Early adversity for Carey baseball

A year removed from a brilliant 2009 playoff run, which came to a halt with a loss in the Nassau County Class AA championship series, Carey will be led on the baseball diamond by a relatively young, yet experienced nucleus of players.

The Seahawks, who finished last spring with a record of 15-7-1, will compete in Conference AA-1 with the likes of four-time defending champion Massapequa, Calhoun, MacArthur, Oceanside, East Meadow and Baldwin.  

Despite having 13 underclassmen on the roster, coach Marc Hedquist likes what he has seen in the preseason. “We’ve looked pretty good in scrimmages against opponents like Chaminade and Garden City,” Hedquist said. “We’re about where we expect to be at this point. It’s going to be a very tough league. The goal is to be among the top four finishers.”

The Seahawks will begin the season a little behind the 8-ball, as some key injuries will have an impact on the pitching staff. Junior John Daddino (4-2, 2.37 ERA) will be the team’s ace, but off-season shoulder surgery will have the All-League pitcher on the shelf in the early going. Another member of the rotation, junior Kyle Zahradka, also suffered an arm injury and may miss the season.

Among the healthy arms are juniors Ron Licciardi and Jesse Montalto, and senior John Augello. Despite the relative inexperience of the three, Hedquist is confident in their ability. “The guys have showed a lot in the scrimmages,” he said. “With Zahradka out, and Daddino just getting back, it’s going to be rotation by committee. These guys are very capable of getting the job done.”

Handling the backstop duties will be junior Nick Vilchez, a first-year varsity player. Vilchez is a solid defensive catcher, and an aggressive hitter with pop in his bat. Vilchez will likely hit fourth.

Senior center fielder Mike Marino has all the tools. Marino led Carey in home runs, RBI, and stolen bases in 2009. He has hit a few tape-measure shots already this spring. Joe Marino will handle one corner outfield position, with junior Anthony Zeppieri and Daddino both vying for time in the other.

Shortstop Kyle DeMeo, an All-Conference recipient as a sophomore, sets the tone at the top of the order. DeMeo, who led the team with 35 hits (17 for extra bases), is joined in the middle of the infield by junior Tom Rydzewski. The All-league second baseman hit .417 as a sophomore. Both DeMeo and Rydzewski had 14 stolen bases as sophomores. 

Senior Al Gentile, a solid contact hitter who hit .365 last season, will handle the hot corner. Licciardi and junior Anthony Licata will both see time at first base.

Hedquist credits assistant coach Mike Farina for a lot of the program’s success. “Mike does a tremendous job handling the off-season training,” Hedquist said. “He has the boys in the weight room or leads them in conditioning drills. He puts a in a lot of time with the pitching staff and the outfielders. It has made a big difference.”