Back in the day (pre-1990s), they didn’t keep the kind of high school records we do nowadays. Mahopac's long lineage of baseball tradition is deep in history, so we’re not 100% sure if this has ever happened in Wolf Pac/Indian sports history, but we were treated to the recent announcement that both Wolf Pac seniors — catcher Drew Lichtenberger and ace RHP Nick Masciarelli — were recently named to the first team All-NYS baseball squad.
It is widely believed to be the first time in Mahopac history where both batterymates were dubbed with All-NYS first team honors.
The connection between a pitcher and his catcher is tantamount to any type of success on the baseball diamond, but this relationship was special. Mahopac just got one of those lightning‑in‑a‑bottle moments — the kind a program might wait generations for — and it deserves to be written with the weight it carries.
Lichtenberger, a two-time All-NYS selection, and Masciarelli will go down in Wolf Pac lore for a feat widely believed to be unprecedented in Mahopac history. Their partnership wasn’t just productive; it was the competitive soul of the Wolf Pac’s 2025 and 2026 seasons, which both ended in heartbreaking fashion in back-to-back Section 1 Class AA championship losses to Fox Lane in 2025 and Rye in 2026.
Mahopac has produced standout pitchers — like Chris Tantalos, Drew’s uncle Dave Fleming (too many to name), and standout catchers — like Joe Gaudio, Myk Lugbauer, and MLB draftee Teddy Lawrence (off the top of my head), and the occasional All‑State headliner, but a pitcher–catcher duo both landing first‑team All‑NYS… that’s the kind of symmetry you almost never see at the high‑school level, especially pre‑1990s when record‑keeping was spotty and honors were less standardized.
Even if some dusty binder in a Mahopac storage closet someday proves otherwise, the rarity of it is undeniable.
“This season was really special, not just because of the success we had individually, but because of the connection we built as batterymates,” said the Adelphi-bound Lichtenberger, who swatted these ridiculous numbers: .500 BA, 1.454 OPS, 11 homers, 40 RBIs in just 26 games (19-7). “Being able to go through the highs and lows of the season together and know that we always had each other’s back made it even more meaningful. We trusted each other every time we stepped on the field, and I think that trust played a huge part in the seasons we were able to have. To both be recognized as All-State First Team players is something I’m extremely proud of, but to be able to do it together makes it even more special. I don’t think either of us could have imagined ending our senior seasons with this kind of recognition, and knowing that we maybe have made some history for the PAC makes it something I’ll always remember. More than the awards, though, I’m just grateful that I got to share my final season with teammates who I trusted and enjoyed competing with every day.”
The relationship between a pitcher and catcher is often described as a partnership, but in this case it was more like a shared operating system — two athletes processing the game at the same speed, trusting each other’s instincts, and elevating each other’s performance.
Masciarelli’s dominance — the electric 90 mph stuff, elite strikeout rates, and the poise of a college veteran. Lichtenberger’s command of the game — pitch‑calling, blocking, leadership, and the ability to turn a pitcher’s strengths into a scheme that wrecked many a foe. They didn’t just coexist. They co‑authored Mahopac’s last two brilliant seasons, both ending in the sectional finals.
When Masciarelli was in a groove, Lichtenberger sharpened it: Like the day ‘Masc’ tamed eventual champion Rye in one of the sickest postseason pitching efforts in Section 1 history, a 12-0, one-hit win when he fanned 15 of the 16 batters he faced.
“It was the most incredible pitching performance I’ve ever witnessed on a baseball diamond, bar none,” Mahopac coach Anthony Nappi said.
When the ball-slugging Lichtenberger spotted a hitter’s weakness, Masciarelli executed it. Their synergy was the competitive engine that kept Mahopac in every big moment until a disastrous seventh-inning collapse — with Masciarelli now on third base instead of toeing the rubber — enabled rival Rye a seventh-inning steal of what would have been Mahopac’s first sectional title since 1997… possibly the most woulda, coulda, shoulda moment in Mahopac history.
But this prolific duo isn’t just a line in a record book. They set a benchmark for future Wolf Pac teams. Two seniors, same battery, same season, both first‑team All‑State. It’s the kind of achievement that becomes program folklore.
“We built a great bond as batterymates,” said the Wagner-bound Masciarelli, whose final stat line shouts like a bullhorn: 9-2, 64 IP, 121 K’s, 0.54 ERA, .609 WHIP, .121 BAA. “We built a connection where it felt like we knew what we wanted to do without even talking about it to each other. We built this bond not only on the field and at practice but off the field, too. I feel like the bond we were able to create by the team bondings and just doing stuff like grabbing food made our success so much easier. When you actually like the person you are throwing to, it makes it much easier for a pitcher. Being named all-state first team was amazing, but seeing Drew’s name alongside mine made it even better.”
In an exclusive chat with former five-time Mahopac sectional champion coach Frank Miele — among my all-time favorites — he explained this duo’s legacy best.
“They didn’t keep great records back in the day the way we do now, but we had some really, really great players at Mahopac going as far back to well before when I was managing the program, so All-Section, All-State, is sort of irrelevant,” said Miele, who recently retired as superintendent of Mahopac schools. “But those two kids — Lichtenberger and Masciarelli — could play and excel on any team in Mahopac history.”
That’s why we go to the source!
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here