June 21, 2015
EMERSON — This was supposed to be a transitional season for the Emerson baseball team. Longtime coach Bob Carcich had retired, and the Cavos lost their most dynamic hitter to graduation. Chris Sommerhalter, a Carcich disciple, was hand-picked by the former to take the reins, but it was his first varsity head coaching job. The Cavos started the season 3-3; not awful, but certainly not a true preview of what lay in store. “Maybe we were overlooked a little going into the season, but I knew we had a good group of guys,” said Sommerhalter, who had coached most of this group at the JV level. “I think this is the epitome of what a team is. We play hard all the time, and there is no finger-pointing.” And all that added up to a 26-5 record, culminating in a 3-1 victory over Middlesex that gave the Cavos their first Group 1 title since 2001 and the only one for a North Jersey baseball team this spring. Emerson won 23 of its final 25 games, claiming the NJIC Patriot Division crown along the way. That’s why the Cavos, ranked No. 2 in The Record Top 25, are The Record Baseball Team of the Year. http://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-baseball/cavos-rode-momentum-to-division-state-crowns-1.1360085
