A friendship of area baseball coaches, an exciting MLB debut, a road trip and gnarly waves

Matt Hillis saw the siren lights and immediately began preparing the explanation, reviewing in his mind what story to tell the officer that might elicit enough empathy to excuse the speeding. The obvious choice was the truth.

They were about 40 miles from Pittsburgh and the longtime Fox Lane baseball coach was giddy, eager to reach the ballpark to see a former pupil on the biggest day of his career to that point.

See, the kid was a heralded No. 1 draft pick who was making his major league debut with the Pirates that night, and he was all the rave on sports talk radio in that city. He called his former coach after learning of the promotion and arranged for them to meet before the game. Hillis couldn’t afford to be late for this.

Umm, name-dropping Henry Davis didn’t really help there. The cop believed him, but it wasn’t enough to get out of the ticket.

No matter. On a day that would be filled with mirthful smiles and forever memories, that part of the story will be no more than a comedic interlude.

On to Cincinnati: Panas' Stafura picked by the Reds in the second round of the MLB draft

Hometown heroes: Gray, Kirby represent Westchester County in MLB All-Star Game

Change of plans: Marlboro's Mongelli passes on Auburn after selection by Dodgers

Because Hillis, along with his wife, their dogs, and his close friend Eric Frink, did make it to PNC Park in time. They met with Davis’ family, watched the Bedford native complete a round of batting practice, and Hillis was invited on the field to greet him.

“You couldn’t wipe the smile off my face,” Hillis said of that June 19 afternoon. “You harken back to weird little things. He used to text me videos of himself working on his swing in the basement at like 10:30 at night, asking if I saw anything to correct. Now, he’s doing it on a big-league field.”

Davis didn’t make his cheering section wait long for the milestones as about 20 of his relatives and friends witnessed his first hit and walk that night against the Chicago Cubs.

“I have a video of him putting a ball into the trees against us at Dutchess Stadium,” said Frink, the John Jay-East Fishkill baseball coach. “I knew from early in his high school career that he’d be a good college player. Then, after he got drafted and I saw him in Class A (in the minor leagues), I was confident he’d make the majors. Watching him fulfill that potential and seeing all the hard work manifest into this is amazing.”

Davis shined at Fox Lane then went on to dominate at the University of Louisville, elevating himself to the top of the 2021 Major League Baseball amateur draft before rocketing through the minor leagues.

Not only has Davis shown thus far that he belongs in the majors, but he’s also already been entrusted to bat in the middle of the Pirates’ lineup and is one of the foundational pieces around whom they are building. The outfielder has hit .275 with a .377 on-base percentage and two homers in his first 26 games.

“He had great talent, combined with an insane work ethic,” Hillis said. “You had a feeling that good things would happen for him. During his junior year at Louisville, I thought he had a chance to be the No. 1 pick, and that was a realistic goal for him. He made it all happen.”

A quiet baseball hotbed

Davis is the latest Hudson Valley baseball standout to make the majors, following a line of locals who’ve excelled. Washington Nationals pitcher Josiah Gray, a New Rochelle native, was selected earlier this month to the All-Star team, as was Rye’s George Kirby, who pitches for the Seattle Mariners.

Among the most prominent area products in recent years was Joe Panik, a John Jay-East Fishkill grad who starred for the San Francisco Giants and helped them win a World Series in 2014.

Sammy Stafura of Walter Panas was picked by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the draft last week. The Los Angeles Dodgers chose Lakeland grad Joe Vetrano and Marlboro’s Sam Mongelli in the later rounds.

This, of course, came a month after Section 1’s Roy C. Ketcham and Chapel Field (Section 9) won high school state championships.

“It’s an awesome thing, and we’re incredibly proud as coaches,” Frink said of the area quietly producing high-level baseball players. “There are a lot of good feeder programs and training centers in the region. Plus, kids in the Northeast have to work really hard and coaches have to get creative because of the weather. There’s a diligence that comes with that.”

After Davis got the call about his call-up on June 18, the 23-year-old soon called Hillis with the good news.

“He asked, ‘Can you get to Pittsburgh tomorrow?’” Hillis recalled. “I said, ‘If that means what I think it does, I’ll be there no matter what.’”

Hillis and his wife Michelle spoke to Davis’ mom about hotel arrangements and stadium accommodations. Frink then got a call from his buddy with instructions to pack a bag.

A flight was booked for the day of the game, but Hillis soon canceled, fearing a potential delay making them late. So, the group opted for the 400-mile road trip. Hillis, who lives in Hopewell Junction, swung by to pick up Frink in Fishkill.

Not a bad way for two friends to kick off the summer, cruising for six hours, talking baseball and excitedly anticipating seeing a prospect they watched develop. The sirens couldn’t break that vibe.

Coaches can ‘Cawabunga!’

Frink and Hillis’ friendship grew from a mutual respect as rival coaches, evolving eventually into their relationship now as surf bros. Their families vacation together each winter in Puerto Rico and the two picked up an aquatic hobby a few years ago.

Hillis, 59, played professional baseball in Australia in the 1990s and, visiting on a three-month visa, he was required to leave the country during a winter break in the season. On one of those stints, he visited Bali and tried his hand — well, feet — at surfing there and enjoyed it.

But that activity went by the wayside when he returned to the United States after his baseball career ended. That is, until his 50th birthday, when his wife surprised him with a trip to Rincon, Puerto Rico and cajoled him back into surfing.

“It was extremely difficult, but I committed myself to sticking with it,” said Hillis, a West Nyack native. “I got my kids into it, so it’s become a family sport.”

He also invited friends to join — the vacation and the surfing. That, obviously, isn’t an easy sport to learn, and it’s especially taxing for older people. Many of his buddies tried it once and quit. But Frink, Hillis said, “had the stick-to-it-iveness to keep going.”

Hillis introduced him to it six years ago and, despite wiping out several times as a novice, Frink refused to give up. That, perhaps, was the result of some athletic pride from the former Pace University football player.

“We had an instructor, but it’s still challenging and frustrating at first,” the 53-year-old said. “But once you get that wave and ride it, you’re hooked. It helps that Matt is always encouraging.”

The two crossed paths in 2003, when Frink coached Peekskill and his team opened the Section 1 playoffs against Fox Lane. The Foxes were a powerhouse then, and crushed Peekskill en route to the state semifinals. But a relationship was forged, and their teams squared off several times over the years, including when Frink served as an assistant coach at Carmel and then took over at John Jay.

Hillis, he said, often was a sounding board and somewhat of a coaching mentor, freely sharing with him ideas and practice strategies.

“There are really good coaches who put in so much effort, in and out of the season, and I have a tremendous respect for that,” said Hillis, who often ran into Frink at their gym in Dutchess County. “That's how we connected initially, then over time, you realize Eric’s a great person and we have a lot in common.”

John Jay hosts Fox Lane each spring for its annual Strike Out Cancer tournament, and the teams in May raised more than $11,000 for the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund.

“As you get older, your circle tends to get smaller and you don’t usually make those kinds of close friendships at that point,” Frink. “But I’m glad this is an exception.”

Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4

This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Hang 10: Frink, Hillis surfer friendship and Henry Davis' MLB debut