Tim Swatek is a fourth-generation Yankees’ fan who owns CC Sabathia on his fantasy team.
The Hackensack senior right-hander obviously was a little disappointed after the Yankees’ 9-7 loss to Boston in their opener Sunday night.
There was nothing at all disappointing, however, about the way he and his Hackensack teammates started their season Thursday in Montvale.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Swatek threw a four-hitter to lead the unranked Comets to a 5-0 upset of St. Joseph, the No. 1 team in the preseason North Jersey Top 25. In addition to toppling the top-ranked team, the win was extremely satisfying because St. Joseph hammered Hackensack, 24-1, last season.
"They showed no mercy last year, so to come back and finally, in my senior year, to beat them, it felt great," said Swatek, The Record Male Athlete of the Week. "We were complete underdogs. They were ranked No. 1 and it’s just a nice story.
"I think we were probably the only ones who knew we could beat them. Hackensack has really received no credit at all, from anyone.
"We’ve never really been recognized and the caliber of players we have hasn’t really been recognized. So this was great for us."
Swatek went 3-for-3, including a two-run double and a two-run homer, against St. Joseph as well.
On Saturday, Swatek, a Maywood resident who also plays right field for Hackensack, went 2-for-3, scored a run, drove in a run and stole a base in the Comets’ 6-0 win against Lakeland.
Before taking his talents to Fordham, which he chose over Brown last summer, Swatek hopes Hackensack can make a deep run in the postseason. The Comets lost to Livingston in the second round of the North 1, Group 4 tournament last year.
"We feel like we’re capable of doing some big things," Swatek said. "We’ve got some experienced seniors and we feel we can compete with the top teams."
BY KEITH IDEC
Bergen Record
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