By Jacob Infald
CENTRAL ISLIP – On June 20, the Long Island Ducks reactivated Smithtown resident Matt Tempone back to their active roster. Tempone had been serving as the Ducks’ bullpen catcher before being called up to the active roster, and the local product will look to continue living out his dream playing the game he loves.
Matt Tempone’s journey to playing independent ball in the Atlantic League began when he was just a little kid. Tempone said the earliest memories he has are of his father taking him and his older brother to the parks in Smithtown to learn how to hit, field, and throw. Tempone became a standout player at Smithtown East High School, where he played for four years on the varsity team, and was ranked as the eighth best catcher in New York State by Perfect Game in the class of 2019.
After graduating from Smithtown, Tempone originally planned on playing Division I baseball at Rhode Island University, but ultimately ended up transferring to play Division III baseball at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, where he was a four-year starter before graduating in 2025.
Despite never playing Division I baseball, Tempone said he never fell out of love with baseball, and when he graduated last spring, he knew his playing days were far from over.
“You never feel like it’s going to end when you play,” Tempone told The Messenger. “As I’m getting to my last year of college, you start to realize this could be it, and so I just knew deep down in my heart I still wanted to play. I’m not ready to stop playing, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to stop playing, it’s just something that I love to do.”
When Tempone got the opportunity to be the bullpen catcher for his local team last spring, he said it was an easy decision because he was able to get his foot in the door of the professional baseball scene, while also being able to learn from the many former major leaguers who are on the Ducks’ roster.
“The goal is every day to show up, and work hard, and just be a sponge, listen to guys talk when they hit, learn about the approaches, what works, what doesn’t, and just continue to use that to help myself,” Tempone said.
Tempone also said that playing Division III baseball has given him a unique advantage now that he is playing Independent Ball. The bulk of the Ducks’ roster consists of players who played at the Division I level, with a few players having Major League experience.
While these players may be used to added amenities such as chartered flights or even NIL money for the recent college graduates, Tempone is used to not having all of those extra things. He said that his Division III experience, along with the fact that he can play close to home and his family and friends has made playing for the Ducks a much more comfortable experience.
“When you’re playing [Division III], you and all your teammates are there just because you love playing, and you still care about it, you want to get better,” Tempone said. “So, taking that mindset for four years and then coming into independent ball, it’s really the same thing. It’s just a bunch of guys that are still playing because they love the game. They’re searching for that next opportunity, and that’s exactly how I felt at school.”
Tempone has also embraced playing for his local team off the field as well. He said during the offseason, he gives lessons to younger players in the area, and loves seeing his players come down to the games where Tempone said he will always take the time to talk to them and give them his autograph.
“The Ducks tailor towards a lot of younger local baseball and softball players so it’s cool to see how excited they get to go to the games, [and] meet the players,” Tempone said. “Just making sure they have a good time, giving them a memorable experience, because ultimately that grows the game.”
The Ducks are now in the midst of a six game away series against the Staten Island Ferry Hawks, before returning home on Tuesday, June 30, for a three-game series against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs as Tempone will look to impact the team any way he can.
“When I get opportunity to just take those things I learned and really just go for it,” Tempone said. “See what works, what doesn’t work, and just continue to grow for the rest of the season, so that I can keep playing after this.”
