NY Gothams: NY Gothams in the News

Kenyon College freshman and NY Gothams alumni, Josh Jacobvitz, was named North Coast Athletic Conference "Pitcher of the Week," last week, and was also selected to the national D3baseball.com "Team of the Week." The award followed Josh pitching a one-hit shutout in Kenyon College's 8-0 blanking of Allegheny College on Sunday. Congrats to Josh and his family!

NY Gothams 16U shortstop Will Savage, who plays for Fieldston School High School in the Bronx, was recently chosen to play for Under Armour-sponsered Baseball Factory's national team at a one-week-long USA National West Baseball Championship tournament in Arizona in mid-June. Savage was spotted in May at a Baseball Factory showcase, where he was one of only three players among 53 given an A rating. Congratulations to Will and the Savage family!

Ny Gothams players Nelson Rodriguez and Fernelys Sanchez were invited to participate in the prestigous Power Showcase, which took place in Arizon in December. Commenting on their performances, scouts from the showcases said:

"Fernelys Sanchez (George Washington H.S. NY) is likely one of the top five-tool players in the country. He also has size at 6-4/205 that makes him a solid draft prospect. He hits with power from both sides of the plate. Keep your eyes on this one he could go early in June 2012. Nelson Rodriguez (George Washington H.S. NY) is another impressive 2012. He flashes impressive power and bat speed. His longest homer was 485’ and a no doubter when it left his bat. He also has nice size at 6-2/230 which gets your attention quickly. He has solid pop times in the 1.82 range with arm strength and athleticism.

See highlights of Rodriguez's and Sanchez's performance below:

Nelson Rodriguez:

Three members of the NY Gothams made the squad for the All Manhattan high school baseball team. They include Josh Jacobvitz for Dalton, and Nestor Bautista and Nelson Rodriguez for George Washington .

A NY Post article covering the picks included a description for each of the three players:

An additional five NY Gothams players received honorable mention: Isaac Forman, Beacon High School,;Nick Gallo, Stuyvesant High School; Kai Glick, Beacon; Justin Sims, Beacon; and Rick Terry, Collegiate.  

Congratulations to all the players on their fantastic 2010 high school season! 

Luis Maldonado, a member of the NY Gothams 15U Red team, received a mention as a member of the Luperon High School team for his contributions during the PSAL Class B Finals, which Luperson lost to Riverdale/Kingsbridge . The NY Gothams also received a mention.

According to the NY Post article:

[Luis Maldonado] provided the offense for Luperon in the fourth. Elvis Roque led off the inning with single and stole second. Maldonado, who was 2-for-2 with a walk, brought him home with long double to left-center field. He later scored on a passed ball to make it 2-0.

Pena said Maldonado, who plays summer ball with the New York Gothams, is one of the few players on his team that has outside baseball experience. In a school with one sport, their kids often are playing organized sports for the first time.

Congrats to Maldonado on his clutch performance in a pressure-packed game!

George Washington pitcher Kevin Torres, who is a member of the New York Gothams 15U Red team, pitched a shutout versus Grand Street Campus High Schol in the PSAL quarterfinals. The NY Post cited Nelson Rodriguez and Jordan Polanco, both members of the NY Gothams, for driving in two runs each.

Nelson Rodriguez, Jordan Polanco, and Jessue Alvarado each drove in two runs, and Xyruse Martinez scored twice. Alvarado threw two shutout innings in relief of Torres, who has shined in his first year on the mound. He was a shortstop last year, but was converted into a pitcher because of his powerful right arm. Now, he is 11-0 this year on the hill – non-league games included – with wins over Norman Thomas and Grand Street.

Come out and cheer on George Washington versus Totenville High School this Friday at Keyspan Park.

Freshman Monroe High School pitcher Ricky Parra, who throws for the New York Gothams 15U Red team, shut out JFK High School, leading the charge for a 5-0 victory in the second round of PSAL playoffs. Monroe is currently ranked No. 1 among all New York City high school programs by the NY Post and No. 9 by USA Today.

According to a NY Post article on the game:

It was the start of stellar day for Parra. He allowed just the one hit, walked two, struck out nine and faced just three batters over the minimum. “I knew he was good,” [Monroe Coach Mike] Turo said of Parra. “I didn’t know he was as gutsy. He will challenge everyone. He has the temperament of a pitcher. He doesn’t care who you are.”

George Washington High School prevailed in a squeaker 1-0 win over Francis Lewis High School, battling off the team's highly regarded pitcher, Jonathan Bobea, whose fast ball was clocked in the low 90s. Catcher George Washington's catcher, Nelson Rodriguez, who plays for the NY Gothams 15U Red team, slammed a double, one of only two hits recorded in the game.

Isaac Forman, shortstop and pitcher for NY Gothams 18U team, pitched a five-inning, no hitter and struck out five for Beacon High School in the PSAL playoffs. Sam Fox, second baseman for the 18U NY Gothams team, drove in two runs to help propel Beacon to a 10-0 victory over DeWitt Clinton High School.

Catcher Nelson Rodriguez, who plays for NY Gothams 15U Red team, slammed his 6th homerun for George Washington High School this year, and this time it was a grand slam, helping the school cruise to an easy 15-4 victory over Port Richmond High School in round one of the PSAL playoffs. Rodriguez's teammate, Jorge Toribio, who also plays for the NY Gothams, had three hits, scored three runs and drove in two in the same game.

Outfielder Nick Reade,a member of the NY Gothams 15U team, had two hits and three 3 RBIs, making him a big force in Bronx Science High School's 5-1 Victory over Frank Sinatra High School in the first round of the PSAL playoffs. On June 1st, the team faces No. 2-seeded Taft High School.  

For up-to-the minute news on PSAL play-off results, visit NY Post's Twitter feed.

Through the end of May, four high school seniors for the NY Gothams have committed to college, where they will all be playing baseball. Commitments have been made by the following:

• Isaac Forman of Beacon High School will be attending Skidmore in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• Nicholas Gallo of Stuyvesent High School will be attending Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Penn.
• Dylan Horowitz of Beacon High School will be attending Pitzer College in Southern Calif.
• Justin Sims of Beacon High School will be attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minn.  

Congratulations to all players and their families on all their achievements!

For a complete list of players who have played baseball either in college or professionally, click here.

In the May issue of ESPN's Rise magazine, Nelson Rodriguez, catcher for NY Gothams 15U Red team, was cited as an up-and-coming star in the issue's "Who's Got Next" feature. The article highlighted Rodriguez's performance in an April tournament played by his high school, George Washington. The article stated:

"The 6'2" catcher had 12 hits, drove in 10 runs and homored twice to snag MVP honors and help the Trojans go 7-0 on their way to the title."

Congratulations to Rodriguez and his family on racking up yet another great achievement! 

Pitcher Josh Jacobvitz, who is entering his fifth season with the NY Gothams, was written up in a recent NY Post article, which highlighted his gritty performance as a high school pitcher for The Dalton School. Battling through a severely sprained ankle--an injury in sustained in a prior game, Jacobvitz gritted through the pain, tossing six strong innings of two-hit, three-run ball. Despite the effort, the team lost to Riverdale 3-1.

According to the article:

In a recent NY Post article, several NY Gothams players were touted as critical to the success of this year Beacon High School team. The article highlighted shortstop and pitcher Isaac Forman, second baseman Sam Fox, first baseman Justin Sims and pitcher Kai Glick. According to the article:

That’s a credit to the sturdy infield, Beacon’s linchpin and greatest strength. When he isn’t on the mound, Forman is its backbone, a sure-handed shortstop. Sims mans first base, junior Samuel Fox is at second and junior John Fernando at third. Catcher Justin Litovsky has thrown out five runners from the behind the plate.

Fox, Forman and Sims have played together on the New York Gothams summer program for three years, so the troika has an innate comfort level. While other coaches may have to instruct their players when to play at double play depth or to shade a certain hitter one way, Covotsos doesn’t need to waste his breath. Neither do his infielders.

In addition to the for NY Gothams called out in the article, an additional seven players on the Beacon team are current or prior members of the NY Gothams.

In a recent Daily News article on George Washington High School shortstop Mike Antonio, catcher Nelson Rodriguez was compared to major-league slugger and George Washington alumni Manny Ramirez by the team's coach, Steve Mandl. According to the article:

Few teams can match the Trojans' depth. Lefty Nestor Bautista and righthander Yael Regalado form a devastating 1-2 punch in the rotation. Second baseman Xyruse Martinez is a top-of-the-order sparkplug. And sophomore catcher Nelson Rodriguez is so imposing at the plate that 27th-year coach Steve Mandl likens him to former GW star Manny Ramirez."When you see him at the plate, you'll see Manny, too," Mandl says.

Rodriguez is entering his third year playing for the NY Gothams. An additional eight members of the George Washington High School team also play for the NY Gothams.

Described as "a senior sparkplug" in a GreenwichTime article, infielder Joey Marianacci, who plays for the 17U NY Gothams, was highlighted as a critical part of Greenwich High School's 10-0 record. In a recent game the team won in extra innings, Marianacci was awarded the game ball for his 2 for 5 performance that included four RBI and two runs scored.

The game included an appearance by pitcher Alex Smith, who also is a member of the 17U NY Gothams. Smith retired all six batters he faced and earned the victory. In the article, Smith said about his stellar performance, "It was pretty simple. I just wanted to hit my spots and keep the ball down. I've been working with [pitching] coach [Eric] Loh and he really does a great job helping with our mechanics. Norwalk has some good hitters, but [senior catcher] Ryan Brennan is the guy we like pitching to. He instills confidence in us. The seniors on this team have set a great example for us."