Andy DeBernardo coaching his final season at Hewlett
Hewlett coach Andy DeBernardo plans to step down after the season photo taken during the Floral Park game at Hewlett Elementary School field in Hewlett, New York on April 17, 2023 Credit: Patrick E. McCarthy
The final pitch will be thrown in Hewlett’s final game, and that will be it for Andy DeBernardo.
He will step down as baseball coach after 15 seasons.
There are two reasons.
“Mostly for family,” DeBernardo said. “My daughter [Melanie] is going to be a middle school athlete, and I want to watch her play. That’s probably the biggest reason. And then after that, baseball is dying around Long Island.”
DeBernardo means around Hewlett and elsewhere in Nassau. He has grown frustrated.
“We’re not getting the commitment that we used to get around here,” said DeBernardo, whose Bulldogs are 2-8. “Nobody wants to do offseason stuff."
“I think it’s more here [at Hewlett], but I think it’s affecting other teams,” he added. “I know a lot of my buddies that I’ve been coaching with or against over the years have stepped down or are stepping down.”
The 50-year-old physical education and health teacher will remain with Hewlett’s boys basketball program as the JV coach and as a varsity assistant.
He hasn’t had a conference or county title winner in baseball, but he does feel sad about leaving it behind.
“I absolutely love the kids,” DeBernardo said. “I talk to a lot of my kids still to this day … It’s just the camaraderie [and] watching these kids get older and better.”
Tough road in Nassau A
Changes are coming next school year when the state goes to a sixth classification. But the last team standing in Nassau Class A as constructed this season will have really earned it.
“ 'A' is a gauntlet,” MacArthur coach Steve Costello said, calling the route to winning the championship in the deep grouping “a brutal slog.”
MacArthur, which is bound for a reconfigured Class AA next season, according to Costello, is 9-1-1 overall and 8-0-1 in Conference A-I.
“It takes a lot of talent and a lot of luck and a lot of breaks,” Costello said. “Hopefully, we’ll be a contender at the end.”
Shelter Island goes JV
Shelter Island isn't playing varsity baseball this season. Athletic director Todd Gulluscio said that given the mix of available players, the decision was made to compete at the JV level.
There aren't enough players for varsity and JV teams. The situation will be reevaluated for next season.
