By Sean Reilly
Bobby Wescott has played hundreds upon hundreds of games over the years for the Long Island Titans organization.
Dozens of those games were contested at Diamond Nation, starting way back on the small fields as a young player at the complex.
Wescott and teammates C.J. Alfano, Caiden Erker and Luke Coats played one last tournament together as Titans over the weekend at the 17/18U Summer Finale, Powered By Victus.
Having won numerous championships over the years at ‘The Nation,’ they fittingly went home with another title after a 14-3 win over Outlaws 2026-Picone, from Mahopac, N.Y., for the championship of the Gold bracket on Sunday afternoon in Flemington.
The Titans 17U were able to end the game, the season, and in the case of those aforementioned Class of 2026 players, their careers, in fun fashion after breaking the game open with an eight-run top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the inning, Erker pitched, and Wescott — a left-handed first baseman by trade — played second base for the first time ever.
Sure enough, two balls in Erker’s 1-2-3 inning were hit to Wescott. He caught a pop up for the second out and fielded a grounder for the out which ended the game.
The Titans team that competed this weekend at ‘The Nation’ was an amalgamation of two 2026 teams that are loaded with players who’ve already made NCAA Division 1 college commitments. The lineup included Wescott, Chance Flor and Jacob Vaccariello, who’ll all be staying local on Long Island at Stony Brook once they complete their senior high school seasons next year.
“This is it for the Titans,” Wescott said. “It’s been a long ride. I’ve been playing with them since I was 11. Hundreds of games, and maybe 60 or 70 here. I’ve grown up with these guys, we’re basically brothers now. It’s good that baseball makes these connections that other people can’t have.”
In the championship game, the Titans were steered by leadoff man Keegan McElligott, a Binghamton commit who achieved a Diamond Nation rarity for a player taking part in a wood bat tournament — he hit two home runs.
The lefty hitter led off the game with a poke over the right field fence, and added a two-run shot to left for a 12-3 lead in the sixth.
“We’re a bunch of guys having fun, and that’s what baseball is supposed to be about,” McElligott said. “Starting off the game with a home run is electric. It got the boys ready and hyped. That’s what you have to do as a leadoff batter, get on base any way.”
The Titans added another run in the inning. Alfano hit a triple to left with one out and Flor walked. Alfano scored while Flor was thrown out stealing second.
The lead expanded to 5-0 with three runs in the fourth. Vaccariello led off and reached on an error, and Jake Madsen walked. Erker followed with an RBI double off the fence in left-center. Wescott followed that with a sacrifice fly to center which scored Madsen and sent Erker to third. Michael Carr then hit an RBI single through the middle.
In the sixth inning, Brady McGowan reached on a fielder’s choice with one out and advanced on a wild pitch. He scored as Flor reached on an error for a 6-0 lead.
The Outlaws scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth.
Josh Guire of the L.I. Titans was named MVP of the 17/18U Summer Finale-2.
The inning began with singles from Logan Verma and Lorenzo D’Ambrosio. Justin Acevedo walked to load the bases before Anthony Lamberty hit a two-run single. Anthony Rella reached on a two-out error to score the other run.
The Titans explosion in the sixth began with singles from Madsen and Erker, followed by a walk to Wescott (after he was behind 0-2 in the count), which loaded the bases. Carr hit a two-run single to left, and after a strikeout, Josh Guire ripped a two-run double to right-center. That flipped the order to the top, and McElligott responded with his second home run.
The Titans weren’t done, as McGowan doubled to center, Alfano walked and Flor hit an RBI single to center. The next batter flew out to center before Madsen delivered his second hit of the inning, this one a one-run single to left for the 11-run lead.
Given the season and career-ending circumstances, the bottom of the inning became a chance for the Titans and their supporters to have fun as Erker closed out the game with the defensive help from Wescott.
“That was my first time ever playing there, and I had two balls hit to me,” Wescott says. “The baseball gods know. I’m going to miss the memories and different experiences of playing with these guys. You never know what’s next with this group of kids. I’m going to miss traveling and having a good time with them.”
Aside from McElligott, the Titans also got two hits apiece from Madsen, Erker and Carr.
Lamberty ended 2-for-3 for the Outlaws.