Front Office

South Shore Baseball Academy
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A message from the GM...

"South Shore Baseball Academy is dedicated to maximizing each individual player’s potential; our goal is to instill CONFIDENCE, refine MECHANICS, teach FUNDAMENTALS, and promote a solid WORK ETHIC so "that dreams can become a reality." - Steve DiMarco

S.S.B.A. Instructors

Steve DiMarco is recognized as a premiere athlete of his time by coaches and players alike. In the course of his career he earned many awards and accolades for his talents. As a freshman at West Hempstead High School he was the starting shortstop and a starting pitcher for the varsity Rams; he earned All County status for three of those four years. In 1987 he was the first ever elected recipient of the Diamond Award as a shortstop which acknowledges the best player in Nassau County. (At that time only one award was given, unlike today which recognizes pitchers and fielders separately.) In addition, Steve was chosen by coaches and umpires nationwide to represent the East’s baseball team at the first ever Olympic Festival held in North Carolina in 1987. In this same year Steve was inducted into the WHHS Hall of Fame.
              Steve’s high school summer career was devoted to playing for the illustrious Long Island Tigers where he earned the starting position of shortstop as a freshman. After playing for the Tigers for four years, Steve was inducted into the Tiger Hall of Fame where he still holds the record for the most RBIs (10) in a five inning game. Because of his ability, Steve was granted a full scholarship to Long Island University- C.W. Post where he was the starting third baseman as a freshman. In the summer of his sophomore year, Steve was invited to play in the Great Lakes League, the Mid West’s equivalent to the Cape Cod League, where he earned the MVP award and Batting Title for the League. He was also named to the All Star Team which played at Boardwalk and Baseball in Florida.

All of Steve’s hard work paid off when in his junior year of college, in 1990, he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles as a third baseman. He went on to play with the Orioles for the next three years. In 1993 he was inducted into the LIU- C.W. Post Hall of Fame.
Because of his love for the game, Steve has spent the past 18 years giving private batting instructions. In 2003 he created S.S.B.A. in order to share his passion with kids who also love baseball. The facility has also expanded to include softball instruction too. Steve’s goal is to, “instill confidence, refine mechanics, teach fundamentals, and promote a solid work ethic in kids who want their dream of becoming the best that they can be to become a reality.”

Mike Hughes

Known as one of the top lefty pitchers of his time. He was a three year varsity starter for the East Meadow Jets who earned All County status for two consecutive years. He held a high school record for pitching 6 no-hitters in four years. His talents earned him 14 full scholarships to Division I schools. In addition, he was elected to the Empire States Team in 1993 where he pitched a one-hitter and a complete 5-0 shut out game.
As a junior at St. John’s University, Mike was named an All-American; at this time he led the nation with a 1.61 ERA. Soon after, he was drafted in the 12^th round by the Cleveland Indians. Mike played 5 years of professional baseball in total and reached the AA level. After 2 ½ years with the Indians Mike was traded to the Montreal Expos where he again earned a spot as a starting pitcher. He continued with the Expos for another 2 years before he played for the Long Island Ducks in the first year of that team’s existence (2002). Mike ended his professional career with a 3.95 ERA.