Colt baseball stars headed to play college ball

The Calhoun High School baseball team advanced to the Conference AA-III semifinals on May 19, after defeating Syosset, 4-0, concluding a two-game sweep after the Colts previously took the opening game of the series, 15-0, on May 16.

The games featured two shutout performances by Calhoun starters Frank Trimarco and Joe Christopher. Jake Thomas, Jake Alex Ras and Thomas Viverito all hit home runs during the two games to help jumpstart the Colts’ offense.

It’s nothing new for Calhoun, a team that defied expectations last year –– including their own –– by winning the county championship for the second time in eight years and advancing to the Long Island championship game. Though the Colts lost that game to Lindenhurst, 4-2, they learned from the experience and came back even stronger in 2011 to finish with a perfect 15-0 conference record. It marked the first undefeated season for Calhoun in coach Joe Corea’s storied 39-year career.

The team has drawn a lot of attention during its miraculous run, and for three seniors, Christopher, Thomas and Dan Sullivan, the attention has resulted in scholarships to play Division I college baseball next spring.

Thomas, 17, the team’s starting catcher, will take his game to SUNY Binghamton. "It was a good fit both academically and athletically. Out of every other school, it met expectations the best,” he said.

Thomas became the regular starting catcher for the varsity team in his sophomore year. "Ever since he came up, you could see his sweet swing,” said Corea. “He's just a born leader. He's a very polite, humble kid."

Although Thomas knows he will face more serious competition in college, he says he is ready for the challenge. "I expect everything to be much harder,” he said. “But I'm just going to work that much harder to make sure I can play at that level."

Corea said that he expects Thomas to be drafted by a Major League team by his junior year. "The kids respect him because of his talent,” he said. “He puts balls out of parks that I couldn't believe. He's just so powerful."