For the first time in its history, the Poly Prep Baseball program will have two varsity teams and a junior varsity (JV) team. While the two-varsity team system was implemented last season, there was no JV team. This year, however, JV will be joining Varsity “A” and Varsity “B.” The Varsity “A” team, which was ranked the 12th team in the nation by Perfect Game, will face some of the best teams in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic area, including Delbarton, Don Bosco Prep, and The Hun School. The Varsity “B” and JV teams will compete in the Ivy Preparatory School League, facing teams such as Fieldston, Riverdale, and Horace Mann. Varsity “B” will have the chance to compete in the NYSAIS tournament in late May, depending on their regular season record.
“There was so much interest in playing baseball, so we tried to accommodate all the kids. I thought it would be better for the kids to get as much playing time as possible. With our varsity “A” team, we are able to play against some of the best regional and national teams, and compete and win with the level of talent we have,” said Head Coach Matt Roventini regarding his decision to split the program into three teams.
Currently, Varsity “A” has eight players who have officially announced that they will be playing baseball at the collegiate level, with 7 of them attending Division 1 schools. Senior pitcher Justice De Jong was ranked the 96th best prospect by MLB.com this winter, with fellow right-hander Miguel Sime Jr. just behind him at No. 100.
“Another reason why we chose to make this decision was to create a Varsity “B” team for kids to develop. Not only is it a great place for them to play similar competition and work towards eventually helping us on the “A” team, but they can compete for a championship, whereas in the past, JV games were uncompetitive,” said Roventini.
In 2024, the Varsity “B” team, also known as the regional team, made it to the NYSAIS semi-finals, beating Riverdale in the quarterfinals before losing to Columbia Prep. Prior to Varsity “B” playing in the Ivy League, Poly had won 14 straight Ivy League titles.
With three teams and only one baseball field, practice is crowded. “It’s a challenge,” Roventini admitted. “Anytime you are trying to manage three teams with one field, it’s trying to juggle balls. We are gonna have to be creative. When the season starts, field space is no doubt going to be the biggest issue we will face. Varsity “A” is going to get priority, but we are still going to try to make it as equitable as possible,” he added.
Scheduling games is also a bit of an obstacle, as Roventini is in a unique situation where his “A” team is no longer in a league with set opponents.
“Scheduling 23 games is hard, especially when you’re trying to find schools that are willing to play us and accept the idea we are putting forward,” he said.
Iona Prep and Stonybrook, two high-level athletic schools in the tri-state area, have rolled out a system similar to Poly’s, as they will have a Varsity “A” and “B” team as well. Both levels of each respective team will face Poly during the season.
When asked how his choice would pan out, Roventini stated that “Going forward, I hope the school and the league feel what we have implemented is fair and good for the league. In my opinion, the competitive balance is much better going from Varsity “A” to Varsity “B.””
