Center Moriches’s Pulsipher Named HCBL Pitcher Of The Year

Center Moriches graduate Liam Pulsipher was voted Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s Pitcher of the Year, and while he’s humbled to be chosen “in a league like this filled with other talented pitchers,” one of the first things he really thought of is how he hopes a local guy being chosen for the recognition could inspire others.

“You know, I come from a small town, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have the means to produce great ballplayers,” Pulsipher said. “Me winning this award, it’s definitely something special, and maybe it will show scouts and other large schools in the area that Long Island, and, specifically, Center Moriches is home to some high-class athletes.”

The South Shore Clippers lefthander and Queens College rising junior beat out teammate John Rizzo of Adelphi University to take the award with three first-place selections and a second and third place vote. He finished with 28 total points to Rizzo’s 22.

Pulsipher led the HCBL with a 0.93 ERA across 29 innings pitched, had a 1-0 record in five starts and struck out 29 batters while walking just 10. He said his time at Center Moriches prepared him well for a season like this. Pulsipher won state championships with both the Red Devils’ baseball and soccer teams.

“Sometimes, you might not have your best stuff, but you just have to persevere,” the southpaw said. “I’ve learned to never give up, even if you are down. You can be down, but you are never out of the fight. Being behind in the state final my senior year and coming back to win it showed me that.”

Three years in the Hamptons league didn’t hurt, either. Pulsipher said the environment bodes well for him.

“Long Island is a great place to be in the summer, and I’m very happy we have such a competitive league near my hometown,” the junior said. “This award is something I had my eyes on coming into the season, and I made sure to put all my effort and focus into every outing to put myself in a great position to win this award.”

Having his father, 20-year former Major League Baseball standout and New York Met Bill Pulsipher as a coach and mentor also has its perks.

“Growing up in a household with a pro baseball player has helped me understand what I need to do to get to the next level,” Pulsipher said. “He’s guided me along the way and helped me figure out how to pitch and the mental aspect of the game.”

The lefty said he was also in a unique position in the summer league this season, shifting to being a mentor to the younger players.

“When I first came into the league, I know I looked up to the older guys for guidance and took after them — as to what I should and shouldn’t be doing,” Pulsipher said. “It was great being a teacher to the younger guys this year. And I definitely had my best season on top of that. To throw a sub-1 ERA is something really special.”

Pulsipher was also selected to represent the HCBL at the Southeast Collegiate Prospect Showcase, where he got the win in the league’s 10-5 victory over the Southern Collegiate Baseball League on June 27 at Worthington Field in Virginia. He was also selected to the HCBL All-Star Game on July 6 at Cochran Park.

Pulsipher is the second player from South Shore and Queens to be selected for a 2022 year-end award after Danny Gargano took the HCBL Reliever of the Year title. Gargano, a Middle Island native, edged Southampton Breakers’ Jacob Young of Brown University by a single point.

Shelter Island Buck Blake Salamon (Northwood) ran away as the HCBL’s Most Valuable Player totaling 31 points, with three first place votes and a pair of second place votes. Southampton’s Esai Santos (Holy Names) finished second in MVP voting with 14 points, just one point ahead of South Shore’s Ryan McIntyre (Amherst).

“You know, I went out there and did my best, had a great season and that’s all I could control,” Young said. “And what’s more important to me is that I improved immensely and had fun. Danny also had a great summer, and deserved recognition for what he did, as well.”

Young, from California, said his first summer in Southampton was one to remember.

“I had heard great things about the Hamptons league, so when my Brown coach told me he got me a contract, I was psyched,” Young said. “I had a great time in Southampton this summer. The league has a charm to it that made me feel like a little kid again, and I think that’s why I had so much fun. It reminded me of summers in Little League.”

The pair said their time competing this season will propel them into purposeful spring ball.

“Going into this season with Queens I’m expecting big things out of myself and my team,” Pulsipher said. “I just want to build off of what I did this summer and carry that into next year to help my team bring home a championship. We were so close this year, and I felt like I could’ve done more to get us over the line. This year things will be different. I worked really hard in the summer to iron out some mistakes I was making and I’m going into this year with the utmost confidence in myself.”

While he worked to help others improve, Pulsipher said he also learned a lot, especially mechanically, utilizing his back leg to get the most out of his back hip when throwing a pitch.

“A great thing about summer ball is you get all these great pitching minds coming together to show each other some things, and I for sure learned how to get into my back side along with some changes in grips and timing this year from teammate Teddy Brennan,” he said. “Ted is a great kid.”

The pitcher said the adjustments and improvements are all steps toward his goal of following in his father’s footsteps.

“The end goal is always to play pro ball, and by competing at this level and putting up good numbers this year, I feel like I’ve put myself in a great spot going forward,” Pulsipher said. “I learned this year that when I pitch to my strengths and my knowledge of the game, even when I don’t have my best stuff, I will put my team in a position to win. I would sure hope my father is proud of me, but at the same time, the job isn’t done. I’ll say he can be proud once I make it to the big leagues.”