Playing for Massapequa isn’t always easy. One is expected to continue a winning tradition that has been in place for decades. This year, the football and the basketball teams came up just shy of the ultimate goal. Alex Cosenza, who was also a pivotal part of the basketball team, made sure the baseball team would not follow suit. In fact, he has now led the Chiefs to consecutive Nassau County AA titles on the diamond.
“Winning back-to-back county titles is one of the best feelings in the world,” said the All-State left-handed pitcher. “Especially because of all the work we put in as a team. It feels good when it pays off.”
Massapequa is fresh off defeating Oceanside in both games of a best-of-three county finals at SUNY Farmingdale. The Chiefs entered the tournament as somewhat of an underdog, as they were No. 6 based on a sub-par regular season. Their veteran players stepped up, though, and performed at their best when it mattered. Cosenza, one those those aforementioned veterans.
Cosenza is the definition of an ace. He has been the workhorse for the Chiefs for a couple of years and has a calm demeanor on the mound.
“The expectations are always high here at Massapequa,” he said. “The goal is always to win a county title. I don’t necessarily feel pressure because of the way Coach Sheedy and Coach Cafiero prepare us each day through out the season. Everyone was always on the same page and when that happens, goals seem to be much more attainable.”
Although they did not achieve the ultimate goal of winning the Long Island Championship, Cosenza was the starting pitcher, as he was last year at Dowling College against Ward Melville. He pitched a tremendous game each time, but the Chiefs lost heartbreaking 1-0 and 2-1 games to Suffolk County’s elite teams — Ward Melville in 2013 and West Islip this season.
In front of fully packed bleachers — more than 2,000 spectators — Cosenza performed like a grizzled veteran, something not often seen by a junior in high school.
“It is very special pitching in a championship game,” he said. “I always try to stay relaxed and trust myself, my catcher and my defense behind me. I try to treat it like any other start I’ve made.”
That, of course, is easier said than done. It takes a certain type of pitcher to mitigate the electric atmosphere. Two pitchers that come to mind happen to be personal favorites of Cosenza — Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux
While they both had tremendous careers, neither of them featured elite velocity, instead they relied on pinpoint control and a chemist-level of concentration.
“I try to model their pitching approaches and styles,” he said.
For the comparisons to have any chance of becoming legitimate, Cosenza must prosper at the next level. That will begin in the fall while pitching for Division-I Hofstra University. The Pride is coming off an underwhelming 20-24 season, but they have a young core in place that will enable them to contend this season.
“As much as I am taking in every day I have left playing as a Chief, I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter of my life at Hofstra,” he said.
It certainly won’t be a cake walk transitioning from facing the best that Nassau County high schools have to offer to taking on the best hitters in the Colonial Athletic Association.
“The biggest challenge will be adjusting to the very talented hitters at that level and finding a way to get them out,” said Cosenza.
Judging by his track record, that should not be an issue.
In the meantime, Cosenza will be able to enjoy some well-deserved relaxation after a full year of pressure-packed competition.
