Coaching for a good cause

Even after 43 years of coaching high school baseball, Ken Sicoli is still having new experiences.

For the first time in the game’s seven-year history, the longtime coach of the East Meadow High School varsity baseball team was selected to coach in the Grand Slam Challenge, which took place last Friday night at Farmingdale State College. The game featured the top high school seniors from around Long Island in a Nassau vs. Suffolk all-star game. It was set up by the Ryan T. Caulfield Foundation, which is a non-profit organization that raises money for medical research on the autoimmune disease Lupus.

“It’s just an honor to be selected,” Sicoli noted. “To be involved is a pretty prestigious thing, you’re playing against Suffolk it’s the best kids, it’s really a great venue.”

The game itself, won by Nassau 12-8, was a rollercoaster ride. Sicoli’s Nassau team jumped out to a four-run lead after two innings. Suffolk took control, however, when it put up seven runs in the top of the third. Nassau reclaimed the lead with eight runs in the bottom of the fifth and held on. The win was only the second for Nassau in the game’s history.

“It’s fun to see all the kids that you read about that you never get to see during the season and you realize how good these kids are,” Sicoli said about his experience coaching in the game. He singled out Calhoun’s Jake Thomas as a player he believes might have a future in baseball. After the game, Thomas was recognized with the Most Outstanding Catcher Award and the Most Valuable Player for Nassau County award.

“It’s nice to get one back and get our reputation back up in Nassau,” Thomas said.

It seemed appropriate that Thomas, a catcher, should be the MVP of the game since the RTC Foundation was set up in honor of Ryan Caulfield, a former catcher for Bethpage High School. Caulfield won the 1994 Diamond Award, which is given annually to the best all-around player in the county. He still holds the Nassau County record for RBI in a season with 58. Caulfield died at the age of 23 in February of 2000 after a five-year battle with Lupus.

Nearly 2,000 people attended this year’s Grand Slam Challenge and the event raised $5,000 for the RTC Foundation. According to Butch Caulfield, Ryan’s brother, this year’s game was one of the best in terms of attendance and fund raising. “It means a lot, it’s a touching moment to have a game like this in your brother’s name and it’s a great moment for Long Island baseball as well as the Caulfield family,” Butch Caulfield said.

For Sicoli, who recalls getting to watch Ryan Caulfield play in an exceptional senior game many years ago, it was a special experience getting to coach in this particular event.

“It’s a great cause,” Sicoli said. “Butch Caulfield has done a great job keeping this alive, and not only keeping it alive, but trying to make it bigger and better every year.”