Of all the Sachem alums to go on and play college sports, it was a no brainer that Alec Sole would be an immediate difference maker on the next level.
Now in his sophomore season, Sole started 59 of 60 games at shortstop for St. Louis University’s baseball team, which is the fourth-seeded club in this year’s Columbia Regional in the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens will have the chore of playing national power and host school South Carolina in the opening round. Liberty and Clemsen play in the other half of the regional.
Sole, who graduated from Sachem North in 2011 and won the Yastrzemski Award as the best overall player in Suffolk County, is hitting .332 this season with 34 RBI and has a fielding percentage of .929.
Sole hit the college baseball scene with ease last year. As a freshman he set a school record with 197 assists, and started in 55 contests, the third-most by a freshman in SLU history. Thanks to the sports information department at SLU, we know that Sole was the toughest Billiken to strike out, with only 15 strikeouts in 188 at bats. This year he’s only struck out 19 times in 214 at-bats.
At Sachem, Sole hit .505 as a senior and was 6-2 on the mound with a 1.23 ERA. He was an integral part in helping Sachem win its first county baseball title since 1987.
St. Louis (41-19) has won its last five games and captured an Atlantic-10 title. First pitch against the Gamecocks will be on Friday, May 31 at 7:00 p.m. EST and it will be broadcast on ESPN3.com. The game will also air on ESPN2, Ch. 35 on Cablevision.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro