Illustrious Pegleg Careers Untainted By Latest Playoff Defeat

After a first-round playoff loss to a powerhouse Staten Island team, the sun has set on the different, fascinating careers of numerous senior Peglegs.

Playoff Recap

With the way that the PSAL boys varsity baseball playoffs were structured, there was a legitimate possibility of a storybook ending for the Stuyvesant Peglegs. They had finished their season in a tumultuous fashion, needing a walk-off triple from senior Michael Gillow to get by the winless William C. Bryant Owls before dropping their final regular season game 4-2 to the lowly, 3-12 John Bowne Wildcats early one muddy Sunday morning. Despite the shaky finish, however, later that same day, the Peglegs were granted the 13th seed in the AAA playoffs, setting up a home playoff game against Susan Wagner High School from Staten Island. More than just granting home field advantage, though, this seeding was doubly intriguing, as it afforded the Peglegs a potential rematch against their arch-rivals, the Beacon Blue Demons on Friday, May 25. Though Beacon had swept the Peglegs over two games in early May by an aggregate score of 19-5, the third time may have been the proverbial charm.

Purely by coincidence, May 25 also happens to be the anniversary of Stuyvesant’s last playoff victory, a 1-0 heart-pounder against Fort Hamilton in 2011 that was ultimately decided by an RBI double by Scott Chiusano (‘11) in the bottom of the first inning. Unfortunately for the Peglegs, that bid for redemption never even got off the ground, let alone came to fruition, as Susan Wagner defeated Stuyvesant 8-0 on Wednesday, May 23, extending Stuyvesant’s playoff losing streak to eight consecutive games.

End result notwithstanding, the tussle with Wagner was not a total disappointment. Sophomore Owen Potter, for instance, pitched a steller one and two-thirds innings to close out the contest, showing off excellent command while fanning three and holding the Falcons hitless. Additionally, while the Peglegs failed to score, six of nine starters, including promising sophomore Franklin Liou, managed to grind out base hits, indicating that team-wide offensive production was there but failed to come through at some crucial points. Finally, toward the end of the game, senior Ronin Berzins recorded his first—and only—varsity hit, slapping a hearty single into left-center field.

Ultimately, though, the Peglegs were overmatched. Wagner had played against other strong teams from Staten Island all season, which may have caused them to finish with a record (8-8) and seed (20) unrepresentative of their true baseball prowess. As senior Simon Carmody put it, “Wagner was seeded incredibly low for the amount of talent that they have,” and it showed from the beginning. Ace junior pitcher Jared Asch was tagged for six runs over the first three innings, and fellow junior Matthew Deutsch gave up another two over just one out of work. Furthermore, considering that four of those eight runs were unearned, it is safe to say that the Peglegs’ shoddy defense put them in an insurmountable hole right off the bat.

Senior Testimonials

When a high school team’s season ends, thereby also ostensibly ending the careers of the team’s senior members, it should be a cause for reflection more so than a cause for mourning. So, in a look back at the careers of some of the Peglegs’ longest-tenured members, some have offered to give quotes about their four years with the organization.

Sam Merrick, utility player: “This season was a really pleasant surprise. We lost a lot of great players from last year, but we worked really hard and proved a lot of people wrong. I’m extremely proud to have worn a Stuy baseball jersey for four years.”

Merrick began his career at Stuyvesant as a two-year starter for the junior varsity team. Initially an outfielder, Merrick converted to middle infield during his freshman year after spending much of spring training on the bench. He later won the starting position and went on to hit 0.214 while finishing second for the team’s Gold Glove Award. The following year, Merrick moved to first base, showing off impressive flexibility and a more consistent bat. On varsity, Merrick spent most of his time as a reserve outfielder and backup second baseman but saw extensive action during his senior season, racking up five hits after senior and co-captain Khyber Sen went down with a hip injury.

Perry Wang, outfielder:“Baseball was the first thing I joined in high school and will be the last chapter of my time here at Stuy. Though we could not come through in the playoffs, I am extremely proud of the team and how we destroyed naysayers by coming together and winning double-digit games for the second straight year.”

Known best for his power and quickness as a tailback for Stuyvesant’s varsity football team, Wang’s speed and elusiveness also came through in flashes on the baseball field. Though he failed to find substantial playing time on the varsity squad, recording just one regular-season at-bat over two seasons, Wang was an asset on the basepaths, adding a meaningful spark off the bench as a regular courtesy runner. Additionally, Wang came through in big moments in the outfield, such as with his improbable lead-preserving sliding catch against George Washington High School while playing for the junior varsity team his sophomore year.

Sam Stamler, second base: “It was definitely disappointing to lose in the first round again, but I’m certainly proud of the team that we became after four years together. We may have lost in the box score, but I would not have traded the last four years for the world.”

For as little playing time and recognition as he received, recording just one at-bat over his four years on the Peglegs, Stamler has worked as hard as anybody, re-working both his physical ability and his mechanics. As a freshman, Stamler threw with a stilted, downright broken motion, one resembling a Quentin Tarantino-esque rendition of Boston Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale’s iconic three-quarters delivery. However, after working tirelessly to correct it, Stamler’s motion tightened up, and his velocity and accuracy became comparable with many other members of the team. His performance at the plate grew too, culminating in an improbable double during the spring training of his junior campaign.