LI on campus: Georgetown SS Andrew Ciufo among locals thriving across college baseball

Andrew Ciufo hopes the start of his college baseball career can only be topped by the end.

Ciufo, in his debut for Georgetown two years ago, smacked a home run in his very first at-bat against Virginia Commonwealth. The junior shortstop from Medford endured the lost season to the COVID-19 pandemic and a disappointing 6-24 team record in 2021.

That has all changed in 2022 as Ciufo leads a Hoyas team that is second in NCAA Division I in home runs and has a 19-12 record, including 2-3 in the Big East.

“This all started with a bang and hopefully we close it with an opportunity at the next level in professional baseball,” said Ciufo, 21. “This journey has been incredible at Georgetown. We’ve grown tremendously as a team and turned this program around and put it in the right direction.”

Ciufo (6-foot, 195 pounds) is right in the middle of the success. He is hitting .311 with seven home runs, 24 runs scored and 24 RBIs. He’s stolen six of seven bases and has an on-base percentage of .413. And as impressive as those numbers are, his offensive production may be second to his dazzling defensive work, where he has garnered the attention of seven major-league teams.

“I’ve met with a bunch of scouts in regard to the amateur draft,” said Ciufo, who attended Patchogue-Medford High School before graduating from Phillips Academy-Andover in Massachusetts.

He helped Phillips to the 2018 Central New England Prep School title with a .447 average, earning first team All-Central New England Prep honors. He was a member of the Big East All-Academic team in 2021.

“We have a rigorous baseball schedule with travel and all,” Ciufo said. “And I have a challenging academic schedule but I’m holding up well. I manage my time and know my priorities. You mature quickly in college on and off the field, in order to succeed. There has to be a plan in place.”

Ciufo credits a tight-knit Hoyas team that has come together and trusted one another in close games to pull out wins. And he’s made subtle adjustments in his game to improve his offensive contributions.

“I simplified my leg kick at the plate,” he said. “There is very little movement and it’s helped me be more consistent in my hitting.”

LI blast at BC

Sophomore rightfielder Cameron Leary (6-0, 180) of Bethpage and St. Anthony’s High School is seeing the ball so well, he’s launched 12 home runs and driven in 32 runs. The lefthanded power hitter is hitting .277 with 37 runs scored, 30 walks and an on-base percentage of .450. What has impressed major-league scouts is Leary’s power to all fields. He slammed four home runs to left-centerfield, including two in the same game in a 12-11 win over Miami on March 11.

“We’re seeing pitchers that will be top draft picks every weekend on the mound,” Leary said. “Our conference is so tough and every weekend we’re in a battle. We’re playing the top teams in the country, which is what I really like.”

The ACC has not been kind to Boston College, which is currently in last place in the Atlantic Division with a 13-17 record overall and 2-11 in the conference.

“I’m seeing the ball and doing my job,” Leary said. “And the competition is great and will get me ready for the summer season playing in the Cape Cod League for the Brewster White Caps.”

Sophomore leftfielder Travis Honeyman, who is currently out with a bruised heel, has also been lighting up opposing pitchers. The 6-2, 190-pounder from Massapequa is batting .351 with 34 hits, six doubles, five home runs and 27 runs scored. He led Massapequa High School to the Class AA state title in 2018.

Malm mashing

You want a pure hitter on your team, Brett Malm of Albany is your guy. The 6-1, 185-pound redshirt senior from Medford and Patchogue-Medford High School is an offensive machine for the Great Danes. Malm exploded to start the season with eight home runs in his first seven games, a University at Albany record. He hit three home runs in the season-opening series against Georgia and went on a tear from there. He had three multihomer games.

Malm is currently hitting a team-leading .352 with 38 hits, 33 runs scored, eight doubles, 11 home runs and 29 RBIs. Malm has 11 of Albany’s 26 home runs. He crushed five of his home runs in a four-game series against Maryland Eastern Shore.

Albany is 15-11 overall and in second place in Division A of the America East.

Malm has been one of the leading hitters in the America East for two years now. He started all 47 games for Albany and led the conference in hits (60), doubles (21) and ranked fifth in RBIs (39) and sixth in batting average (.345) as a junior when he was an All-America East first-team selection.

Closing the door

Freshman lefthanded pitcher Rafe Schlesinger, who earned the Paul Gibson Award as Suffolk’s top high school pitcher in 2021 at Sachem East High School, has already made an impact at the University of Miami, a rarity for a freshman. The 6-3, 199-pound hurler from Holbrook has made 11 relief appearances for the Hurricanes. His biggest moment came in relief in a 1-1 game against Duke.

Schlesinger relieved righthander Alex McFarlane in the seventh inning with runners at first and second and induced what should have been an inning-ending groundout. The ball was booted, loading the bases for the young freshman. Schlesinger would go on to strike out RJ Schreck to leave the bases loaded. Miami scored in the following at-bat, making a winner of Schlesinger.

Schlesinger has an ERA of 4.26 and the fourth most appearances on the staff for the 24-6 'Canes.

“That’s why they recruited Rafe,” Sachem East coach Kevin Schnupp said. “He’s got electric stuff and he’s fearless. He’s an ultra-competitive player and can pitch at a high level. And he’s only a freshman.”

By Gregg Sarra

gregg.sarra@newsday.com@Gregg_Sarra

Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.