Calhoun's talent stacked high

Bringing back most of its key components from last year’s Nassau Class AA championship baseball team, Calhoun is a prohibitive favorite to repeat but veteran coach Joe Corea knows the road to another title won’t be smooth.

“We might be the team to beat, but I’ve been around this game a long time and repeating is very difficult,” Corea said after last Monday’s 1-0 Conference AA-III victory at Long Beach. “Naturally we have talent and experience, but we still have to work hard every day and get some luck along the way.”

The Colts graduated only two starters from a team that won 20 games and swept top-seeded MacArthur in the best-of-three county championship series. “I’ve had teams with as much experience as this one,” Corea said. “Sometimes we matched or surpassed what we accomplished the year before, and other years we didn’t meet expectations.”

Three of Calhoun’s conference rivals also made deep playoff runs last spring. Carey and Kennedy reached the semifinals, while Mepham advanced to the quarterfinals. Long Beach and Valley Stream Central are trying to return to the postseason after a brief absence.

“No doubt we’re in a strong conference,” Corea said. “Nobody’s going undefeated.”

The Colts (4-1) beat three of four non-league opponents, including a season-opening 8-7 victory over MacArthur in a rematch of last year’s championship series, and played their third one-run game at Long Beach. Junior southpaw Frank Trimarco scattered three hits, walked one and struck out eight in the pitcher’s duel. Though Mickey Silberfeld gave up just two hits for the Marines, a fifth-inning single by Calhoun’s senior center fielder Dan Sullivan that plated junior Alex Vargas proved the difference.

Sullivan, an All-County selection headed to Siena, hits at the top of a lineup Corea thinks can produce an average of eight runs per game. “Dan’s the complete package,” Corea said. “He makes the offense go from the top.”