Sports
Baseball: Huntington 2011 Preview
With seven returning starters, the young Blue Devils are dreaming big this spring.
The baseball team faced a bit of a conundrum over the past few seasons.
Viewed as one of the larger schools in their league to outsiders, coach Greg Kalkau saw a lot of potential talent defect to the lacrosse team in his early years as Paul McDermott's team was winning state championships. Rather than stand idly by and watch players leave, however, Kalkau decided to aggressively push the development of the younger players in his program by bringing up eighth-graders to his varsity squad.
It was a risky proposition. Many eighth graders aren't ready to make that jump, both physically and mentally. But catcher Rob Fiato (now a sophomore) and pitcher Keven Pimentel (now a freshman) were, and they started to shine at the level by the end of the season.
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"By the end of the season, you see these eighth graders mature into full adults," said coach Kalkau. "They're just as capable, and their mentality is as strong as the other kids, the eleventh and twelfth graders."
Fiato and Pimentel went through their adjustment period early. Now, they've evolved into key contributors on a young Huntington team that aspires to start making waves in League V play.
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Last Season: 4-16, 3-15 League V.
Head Coach: Greg Kalkau (sixth season).
Key Players:
- Keven Pimentel, freshman, RHP/SS
- Vinny McCarty, senior, RHP/3B
- Rob Fiato, sophomore, C/1B
- Jimmy Oliva, senior, 2B/RHP
- Matt Curley, senior, 1B/RHP
Position Breakdown: One of the benefits of bringing young players up early for Kalkau is that he now has plenty of experience at his disposal. The Blue Devils return seven players from last year's starting lineup, with holes only at first base and right field.
None of those returning players will be as important to the team as Pimentel. Kalkau considers the freshman to be the best player in all of League V. He certainly didn't look out of place at the varsity level last year; he made the All-League team as an eighth-grader last year, and threw a no-hitter in a win against Comsewogue. "I've never seen anything like that," said Kalkau. "I’ve seen a lot of kids come into public or Catholic high schools and produce as an eighth grader, but nothing on that level."
Kalkau is understandably proud of Pimentel, whose success last season reaffirmed his belief in calling him up as a middle schooler. But he added that Pimentel shouldn't get complacent.
"He just has to stay level-headed and keep working at his game," said the coach. "That’s all it is. Every day you come down to the field, it doesn’t matter how good you are, how well you did the day before. You have to keep building towards that next step."
Pimentel seems to understand that message. "I feel blessed," he said. "I work pretty hard at I do. I practice every weekend, go to training spots, fielding, throwing, batting."
Pimentel was the second eighth-grader that Kalkau called up to his varsity squad. The previous year, he brought up Fiato, who was able to handle it as well. Fiato is now a three-year varsity player as a sophomore. He's also a team captain, a testament to his selfless attitude and his maturity.
"I gain respect from everybody because we’re all a family here now," he said. "I don’t look at myself as Mr. Big Shot because I played in eighth grade. I look at myself as part of everybody else on the team. I’m nothing special. We’re all a family."
The Blue Devils may be a young team, but they're not one that's completely devoid of seniors. They have six of them on the roster. Two of them, Vinny McCarty and Jimmy Oliva, were All-League players themselves (McCarty last year and Oliva in 2009). Both players will pitch and occupy infield positions (McCarty at third base and Oliva at second).
As far as the open positions, coach Kalkau said that right field would be up in the air until a player emerged during the team's scrimmages. But he named senior Matt Curley as the front-runner for the first base position. Curley, who served a utility role last year, will get a full-time position in the lineup. "He's earned it," said the coach.
Expectations: Fiato brought up the word "family" when describing his teammates. It's a word that was floated around by the team frequently during practice, as part of a mandate dictated from the top.
"They’re all friends," said coach Kalkau. "Once they step on the field, they have to become teammates. Last year, that’s what they did at the end of the year. This year, they have to become a family. They have to understand that teammates will be there, and they’ll work hard for each other, but family will always be there to back you up. That’s what we’re looking to do this year."
In terms of on-the-field production, the team is undoubtedly looking to improve on last year's 3-15 league showing. There was a glimmer of hope at the end of the season when they swept Comsewogue, but it accounted for 75% of their wins on the season. This year, the Blue Devils hope that their returning core, and their team chemistry, can lead to more victories.
"We have a very talented team," said Fiato. "The seniors, everybody, we all have our heads in the game this year. We all want to win. We all have the drive to make the playoffs this year."
"A lot of the teams [we play] lost their seniors, and we have a very good senior class this year," said McCarty. "We have a better chance in this league. If there was ever a year we were going to do something great, this would be it."
"I know we have a good team," said Pimentel. "We work hard at practice every day, we do everything correctly. Now it’s just time for us to show everybody that we can do it."
Key Games:
April 4: Kings Park @ Huntington
April 13: Harborfields @ Huntington
April 23: Hauppauge @ Huntington
May 12: Eastport-South Manor @ Huntington
May 17: Islip @ Huntington
