NORTH HAVEN – With a 9-1 win over Jonathan Law on Thursday afternoon, North Haven baseball coach Bob DeMayo is one win short of the 900th of his career and he doesn’t want to think about it.
“I don’t want the kids to get wrapped up in it,” the 85-year old coach said with a laugh. “But they are.”
“We always joke around with him,” senior Zack Pincince said of DeMayo. “We go up to him and say, ‘Hey coach, we’re almost there! We’re almost there! And he’s like ‘Ah, just focus on the game.’ But we’re ready to go.”
Even when the team goes for ice cream after road wins, they can’t help but have fun with their venerable coach.
“We walk around Stop & Shop talking to him about the game,” senior Kevin Lucey said. “He doesn’t say much. (He) just tells us to worry about the next one.”
North Haven is scheduled to play at home vs. Xavier on Saturday at noon and then North Branford on Sunday at 7 p.m..
As the Indians kept winning games, marching DeMayo towards 900 career wins, the players started counting down the victories with cups jammed into the outfield fence.
“Right around 892 (wins),” Pincince said. “Peyton Farina’s mom put the cups up in the outfield. So every time we win, we run over there and change the cups in the outfield.”
The cups spell out each victory number.
“They told me they are running out of cups,” DeMayo said with a laugh.
At 15-3 and the SCC tournament just around the corner, DeMayo would prefer to just get the milestone out of the way. The possibility of rainouts this weekend, however, continue to loom.
“I hope we can get in our next ball game so we don’t have to worry about anything like that,” DeMayo said. “We’re going into SCC tournament and then state tournament, so I want the kids to just enjoy it.”
The kids said they do want to enjoy the ride and they want to reward their coach with more than just 900 career wins.
“Once we get it out of the way, then we can focus on game by game,” Pincince said. “We’ll be the team that coach Bob his 900th win and now it will just be our job to get him his sixth state title.”
NORTH HAVEN 9, LAW 4
Law 000 100 0 – 1 5 4
North Haven 044 010 x – 9 9 0
Batteries: NH – Zack Pincince, Chris Ciarleglio and Luca Lawrence and Kevin Lucey L – Carl Maxwell, Nathan Merchant, Billy Romero and Vinny Schulte.
WP: Zack Pincince, LP: Carl Maxwell
Records: North Haven 15-3, Law 7-12
That is an amazing accomplishment, no doubt. That is a lot of wins. However, with all records, just like the state hits leader, scrutiny must be utilized in order to celebrate records and milestones. I wonder if the 2014 season is included in this total. I am fairly certain there was an interim coach that season due to a season long illness/injury. According to SCC records, NH baseball won 8 games in 2014. Let’s get the real number so when milestones are reached we can celebrate without doubt.
899- first off, NH is having a phenomenal year and I agree that it’s absolutely amazing on Demayo’s accomplishments. However, did he really earn or contribute to each of those wins in 2014? Well, if he was out for the season then I would say no. And, if that’s the case, is this his 60th or 59th year? Like you said, let’s get the real facts and then we can celebrate properly.
What a great coach.. I played against him in the mid 70’s.. Shelton and North Haven one of the best rivalries in baseball.. Benanto and DeMayo going at it…
Yes I played against both those coaches teams at same time too. They had some great players. I remember the MLB pro scouts at many games. They weren’t scouting me though. LOL
Something doesn’t seem right. Demayo got his 800th in 2011. However, he missed the entire 2014 season, including pre and post season due to injury. Looks like he was credited those 8 wins in 2014, even though he never stepped foot on the field. Interesting?????????
If DeMayo had stepped foot on the field in 2014, they most likely would have won 16 instead of eight, that’s the difference he makes in the dugout. Let’s not be a conspiracy theorist about everything, please. He’s earned everything he’s gotten.