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Anthony Alicki of the Shelter Island Bucks and the University of Bridgeport was named the PItcher of the Year in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. BRETT MAUSER
Eddie Haus of the Shelter Island Bucks and St. Mary's College (California) was named the MVP of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. BRETT MAUSER
The championship season of the Shelter Island Bucks is over—but they certainly are not done celebrating.
Last Thursday, August 6, the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League named outfielder Eddie Haus the Most Valuable Player of the league, and also honored starting pitcher Anthony Alicki with the Pitcher of the Year award.
In similar fashion to how the Bucks performed as a team this season, both Alicki and Haus dominated their respective voting races. Alicki received three of the seven first-place votes for Pitcher of the Year, beating out Michael Toner (William and Mary) of the Aviators, and Frank Moscatiello (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Danny Pobereyko (Butler) of the North Fork Ospreys.
The MVP race voting was even more lopsided: Haus earned six of seven first-place votes, with Southampton’s Rob Moore (St. Peter’s) receiving the only other first-place nod. J.J. Shimko (USC Upstate) of Montauk was the runner-up to Haus in MVP voting.
This summer was Haus’s first experience facing a roster of collegiate baseball players. He red-shirted his freshman year at St. Mary’s College of California, meaning he didn’t play, for various reasons and maintained a year of eligibility.
“I just wasn’t physically ready yet [for college baseball],” Haus said. “In December, I figured the starting right fielder for St. Mary’s was going to get drafted in the top 10 rounds of the MLB draft. And I also had shoulder tendinitis.”
Despite these circumstances, Haus said he wasn’t discouraged. He packed on 30 pounds before the start of the HCBL regular season. Along with good health, this played a huge role in his steadily improving play during the HCBL season.
It also kept his confidence at an all-time high. After winning the MVP of the All-Star Game in the middle of the season, Haus said he started to realize that he was a true contender for MVP. “After the All-Star Game, I assumed the MVP would be going to one of the best position players. I just had to make sure my team was winning and had to keep doing my job,” he said.
Alicki, who is heading into his junior year at University of Bridgeport, had quite a bit of experience before starting for the Shelter Island Bucks. Alicki led his Bridgeport team in innings (71.2), wins (six), and strikeouts (76), this past season.
Despite Bridgeport baseball being his main priority, his intensity never dwindled in the HCBL. “Every time I go out there, I get the same adrenaline rush, whether it’s a scrimmage or championship game,” Alicki said. “I just take it in and roll off it.”
Alicki said the award was a “cherry on top” for a summer when he felt like Shelter Island was a perfect fit for him. “It was definitely fun being able to win the championship—we really came together as a team,” Alicki said of this summer.
While Alicki was already on track to compete for a number-one spot in the pitching rotation at Bridgeport before receiving Pitcher of the Year honors in the HBCL, he has a strong hunch that this award solidifies his candidacy: “Nothing is ever handed to you, [but] there is a strong possibility I can obtain the number-one spot, and that’s what I’m going to shoot for.”
