The 2026 baseball season was a wild ride for the Vikings. From heartbreaking losses to thrilling playoff victories, Port encountered it all.
The Vikings took home an Opening Day victory over Syosset, largely thanks to the contributions of senior Russell Schwartz, who delivered a home run and two RBIs. Port also took game two of the three-game set as senior Koki Maezawa led the team with two hits, including a home run and three RBIs. Port dropped the third game of the set, but still came out with a 2-1 series win due to their strong start in the first two games.
Port’s next three games were against Farmingdale, where the Vikings would lose the first one 11-10 in a nail-biter offensive battle. Farmingdale went on to win the next two games and swept the series, dropping Port’s record to 2-4.
“While dropping three games to Farmingdale was a difficult stretch, the exceptional leadership on our team kept our confidence high, so I knew we’d be okay. The losses taught us to handle adversity, helped us focus in practice, and created a sense of unity and fortitude,” said Coach Mr. Matthew Holzer.
The Vikings’ next game was against Manhasset during the Strike Out Cancer triple header with the junior varsity and eighth-grade teams, and Port cruised to a 10-1 victory. A three-game series with Oceanside came next, and game one resulted in a close 4-3 loss suffered by the Vikings. Port tied the next game due to a game-tying home run by senior Leo Schindler. The Vikings finished the series strong with a dominant 11-1 win, featuring a complete game on the mound from junior Jake Wilber.
The next series was a tough matchup against Massapequa, in which the Vikings lost all three games, with the smallest margin of victory being four runs. However, Port would rebound for their Senior Day matchup against Bellmore, dominating 12-0. Senior Gavin Kraus was a standout for the Vikings, as he collected three hits on the day, including two doubles and three RBIs. Kraus also took the mound for the Vikings, and he earned the win thanks to three strong innings of work and three strikeouts.
Port then took on Plainview-Old Bethpage, coming out on top 12-2 in the first game of the series, with senior Alex Milner picking up the win on the mound. Port would drop game two of the series before taking game three 5-4. The Vikings were led by Wilber with a dominant pitching performance, going over five innings with seven strikeouts, and senior Josh Itzikowitz, who hit a home run and drove in two at the plate.
Port’s final series of the regular season was against East Meadow, and the Vikings won game one, with Milner pitching six innings and letting up only one run. However, East Meadow would take the series after winning the last two games by only one run each.
The Vikings had many stars that led them through the regular season, which included Maezawa, who batted 0.346 on the season with seven doubles, two home runs, and sixteen RBIs. On the mound, Maezawa pitched 26 innings for the Vikings and struck out 34 batters, earning himself All-League honors. Milner was another senior standout who won two of his three starts on the season while maintaining a 1.44 ERA in nineteen innings pitched, earning him All-Conference honors.
Schindler was one of the team’s top hitters and was voted All-County with a batting average of 0.373, two doubles, a home run, and seventeen RBIs. However, the Vikings’ biggest star was Jake Wilber, as the Iona commit was also voted All-County thanks to an incredible 0.478 batting average, nine doubles, two home runs, and seventeen RBIs. As a pitcher, Wilber threw over 24 innings for the Vikings with a 2.58 ERA and 35 strikeouts.
“I thought I had a really good year besides the on the field stats, which speak for themselves. I was really impressed with how I dealt with the inexperienced pitching staff as a catcher, as I helped lead them through the way we do things in this program,” said Wilber.
Port’s 6-11-1 conference record earned them the fifth seed in the playoffs, setting them up for a rematch of their final regular season series against East Meadow.
“Heading into the postseason, we believed we could beat any team. However, our priority remained taking it one game at a time and executing at a high level,” said Coach Holzer.
Port dominated game one of the three-game elimination series, shutting East Meadow down in a 10-0 victory. Wilber pitched a complete game shutout and only allowed two hits.
Port’s pitching continued to shine as the Vikings moved on after defeating East Meadow 3-0 in game two, advancing to the semifinals. Milner threw a complete game shutout with six strikeouts. The Vikings would go on to face the sixth seed Syosset in the semifinals, where they won a close first game. Wilber and Maezawa both contributed homers in the 5-4 win, with Maezawa also pitching a complete game with seven strikeouts. Junior Matthew Sheps stepped up off the bench to deliver a walk-off winner in extra innings.
In game two, Port trailed for most of the game before a five-run explosive seventh inning to advance to the county championship, as Sheps once again came through off the bench with a go-ahead two-run double. In the county finals, Port faced Massapequa, and despite a valiant effort, the Vikings’ exhilarating playoff run came to an end, and Massapequa swept Port to win the county championship.
“Losing in the county finals was disappointing, but I couldn’t be prouder of this team and everything they accomplished this season. Reaching the county finals is a tremendous achievement and a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our players. Looking ahead, our program has a great deal of talent returning, and we’re excited about the future. We look forward to building on this year’s success and competing again next season,” said Coach Holzer.