Featured Story

Shelter Island Bucks tap Buckley as head coach

REPORTER FILE PHOTO | The Shelter Island Bucks announced Casey Buckley as their new head coach to lead them in defense of their 2015 Hamptons Collegaite Baseball League championship.
REPORTER FILE PHOTO | The Shelter Island Bucks announced Casey Buckley as their new head coach to lead them in defense of their 2015 Hamptons Collegaite Baseball League championship.

The Shelter Island Bucks are not fooling around with a winning strategy.

The 2015 champions of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League — taking the regular season crown and dominating in the playoffs — have hired Casey Buckley, last season’s pitching coach, as their new head coach for the 2016 summer campaign.

Jamie Quinn, last year’s head coach, was offered a return engagement, but took a job coaching in the Cape Cod Collegiate League, a step up for the former Bucks’ skipper, said Assistant General Manager Dave Gurney.

Coach Buckley, 25, is the perfect man to  lead the Bucks in defense of their HCBL title, Mr. Gurney said.

“He brings experience from being on Shelter Island for a full season as part of a championship team,” Mr. Gurney said. “Casey’s very baseball-driven. He was the pitching coach of the University of Rhode Island when we hired him  and now is coaching at Florida SouthWestern State College.”

Last year Coach Buckley brought  a strategy of having his pitchers “command the inner half of the plate and making the hitter uncomfortable,” he  said. And, he added, Bucks’ pitchers will “above all, compete.”

Compete they did, with the team riding the strong arms of the staff to the best record in HCBL history.

Mr. Gurney noted that the inspiration and hard work of Coach Quinn and Coach Buckley were keys to bringing a championship to Shelter Island in 2015.

Housing will be needed for the 2016 Bucks, Mr. Gurney said. Hosts for the college-age players provide a bedroom, some space in the refrigerator for a player to store some food and washing machine privileges for uniforms. They don’t have to provide transportation for players.

To host a player for the upcoming season, give  Dave Gurney a call at 433-1502 or email him at [email protected].