Robert Pinney Takes Over Hampton Bays Baseball Program

When John Foster took the athletic director position at Hampton Bays after Drew Walker retired, there was going to be an obvious vacancy atop the Baymen baseball program.

Similar to when Foster took over as head coach of the baseball team for Pete Meehan, the district didn’t have to look very far.

Robert Pinney, a 2006 Hampton Bays graduate who has been a varsity assistant coach within the program since 2015, was the logical choice to take the helm, and that’s exactly what Foster and the district concluded.

Pinney has actually been involved in the Hampton Bays baseball program since he was a teenager, getting called up to varsity for the team’s postseason run his sophomore year, then spending the next two seasons with the team until he graduated.

“It’s a really cool feeling” taking over the program, he said, “especially since I’ve been a part of the team for over 16 years. It’s nice to see the kids by the time they get to me. It’s nice to see the progression.”

Like Meehan had done in the past, Pinney will have a cast of alumni as varsity assistants. Dan Martel, a 2012 graduate, and Andrew Hafemeister, a 2017 graduate, will join Pinney on his staff. Ryan Gunn, a 2016 graduate, was expected to be the head coach of the junior varsity team this spring, but, due to low numbers, Hampton Bays had to fold that team, leaving Gunn to join the varsity staff.

It’s those low numbers within the program that are discerning and something Pinney will have to address sooner rather than later. The district recognized a few years back that numbers were going to be low, so they worked with Section XI and came up with a two-year alternate placement plan, where the Baymen, starting last spring, would play in League VIII, which includes the smallest schools in Suffolk County: Bridgehampton/Ross, Greenport, Pierson, Port Jefferson, Shelter Island and Southold. Enrollment size dictates that Hampton Bays technically should be playing in League VII.

That means the Baymen will continue to be ineligible for postseason play this season. But whether numbers improve or not, the program is expected to move back up to League VII next season.

To help numbers along, Pinney has brought on a few first-year seniors and is going to be a coach within the Hampton Bays Little League to try and drum up interest at the youth level.

Pinney is no stranger to losing the JV program and is well aware of its importance — he was scheduled to become the JV head coach back in 2015, when that team also had to fold because of poor numbers.

“We started out with 16 on JV a few weeks ago. Three days later, we had six,” Pinney said. “We gave those guys who remained the opportunity to experience varsity, knowing they might not see an inning or an at-bat at all, so we’ll have 21 on the varsity.”

Part of the numbers issue is that the program has been hit hard by graduation the past two seasons. Similarly to two years ago, the team graduated eight seniors at the conclusion of last season, seven of whom were starters — the team’s entire infield, top two starting pitchers and starting centerfielder. Jordan Adelson, Kai Leporati, Mickey Bracken and Gus Schmidt were just a few of the names Pinney rattled off.

There are five Baymen returning from last season who will try and lead the team as best they can. Aidan Kamp is a senior and now three-year varsity player and has the most experience of the group. He will play second base.

James Clinton is another returning senior who will pitch and play first base. Hayden Bevis, another senior, will play right field, and junior C.J. Peterson will play infield. Sophomore Patrick Donahue will pitch and play shortstop.

With no JV that leaves a rather large contingent making the jump to varsity, some of whom were going to do so regardless. That includes pitcher/centerfielder Kazmin Pensa-Johnson, junior first base/catcher Jorge Hernandez, sophomore first base/pitcher Max Reilly, freshman pitcher/leftfielder Seamus Smith, and eighth grade third baseman/pitcher Lucas Magnozzi. Donahue, Magnozzi and Pensa-Johnson figure to be the Baymen’s starting rotation.

The season got underway Tuesday for the Baymen in a three-game series with Southold, with the third and final game on Friday, April 1, in Southold at 4:30 p.m. Hampton Bays will then play a nonleague game at Stony Brook School on April 7 at 4:30 p.m.

Pinney is holding an alumni game of former players against current varsity players later this season on May 21, which will be a fundraiser for the baseball program. Any former alumni interested in playing should contact him at rpinney@hbschools.us. There will be an admission fee for spectators, and concession stands will be open, with all proceeds going to the program.