Fairfield again has a strong team receiving good pitching, timely hitting and solid defense, the reasons it is a contender for a high seed in both the FCIAC and state playoffs.
No, not that Fairfield team.
While Fairfield Warde has cast a shadow over most of the league, crosstown neighbors Fairfield Ludlowe is the best team few are talking about. Even after yesterday’s 17-7 loss to Ridgefield in the rain, the Falcons are 9-3 over all and 5-3 in the conference.
With a new coach and a roster full of players that got little attention at the start of the season, Ludlowe has received the least amount of acclaim of all the top teams during the first half of the season.
If the Falcons are a surprise to the rest of the league, they are not to their coach, Ken Geriak.
“I knew we had a good bunch of guys but there were a lot of new faces in different spots so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen, we’d be feeling it out,” Geriak said Sunday, before the Ridgefield game. “The seniors have been great leaders and our captains are just amazing. They lead by example. But did I think we’d be 9-2? No, probably not. But we are playing the game the right way and giving ourselves a chance to win every time out.”
Ludlowe opened by sweeping its four non-league games. Then came a 2-1 victory over Greenwich, which was ranked in the state polls at the time.
The pitching in particular has been terrific: the Falcons are 4-0 in one-run games and none had more than five combined runs. Kyle Carozza is 3-2, with 39 strikeouts in just over 20 innings and a 3.66 ERA. Will Myers is 3-0 with a 3.11 ERA and is also averaging over a strikeout per inning. Harry Tavella is 2-1 with three saves and a 2.12 ERA. Spencer Bradley is also off to a strong start.
“They’ve all pitched great,” Geriak said. “The three starters have been terrific.”
Catcher Christian Smith may be the league’s most underrated player. In a league full of stars at the position, he has worked closely with the Falcons’ staff while batting .481, with six of his 13 hits for extra bases, and 10 RBIs. He has also walked 12 times and scored 13 runs.
“Christian Smith is putting together a great season right now,” Geriak said. “He handles all of our pitchers, calls games. We talk about location and things like that but he calls the pitches. He runs the team. He’s like the quarterback, running the defense for us, letting the kids know where they should be if we can’t tell them in time. At the plate he’s been killing the ball. Recently he’s just been on fire. He’s probably the most overshadowed catcher in the league. The other guys are great but he’s just sort of lying in the shadows, doing a great job.”
Alex Moore has 12 RBIs and 12 runs scored in just 18 at bats, with a .500 average. Tavella is batting .353 and Leo Randazzo is hitting .333 with 12 runs scored. Ben Crawford has seven RBIs. Matt Bivona in centerfield and shortstop Sean McAdams have been keys to the defense while coming up with key hits.
Versatility and a good bench have also been important commodities. The Falcons, Geriak said, have used the same lineup just twice.
“It has been musical chairs,” Geriak said. “We’ve had injuries all year. We still have a bunch of kids we’re trying to get in the mix. We’re making it work.”ADVERTISEMENThttps://player.vimeo.com/video/579997873
Geriak, whose brother Joel is the boys basketball coach at Wilton and the co-head coach for softball at New Canaan, was an assistant at Ludlowe for four years. He was elevated when Mike Francese stepped down after last season. Geriak played at the former Central Catholic High School.
A past football assistant going back almost two decades, this is his first time as a head varsity coach.
“It’s been great,” Geriak said. “The support from the school has been great, our AD is very supportive, my coaching staff has been terrific. We have all the same guys we’ve had before. We all know the team and the league as well. And the seniors has made this a real seamless transition.”
The Falcons have been “that other” team in Fairfield but that could chance Monday, when they play Warde at Fairfield University. Wherever the outcome, as long as they keep winning they care little about flying under the radar.
“It doesn’t bother our guys, we just play the game in front of us,” Geriak said. “It doesn’t bother us at all. We know the guys over there, we’re friends with a bunch of them. When we’re not playing them we root for them. They deserve all the credit they have been getting. We are playing great baseball. If someone else recognizes it, great.”