The Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy High School Varsity Baseball Team is in the Nassau county Finals for the first time since 1992.

The Hawk's Manager is Mark Colleluori, who won this years Manager of the year honors. Coach Colleluori also won his 100th game of his career as the Hawks Skipper this season. Coach said, "This Hawks team is very well balanced. We have an excellent group of starters, plus a very deep, and strong bench that has been the hallmark of this season."

The team Captain Jason Bonder is a player who provides an excellent roll model as a Compossi Award winner, for his academic and athletic prowess. Michael Rutcofsky is co captain with Jason and brings a great work ethic to the team.

The pitchers for the Hawks are Jason Bonder who was named All County this year. Jason will be going to Muehlenberg in the Fall.

Thomas Hopkins was 7-0/.022 ERA in the regular season. Tom's Batting average against was a stingy .164, garnishing him All County honors. Ben Green is a sophmore sensation who has been clocked in the low 80's. Opposing teams batted .175 against him. Ben received All Conference for his efforts. Jason Appel was excellent in his relief appearances when called upon. Brandon Steinberger has a 0.00 ERA in his outings this year. Spencer Wein is a crafty lefty pitcher who will be playing for George Washington University in the fall. Leo DiSalvo is a reliever who is coming off an early season injury. He will be in Coaches playoff bullpen. Catchers- The catching this year has been split between junior Lenny Wiener and All Division sophmore Anthony Rosato. They do a great job supporting the pitching staff, and have supplied key hits as well. Third Baseman Rob Schenker has saved numerous games with his excellent fielding at the hot corner. Shortstop Michael Rutcofsky is an All Conference player with tremendous range, a superb glove, and has plenty of pop in his bat while batting around .400 this season. Second base has split playing time between Jaime Spithogiannis and Brandon Steinberger. Both players were All Division honorees while keeping Plainview in games with amazing plays in the field. First Base is covered by Jason Bonder who flashed the leather on the field, and provided run production with his bat.

"The outfield is the finest in Nassau County," said Coach Colleoluori. Left fielder Tom Hopkins batted .321, and provided power with his 2 home runs. Tom has a great glove,and has made some amazing catches out there. Centerfielder Jason Appel is an All County player who does it all. He has great range, glove and speed in center. Making Plainview strong up the middle. Jason batted .440 while leading off, and led the team in stolen bases. Bryan Cippola is in right field or on first base when Bonder pitches. Bryan has been one of the most feared hitters, by opposing pitchers for the past 3 years. Bryan's big game this year was a two home run game against Syosset. Bryan is being looked at by pro scouts. He is scheduled to be going to Old Dominion in the fall. Jason Garfield is a well rounded player that plays right field, and garnered All division status. Jason is going to Arizona in the fall.

The Team is rounded off by Alex Regensburg who provided pinch hits in key spots this year. Justin Rose is an outfielder with a promising future. Ryan Blumenthal is an infielder with a great glove,and range, as well as a disciplined hitter. Eleven players from the club have been honored by the Nassau County Baseball coaches this season for their fine play. They have the number 1 seed in the county playoffs this year.

The coaching staff has Harold Wagner who has been loyal to the program for 10 years. Jeff Rothman has coached on every level in Plainview, and has been on Coach Colleluori's staff since 1997. Dan Rehman is the JV coach. He has scouted teams for Coach Colleluori to help prepare the Hawks for the playoffs.

The field and stands have never looked better. Athletic Director Kevin McDermott has seen the district athletics field improvements on his watch . Larry Herzog with Buildings and Grounds has his crews doing incredible work on the field.

Coach Colleluori extends his thanks to the parents and students for coming out to support the Hawks this season. Come down and support the Hawks at their home game coming up.