By Vinny Messana
westbury@antonnews.com
It was just one bad game, but it still is not easy to get over. “I had one bad game,” said Tim Ingram, starting pitcher for SUNY Old Westbury.“But it could not have come at a worse time.”
Ingram is referring to his playoff start against rival Farmingdale State in which he threw 4.1 innings and allowed seven runs on 11 hits. The loss stung because it put them on the brink of elimination and sent the Rams to the championship game, which they ultimately won for the seventh consecutive season.
Even so, Ingram had a lot to be proud about for his 2014 season. After transferring from Nassau Community College, he was named Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year. Ingram compiled a 6-3 record, with a 3.41 ERA (2.57 entering the playoffs), four complete games in 60 innings while striking out 73 batters against only 19 walks.
He was especially dominant during the middle of the season, when he defeated conference-foes in Purchase, St. Joseph’s, Mount St. Vincent, Mount St. Mary’s and Maritime. During that span, he threw 39 innings while allowing only eight runs and striking out 50 batters.
Ingram, a native of Westbury, feels that he made substantial improvements this season. “I worked very hard on my conditioning.” He noted that pitching coach Lou Bernardi was very helpful in getting him to this level.
“He helped me work on my mentality—how to act on the mound and how to approach hitters,” he added. Ingram had already been an accomplished pitcher entering college. He was named All-League during his high school days at Clarke, but was not satisfied.
I feel like I had a lot to prove entering this season,” he said. He certainly proved that he could transition from the junior college level to the ultra-competitive Skyline Conference, which is an annual dogfight between Farmingdale, Old Westbury and St. Joseph’s.
The junior went on to form a formidable duo in the rotation with Arismendy Nunez, who went 6-2 with a 2.13 ERA. They were reliable pitchers at the top of the rotation, combining for more than half of the team’s 20 wins.
Next season, Ingram will most likely be the ace pitcher with Nunez graduating. It will be an increased role, but will be the same in terms of workload. He will be tasked with facing the opposition’s best pitcher and come playoff time, he will face Farmingdale in another pressure-filled moment,
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I hope to beat Farmingdale.” It is in his family genes to be competition. After all, his father played football at Navy and his two older brothers played lacrosse in high school.
He is hoping to use his college degree to pursue his career as a police officer. While he considered attending a school that has a renowned criminal justice program, he decided that SUNY Old Westbury was the best fit due to the baseball program and the proximity to home.
In the meantime, he still has another season to attempt to dethrone Farmingdale, and he will use this summer as an opportunity to get better. Ingram will be competing in the prestigious Hamptons League as a member of the Southampton Breakers. The league has been noted for its high-level of competition and its ability to expose the top players to scouts.
Ingram had a huge impact on the Panthers in his first season and he will look to defend his Pitcher of the Year title in his next season.
