Carey becomes winningest H.S. baseball coach in Bay State

It might be like shutting the barn door after the horse escapes, but North Reading baseball coach Frank Carey may want to invest in some heavy-duty rain gear, or perhaps keep a golf umbrella in the equipment bag.Carey is no stranger to getting a celebratory bucket of ice water over the head, having won his 700th game last year and a state title in 2012, but then again, that comes with the territory when you hit milestones on a regular basis.Carey?s latest accomplishment occurred Thursday afternoon when his North Reading baseball team defeated Newburyport twice.The win in the first game (the continuation of a game suspended earlier in the season) tied him with Emile Johnson of Leominster as the winningest high school baseball coach in Massachusetts (725 wins).The victory in the second game put Carey alone atop the pile with 726 career wins. Carey said he was told the 726 wins is also tops in New England. Carey has been coaching high school baseball for 49 years. It was only fitting that he would hit the milestone on the North Reading High baseball field that bears his name. Although the Hornets only needed one inning to win the suspended game (they scored seven runs in the top of the 10th inning to blow open a 2-2 game), the second game was much closer (3-2).So just how confident were Carey?s friends that he would get the job done? Confident enough to plan a surprise reception in his honor at the home of attorney Mike Mahoney (everyone at the game, which included a sizable contingent of Carey?s Lynn buddies, was invited back to celebrate).?I guess there was a lot of texting back and forth (during the games),” Carey said, noting that Newburyport is a tough opponent and by no means a guaranteed W.Although very appreciative of having the milestone noted, Carey said he, like other coaches, never gets into coaching with the thought of winning 100 games, or 200 games.?You don?t go into coaching because you?re trying to hit a milestone,” Carey said. “You?re just hoping through sports you can help funnel kids into college, or motivate them to go to college. If the wins come, they come.”Carey said the rewards for some coaches come when a player in danger of not making it out of high school graduates. For others, it?s four years later when they get out of college and you hope you may have played some small part in their success.As someone who was only able to play two of his four years at the University of Rhode Island because of some academic issues, Carey said it?s also very rewarding to see a player who struggled do well in the long run.?I?ve had some guys who are extremely successful now, but that wasn?t always the case,” Carey said. “I?ve had a lot of them. I?m kind of proud of that.”As far as any future milestones, Carey doesn?t see any on the horizon so maybe that rain gear won?t be necessary.