Lynn’s Carey in state final

Although he’s coached at North Reading High School since 1964, Frank Carey has never lost his connection to Lynn.The MIAA coach of the year (and candidate for national coach of the year) grew up in Lynn and played his baseball at St. Mary’s (on the same team as the late Tony Conigliaro; Tom Iarrobino of the Lynn School Committee; and Tony Nicosia, who owns Tony’s Place on Franklin Street) for both Nipper Clancy and Charlie Ruddock.He’s also coached Legion ball and conducted numerous camps and clinics in Lynn, and was also an assistant with the North Shore Spirit when they were here. In addition, he is one of the co-founders of the Nipper Clancy (now, simply Clancy) baseball tournament.Along the way, Carey’s Hornets have won four state championships ? the most recent being 30 years ago (1982). The last time North Reading made the state final was 1986.A very young Hornet team has given Carey a chance to win No. 5. North Reading defeated East Bridgewater Tuesday, 5-3, in the state semifinal game and will be at Fitton Field in Worcester Saturday (3:30) for the Division 3 state championship game against Mt. Everett, a regional high school located in Sheffield, which is nestled on the tri-state border of Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.Carey confesses to knowing little about the Eagles, save for what he’s heard from colleagues.”They’re a small school,” said Carey, “but very competitive. They play some Division 1 and Division 2 teams, and they’re competitive. That’s really all I know at this point.”But, as Carey points out, “there are no easy games in the tournament.”And that goes double for the Hornets. They haven’t blown the competition away this season in any way, shape or fashion. They’ve eked out a lot of close wins. They’ve scored 125 runs in 25 games (an even five per game), and given up only 44 (which averages out to under two per game). The team earned-run average is 1.25.”That’s how we win,” Carey said. “We don’t give a team any extra outs. That’s been our bread and butter all year.”Both pitchers, Ryley Warnock and Ryan McAuliffe, have been consistently stingy on the mound. Saturday, against Lynnfield in the Division 3 North title game, McAuliffe surrendered but two and Warnock came on to nail down the win in a relief appearance.Carey is the first to admit this year’s run has been improbable.”The last time we went to the final (1986) we pretty much broadcast that we felt we’d get there,” he said. “This year, when the local papers interviewed us, I was reluctant to say we’d even challenge.”That was borne out when the Hornets lost their first two games of the season, to Newburyport and Hamilton-Wenham.”I knew that this team would come together,” Carey said. “But I’m amazed it came together so fast.”Aside from the pitching, the Hornets have received major contributions from two sophomores: catcher Keith Linnane and center fielder Colby Maiola.”Keith, at one point, threw out seven runners in a row, and threw one out in Tuesday’s game,” Carey said. “Maiola has been excellent in center field ? he made some great catches in the Clancy game against St. Mary’s.”For all the Hornets’ success, however, it’s been a struggle.”There hasn’t been any game we’ve had that’s been a breeze,” he said. “I think our biggest margin of victory has been 7-1, and it was a 2-1 game going into the sixth inning.”Carey was still marveling over his team’s 3-2 victory over Lynnfield in Saturday’s North final.”First of all,” he said, “I can’t believe we outhit them. But it seemed to me that every pitch in that game was a clutch pitch. It was just a great high school game.”Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].