Three Ward Melville alumni make former coach Petrucci proud

By Daniel Dunaief One would be validating and rewarding, two would be remarkable, but three is cause for celebration. Ward Melville High School varsity baseball coach Lou Petrucci is thrilled that three of his baseball alumni are in the major leagues at the same time — Steven Matz with the Tampa Bay Rays, Ben Brown with the Chicago Cubs, and Anthony Kay with the Chicago White Sox. “That’s just a tribute to the families and the Three Village community that allowed these kids to flourish,” Petrucci said. “It’s really amazing.” Brown, who found out the day before the season started that he’d be a part of the major league roster, speaks to Petrucci once a week. Petrucci “gave me a really awesome opportunity when I was a sophomore,” Brown said. “He’s such a great supporter. I can call him and he always fires me up. He puts things in perspective.” For his part, Petrucci is glad he didn’t overuse his players. Brown, who now considers Petrucci a friend, had pitched in a game against William Floyd that got rained out after four innings. The next day, the six foot, six inch right hander asked for the ball again. Brown “and I got into a big argument,” Petrucci laughed. “He said, ‘Coach, am I pitching?’ I said, ‘Ben, you’re done. You’re not pitching on back-to-back days.” Ben’s mother JoAnne Wilson-Brown understood her son’s lifelong desire to play baseball. When he was seven, Brown got hit in the nose with a baseball. She brought her son, who had blood streaming down his face, to the hospital. Once in the car, he cried, not in pain but from the disappointment of leaving a practice when he was having so much fun. “He needed to be protected from himself, absolutely,” Wilson-Brown said of Ben....