Carey prepped for stretch run

Through the first half of the 2015 baseball season, the Carey Seahawks are flying high. Despite seeing their eight-game winning streak come to a halt at the hands of New Hyde Park, the Seahawks find themselves at the top of Nassau Conference A-1 with a record of 8-1.

The road gets tougher for Carey in the second half. It has three-game sets with Garden City, Wantagh, and Bellmore JFK to finish off the regular-season schedule.
While there’s a lot of baseball to play between now and the series with Bellmore-JFK, the three games could end up determining league supremacy.

Carey first-year coach Mike Farina likes the way his team has played thus far. “We’re off to a good start,” Farina said. “Coming into the season, we figured we’d be a strong hitting team. But, we’ve been very good on defense, too. We’ve made plays in the field that have kept us in games. I’m happy with how we’re playing. The guys have worked real hard.”

One of the biggest questions for Carey was how the unproven pitching staff would perform against tough conference foes. Through the first nine conference games, the hurlers have been solid. The formula of throwing strikes, and pitching to contact has been extremely effective.

Senior Mike Rutigliano takes the ball every Monday, and has performed like an ace. Rutigliano is 3-0 with victories over Sewanhaka, Jericho, and New Hyde Park. In the 5-1 win over Jericho, he scattered five hits while going the distance. Center fielder Jake Safuto went 3-for-4 with three RBI to lead the offensive attack.

Senior Joe Nicoletti is also 3-0 in league play. Nicoletti was superb in a 1-0 road win over New Hyde Park. Left fielder Luke Spano, who has been terrific at the plate for the Seahawks, homered in the second inning to account for all the offense either team would muster.

As expected, junior Anthony Catapano has been the main cog in the lineup. Catapano leads Nassau County with four home runs. In a 14-3 win, he went 3-for-4 with a home run, five RBI, and a pair of runs scored. With a win and a save out of the bullpen, Catapano has also been Carey’s top relief pitcher.

Catapano, Spano, and Rob Kelly have been providing the pop in the middle of the order, and Safuto and senior second baseman John Cimiluca have done a good job setting the table at the top. Cimiluca is hitting over .400 and is constantly on the base paths.

Farina gives a lot of credit to assistant coaches Frank Sonenberg and Ron Giaraffa. “I rely on them a lot, especially with this being my first year as head coach,” Farina said. “We talk every day, and they offer a different perspective. They’ve been outstanding.”

The Seahawks will be back in action when they host Wantagh at Rath Park next Monday at 4:30 p.m.