Plainedge High School’s varsity baseball team dominated the regular season and now finds itself close to capping off the season with a county championship.
The team went 19-1 during the regular season, the best record in the county. Colin Fratrik, the team’s head coach, said his team is young yet experienced.
“Even with all the success that we’ve had, they do a good job as far as taking it one day at a time, not looking forward, Fratrik said. “It’s pretty impressive how hard they work.”
Fratrik said that the success is not new for the program.
Plainedge went 17-9 during the 2024 season and lost in the win-or-go-home game of the semifinals to Watagh High School.
Plainedge is once again in the semifinals, this time playing against Seaford High School. The two teams on the other side of the bracket: Wantagh, the defending county champions, and Wheatley High School, the one team to beat Plainedge during the regular season.
Plainedge last won a county championship in 2012, one year before Fratrik took over as the team’s coach. The program has four county titles in its history.
Fratrik said the 2025 team has been led by its core of pitchers. The team has allowed more than two runs on just four occasions all year long, including a five-game stretch during which it didn’t allow a single run to score.
Fratrik pointed out a few standouts that have propelled the team to success.
Jackson Torres has been the team’s ace this year. He has a 6-0 record in 34 innings pitched while allowing just two earned runs and striking out 56 batters.
Taylor Nitsch has been the team’s number two starter, going 5-1 with a 1.28 earned run average and 55 strikeouts on the year.
Nitsch also made school history in a May 7 game against North Shore High School. He pitched a perfect game in Plainedge’s 11-0 victory, the first in the school’s history.
Bobby Westcott has led the team on offense this year as a junior, batting .490 with six home runs and 43 runs batted in. Fratrik said that Westcott is committed to playing baseball at Stony Brook University once he graduates from high school.
“We kind of knew that our pitching staff would keep us in games throughout the season with the arms that we have, but once our lineup started to get going, we knew we were able to score runs too,” the coach said. “We’ve been having a pretty talented year.”
The school has had a history of turning out great players. Plainedge has produced six players who were drafted by MLB teams. Most recently, the Houston Astros selected Tyler Manez in the 32nd round of the 2012 draft out of high school.
Game 1 of the semifinals begins on Thursday, May 22.
