A Preview of the 2019 CSI Dolphins

By: Steven Aiello

Head coach Michael Mauro is hopeful for the new Dolphin baseball season.

Another spring season is upon the horizon, which also means another season of baseball for the CSI Dolphins. Winners of four consecutive CUNYAC championships, the Dolphins aim to make it five consecutive championships, among other goals and objectives for the team.

Several key figures are returning this season to help the Dolphins accomplish their goals, with none being more important than head coach Michael Mauro. Taking over as head coach during the 2009 season Mauro has had a long history of experience in baseball, both as a staff member and a player.

Dating back to 1988, Mauro played for John Jay in the CUNY Conference before landing a small contract with the Detroit Tigers in 1990. There, he played for the Bristol Tigers and Niagara Falls Rapids.

For the next 15 years Mauro served for the NYPD while simultaneously engaging in more baseball work, this time as an assistant coach. Although he worked for the NYPD, baseball has remained his passion throughout those years.

His involvement and dedication have ultimately lead him to CSI, where he is now head coach following his first and only season as the Dolphins assistant head coach. During his tenure coach Mauro has built a strong team and impressive record, including seven CUNYAC championships overall.

In order to add to that total, naturally the Dolphins must play up to their capabilities and the standards they have set in prior seasons. With a good mix of players on offense and defense, Coach Mauro believes this goal can be attained.

Mauro has described the team to be a “well rounded group” of players, both on the field and in academics, which often leads to a successful team. Although the team lost six seniors to graduation in the offseason, fourteen freshman have also joined the team to fill in their places,

Key seniors to this year’s ball team include Christian Capellan, whom Mauro believes to be the team’s best pitcher, catcher Sean Becker, not mention fielders Nick Meola and Anthony Dimarco. Together, the four will play important roles in the Dolphin’s success this season, though it will take the effort of the entire roster to truly accomplish this goal.

As with all sports Mauro believes baseball to be a team sport, and at the end of the day every player is just as important as the next player.

Should the Dolphins play up to their potential they will find themselves in the CUNYAC championship where they will vie for their fifth consecutive title. The CUNYAC playoffs are relatively small, being played between the four best teams in the Conference over the course of a few days.

Games are often played in double headers and even triple headers, which can prove strenuous on players, most especially the pitching staff. Managing players effectively and even using position players in certain circumstances will help the team in these games, per Coach Mauro.

Despite the importance of winning, Coach Mauro considers it secondary to the more abstract elements of sports. Sportsmanship and a healthy relation between players on the team are and have been the top priority for Mauro and the team often comes together at the end of practice in embrace, which he describes as being part of a “family”.

Win or lose, the feeling of sportsmanship and camaraderie are crucial to the sport for Mauro, who sees baseball as an important for learning “life lessons” in addition to the general experience. Ultimately baseball for Mauro is about the passion and a healthy atmosphere between teammates, and he looks to continue with that attitude this season.

Other members of the Dolphins staff who look to help the team in this regard include assistant coaches Patrick Daddio, Patrick Gale, James Mardikos and Bob Steele, all of whom are returning members from last year’s staff.

The Dolphins began play on March 2nd in Myrtle Beach before returning for their first home game of the season the following Sunday against St. Joseph’s. The regular season will conclude with a doubleheader at John Jay on April 27th.