Being a high school athlete is a journey.
A developmental phase that can only be compared to riding a roller coaster with all the ups-and-downs that emerge in the process. It is rather rare for an athlete to enter high school and make the varsity team his or her freshman year. Often times it takes determination, hard work and a willingness to put in more time and effort than everybody else to get to where you want to be. Being a high school athlete is a journey that hinges on skill development and dedication.
This is the journey of Charles Rainone.
Charles entered high school at Deer Park with the thought in the back of his head of how he wanted to make the varsity baseball team his freshman year. He soon would find out that for most high school athletes that tends to stay a want rather than a reality. 9th grade was a big year in the skill development of Rainone. He credited his junior varsity coach for helping him develop as a pitcher as well as a positional player.
He went into the offseason leading up to 10th grade hoping to be a varsity player. Unfortunately a back injury derailed that plan for a while. Rainone told me that this was one of the tougher times for him in his journey.
“To have your hard-work shot down by an injury is a frustrating thing to deal with, but it’s important to never get discouraged.” By the end of the year Rainone was where he wanted to be, on the varsity baseball team at Deer Park. He delivered a strong pitching performance against Bellport late in the season, which he described as a turning point for him in his journey.
By 11th grade, Rainone saw himself as a key player on the team although realizing he was not one of the star players. He was quick to point out that the star players his junior year were Connor Hewlette and Oliver Tavares. He explained the pivotal roles that these two teammates had on him that year, helping him understand what it meant to be the leader of the team. He served as Deer Park’s number 2 pitcher for the season and continued to grow at the plate as a hitter.
Entering his senior year, Rainone was looking for somewhere to continue his baseball career into college. He had searched all summer with his parents for school’s that would be a good fit for him and where he could continue to play the game he loves. Late on in the process, in October, Rainone came across St. Joseph’s College. He took part in a showcase at St. Joseph’s that in his words went very well. He got to meet and talk with some of the coaches and they told him that they liked him and wanted him to come play for them. They said that they would be in contact again shortly.
Then a few days went by, and Charles didn’t hear a peep. At this point he was starting to get concerned. A kid that had flown under-the-radar for so many years finally thought he found the perfect place to continue his playing career, and the coaches weren’t reaching back out to him. Continuing with his never give up demeanor, Rainone tried to find the contact information for one of the St. Joseph’s coaches and when he finally did, he reached out to him. It’s a good thing he did because the coaches at St. Joseph’s remained very interested in him, but unfortunately had lost his contact information.
Shortly after, Rainone officially decided St. Joseph’s was the place for him and committed to continuing his career there. He described the school as a perfect fit for him in an ideal location close to home. He also discussed the importance to him that St. Joseph’s was allowing him to play both parts of the game, rather than making him a pitcher only like so many of the other schools he was talking to wanted him to do.
Rainone then assumed leadership of the varsity team his senior year at Deer Park and delivered a breakout season. He was even up for the Axcess Baseball League 5 MVP Award at the end of the year. He compiled a 1.81 ERA over 40 IP with 65 strikeouts on the mound, and was equally as impressive at the plate. He batted .330 with 15 RBI.
Now at the end of his high school journey, Rainone fully appreciates all the hard work he put in over the years, and is proud that he never let anything step in the way of him reaching his goals.
He wanted to thank and give credit to some of his coaches along the way: Ryan Argenziano, Chris Lopicollo, Joe Iglio, and Coach Derschowitz. Most importantly to him, he wanted to thank his parents for everything they have done for him throughout this entire process and journey, as he realizes he never could have made it to the position that he is in today if it weren’t for all their help and support.
Lastly he wanted all the other athlete’s flying under the radar to know the importance of never giving up on his or her dream. “Don’t get discouraged, never give up, continue to work as hard as you can and try to become better every single day.”
Charles Rainone had thought before that maybe he wasn’t being talked about because he wasn’t good enough. Maybe he was wasting his time. Rather than give into doubt he decided to work even harder to get to where he wanted to be.
And now he’s getting ready to continue his baseball career at St. Joseph’s College with hopes of winning a Skyline Conference Championship, and maybe even some more baseball after college too.
