Head Coach Jason Galbraith who discusses what it was like being the "last team standing" in terms of cancelling the 2020 season, how they benefited from Covid and their outlook on the 2021 season which is scheduled to start on time - as of now. Make sure to follow East Coast S & P on Instagram @eastcoast_sp

On this episode, I provide some updates on the upcoming showcases and game coverage we will be providing. I also break down the news that Steve Cohen has entered exclusive negotiations to become the next Mets owner and why fans should be elated with the news

On this episode, I discuss some of the latest news including July 1 Spring Training 2.0 report date and July 23 Opening Day for MLB as well as Town of Brookhaven Varsity Bat Tournament, ECYBL, Boys of Summer and Blue Chip Collegiate League all beginning next week.

On this episode, I give a few updates on the latest with the possible return to baseball on Long Island as well as my take on the ongoing tensions between the MLB owners and MLB Players Association.

On this episode, we are joined by Charles Galiano via Instagram Live, so the audio is not perfect. We discussed today's news of MLB potentially playing the entire season in Arizona, how his minor league friends are dealing with the uncertainty, we spoke about his career at Commack HS and Fordham University and he shed some light on the catching position and the aspects that are most important.

On this episode, we are joined by Molloy assistant coach Mike Cruz. He has a wealth of knowledge in the Strength & Conditioning space so we are discussing how athletes can stay in playing shape despite the mandatory quarantine even if they have no equipment in their home. We also discussed Molloy's brief 2020 season, why he thought they had the makings of a successful team and what the coaching staff told them after the NCAA decision came down. We also discussed his playing career at Division HS, Nassau CC and SUNY Oneonta.

On this episode, we are joined by Richie Ciufo, senior SS at Brown University. He is also a 2015 graduate of Pat-Med. Richie is a player that was effected by the NCAA's decision to end the 2020 season on March 12 due to the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus). He only had the opportunity to play 12 games in a season in which he was named captain and was on the radar of several MLB teams. We discuss how he found out about the decision, what happened in the immediate aftermath and what his plans are now. We also discussed his time at Pat-Med, the workload of an Ivy School student-athlete and his musical career.

On this episode, we are recording from The Cage in Riverhead, NY with special guest Larry Izzo. He is a longtime MLB scout and Long Island native. He has worked for the Mets for the past 18 years and drafted Ward Melville LHPs Steven Matz and Anthony Kay. Before that he worked for the Montreal Expos, Arizona Diamondbacks - when they won the World Series - and the Texas Rangers. He sheds some light on some commonly asked questions in scouting such as how hard lefties need to throw, whether catchers need to show pop to get drafted, what a SS looks like at the pro level and why it's difficult to draft a college closer. Great insight from a 38-year veteran in the scouting game.

On this episode we are joined by Tyler Badamo, who was a 24th round pick of the New York Mets in 2014 out of Dowling College, following an All-American season. He wound up pitching 261 innings over four seasons in affiliated ball, most recently playing with the Long Island Ducks in 2018. We had a very candid conversation about the state of Major League Baseball, the recent changes that baseball has tried to implement in the Atlantic League and the changes that they should make, especially allowing players to express their personalities more. We also discuss losing a parent at a young age, and how you can overcome that and channel your adversity into aggression on the mound.

We are joined by Long Island Baseball founder Anthony Passalacqua. He discusses his upbringing and being a two-sport star at East Islip before transferring to Stony Brook Prep. He starred on the gridiron at Wagner before transferring to Erskine College in South Carolina. He faced several obstacles in terms of injuries but also ulcerative colitis while he was going through his senior season but still posted outstanding numbers. He wound up getting asked to play in the Italian Professional Baseball league for three years. Ultimately, he took a career in the world of finance before starting the Long Island Baseball organization, which has been growing every since.

On this episode, we are recording from Kellenberg HS with head coach Chris Alfalla. He has been the head coach since 2003. He has led them to four Catholic League championships. He also graduated from there in 1994 and played four years across the road at Molloy. We close the book on their 2019 season, preview 2020 and reminisce on their spectacular 2016-'17 run. They will open up the 2020 season again St. Dominic.