When Anthony Caminiti struck out the final batter to seal the 2018 Skyline Conference championship for St. Joseph’s on May 7 it confirmed they were the top team in the conference. Not only that, it also clinched their second title in three years, entering the conversation of the top Division-III programs in the region.
With that being the case, a new precedent has been set when you put on the uniform and step on Gregg Alfano Field.
“The expectation now is to win a championship,” said Head Coach Rick Garrett, who just completed his fifth season with a winning percentage of .582. “Every day, every game, we play to win. The expectation is that if we don’t win, it’s a failure. Every kid took last year (2017) as a failure. I’ve never seen a team put in the work they have. It starts with our four outstanding captains,” he added.
This year’s team will be headlined by one of their captains, first baseman Paul Britt. The senior is coming off one of the finest seasons in program history. He batted .404 with 8 HR, 37 RBI and a ridiculous .752 SLG. He took his game to a new level and was feared by opposing pitchers every time he stepped to the plate.
First Team All Long Island 1B Paul Britt (.404 AVG, 8 HR, 37 RBI, .752 SLG) on the winning the Skyline Conference and the culture change since he’s transferred to the school pic.twitter.com/AWWHzLr62Y
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) September 29, 2018
“When Paul came here, we knew we were getting a good ball player,” said Garrett. “What took him to the next level is that he loves this game and he’s just such a great teammate. When we needed something, Paul was there. Even with two of our key cogs not putting up the numbers they were capable of, we were still able to win the championship.”
They will also be counting on several other returning players–namely their infield. Senior catcher and fellow captain, Dan Campanelli, will be expected to be right in the center of their success once again. The Bayport-Blue Point grad, who won two Class A New York State championships has now been a focal point of both Skyline Conference championship winning teams. Garrett noted that he took his game to another level in the postseason, coming up with four big RBIs and also being stellar behind the plate and throwing out would-be base stealers.
Second baseman Tyler Crafa, All-Region in 2017, had a .392 OBP last year with 12 stolen bases. He stole 18 the previous season with an unbelievable .431 AVG They also have a terrific left side of the infield with Anthony Raucci (.345 AVG) and Tyler Sanderson (.353 AVG, .414 OBP).
The outfield will be counting on Gehrig Montoro and Tyler Costa (18 SB, .357 OBP). There will be a competition for the final outfield spot, but keep an eye on Southern New Hampshire-transfer Justin Stromski, who displayed some great bat speed in batting practice and run a 6.7 60.
Montoro’s RBI hit in the 11th inning propelled them to the championship last year, sending the crowd in the frenzy.
In terms of returning players, they are very confident in the veterans and that includes their pitching staff.
Anthony Papa (5-2, 2.33 ERA) and Joseph Murphy (6-1, 2.17 ERA) were great all season, but they transformed into true aces in the postseason, where they each fired complete games which allowed their bullpen to be at full strength for the championship against USMMA. Joining them will be Nick Mannarino (35.1 IP, 2.04 ERA), who has the utmost confidence from his coaching staff. The likely fourth starter will be freshman Ryan Foran, who led a surprise Eastport-South Manor team to within one victory of the Suffolk County Class AA championship. He won the prestigious Paul Gibson Award, given to the top pitcher in Suffolk County with a record of 9-1 and an ERA of 1.11 over 62 IP. He has the type of ability to step in from Day 1 and win games.
Some other newcomers to keep an eye on are Charles Rainone, Angelo Montalbano, Nick Vicino, Mike Badala, Kyle Issing, Kevin Yohe, Kevin Shine, Jared West and Anthony Puidokas.
While there is no guarantee in defending the Skyline Conference title with so much parity atop the conference, one thing is true for the first time in program history–the Skyline Conference runs through St. Joseph’s.
