Baseball team records back-to-back undefeated seasons 

There are plenty of accomplishments celebrated in sports. Walk-off victories, comebacks, breaking a school or league record, and other traditions all carry their own significance. But few achievements are valued more than an undefeated season: the ability to show up every game without slipping once along the way.

Last Friday, May 15, the Shelter Island School boys baseball team accomplished exactly that. With a victory over Hampton Bays in the Islanders final game of the season, Shelter Island capped off a second consecutive undefeated season.

“I don’t want to say winning is everything, but it’s one of my favorite things,” Head Coach Peter Miedema told the Reporter with a smile following the Islanders’ standout final performance of 2026. 

Though the team pushed through, the past week had its ups and downs, facing off against the Hampton Bays Baymen on Tuesday, May 12, at home, traveling to Hampton Bays on Thursday, May 14, and returning home Friday, May 15, for their final game. 

Tuesday’s contest was a shutout, led in large part by the Islanders’ only 7th-grader, Jackson Surerus. Surerus joined the seasoned squad this spring and quickly proved himself to be a consistent arm in the bullpen. Just two weeks after the first practice, Surerus relieved junior Evan Weslek in Greenport to pitch an impressive two innings. After a brief time away due to a shoulder injury, Surerus returned to the Islanders rotation this week, starting on the mound Tuesday. 

Surerus pitched an impressive five innings before the Islanders mercy-ruled the Baymen 22-2. “It was really nice to see Jackson throw five innings and just consistently throw strikes,” Coach Miedema said. Though Surerus didn’t do it alone, Coach Miedema said the defense held its own while the offense really led the day. “I love the fact everyone’s in the game, everyone does something that’s positive to help the team, help the cause,” he added. 

After a day off, the Islanders traveled to Hampton Bays on Thursday, May 14. What started as a rainy day turned into a sunny and warm afternoon, though it took Shelter Island a while to find its groove. The Baymen struck first, scoring two runs in the top of the first against Shelter Island’s Evan Weslek. Weslek pitched the full game, though Shelter Island’s deficit came in part due to a number of defensive errors, as well as finding no success at the plate. 

“There’s nothing more frustrating than when we just make mental errors, and the effort really was not active,” Coach Miedema said. The Islanders turned it around in the fifth frame, tying the game 4-4. In the top of the sixth, the Islanders added four more runs to take the lead and ultimately close out the game. 

With a 7-0 record, the Islanders took to Fiske Field on Friday, May 15, with a lot on their shoulders. Aside from the undefeated title on the line, for four of Shelter Island’s players, it would be their last time playing at the field they grew up on. Harry Clark, Daniel Hernandez, Byron Rodas-Vasquez, and Lio Napoles all started their Shelter Island High School athletic careers as young 8th-graders playing on a varsity baseball team.

Though it wasn’t always pretty — in fact, the team only won two games that entire year — Coach Miedema told spectators in a pre-game speech that this group of guys never stopped showing up. “It was always, ‘Yes, Coach, I’ll do it, whatever you need,’” Coach Miedema said. Five years later, that hard work paid off, as the boys got to spend their final high school game completing a second undefeated season. 

After the slow start the day before, the Islanders returned to their normal form with an amazing start from the defense. Clark pitched the mercy-rule victory, 16-3, dominating on the mound. “Harry threw two innings only using 18 pitches, which is pretty amazing,” Coach Miedema said. Clark continued the perfect game until the fourth inning, when a walk followed by a hit eventually moved the runners around to score two runs for the Baymen.

On the offensive side, the Islanders took to the scoreboard early, recording seven runs in the first inning and another seven in the second inning. Two more in the third brought the Islanders’ score up to 16, and two strikeouts from Clark in the top of the fifth nearly sealed the deal. However, a shot from Hampton Bays made its way into center field, but not before senior Daniel Hernandez snagged the ball to record the final out and complete the undefeated season. 

“It was the first outfield out that I got all day today, so it really tied it all together,” Hernandez said as he walked off the field with the game ball in hand. Moments later, as Hernandez, Clark, and Byron Rodas-Vasquez posed with Coach Miedema for a postgame photo commemorating the season, their teammates rushed over and dumped a water cooler over their heads in celebration. 

Two years later, while winning has remained the priority, Coach Miedema said the culture the team has developed is truly something special. “This year, I definitely noticed the camaraderie between the team,” he said. “It seemed like people were really, really tight this year, and everyone kind of picked each other up.” 

Beyond the record, Coach Miedema said watching the players grow together throughout the season was one of the most rewarding parts of the year. “Besides the fact that we improved throughout the year, I just liked the fact that we developed those bonds that, you know, you can see these people growing old together,” he said. “That definitely happened for me when I was a kid, and I just appreciate the fact that it still goes on.”