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Cademartori benefits from short-term memory

By Todd Hefferman, The Southern

Friday, May 16, 2008 11:06 AM CDT

CARBONDALE - Dean Cademartori has the mindset of a stock broker.

Two hours after starting his shift, he may have lost $100,000 of someone else's money. By the end of the day, it's like he was promoted to the vice presidency of the company.

With a short-term memory, the senior outfielder is close to ending his time at Southern Illinois University with the best single-season batting average of his career. Entering today's doubleheader against Evansville, Cademartori, a four-year starter, is hitting .300 in 37 games.

"Some people on the team, they go 'Grrrrr!,' and slam their helmets," Cademartori said. "I just like to be laid back, relaxed, and have a good time with whatever I'm doing. They always say baseball players have to have a short-term memory, so, if you strike out on your first at-bat and look terrible, you can't just go 'Oh my God, I'm going to have a bad day.' Today, I just struck out.

"A lot of times this year, my first two ABs have just been terrible at-bats, maybe two strikeouts, and the next two at-bats, I'll hit two doubles."

On April 5 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, that's exactly what the 5-foot-11 Norridge native did. The Salukis fell behind 3-0 after the top of the first, but got two back in the bottom half off two hits. Cademartori looked at his third strike in the second inning and missed a two-strike pitch in the fifth.

In the seventh, he drove in SIU's third run with a double to left-center field. In the ninth, with the winning run on second, he ended the game with a walk-off double to right-center.

"You just gotta always realize, even in baseball, you're going to have another chance to do anything," Cademartori said. "Even if it's in the field. You could make a diving catch to save the game, or something like that. When you're playing, you can't get too down on yourself, because, then, you just kind of self-destruct."

Named player of the year by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association after his senior season at Niles Notre Dame High School, Cademartori lit the world on fire his first year in Carbondale.

An honorable mention All-Missouri Valley Conference pick, he committed only one error in 55 starts as SIU's left fielder. He ranked second on the team in doubles (14) and triples (3) on the way to a .283 average. Against Valley schools, he hit .294 with 25 runs and 13 RBIs.

He started every game the next season and hit .273 with 60 hits, 33 RBIs, seven doubles and four home runs.

This season, he started 10 of the first 16 games before returning to the everyday lineup after Bret Maugeri injured his wrist during the Wisconsin-Milwaukee series. His average rose over 40 points in the next 15 games to .315. Twice this season, he's driven in five runs.

Saturday, he'll likely make his 195th career start and run out to Abe Martin Field's outfield for the last time. Against Evansville, which swept the Salukis in 2006, he hopes to show how much he's learned in that time.

With at least five games left in his career, Cademartori also hopes to move up the record books. Today he's tied with Matt Brewer (2003-06) for eighth place all-time with 42 career doubles. With three more, he'll pass Pete Schlosser (44) for seventh.

Evansville (14-39) and SIU (29-21) will play a noon doubleheader today, with the series finale set for Saturday at 1 p.m. Cademartori and SIU's other six seniors will be honored prior to Saturday's first pitch.

"It should be pretty exciting," Cademartori said. "The weather's been pretty nice the last few days, and we should have a good crowd. My whole family's going to try to come down. I'm going to miss it when it's gone, but I'm also going to savor every moment I can while I'm here."

todd.hefferman@thesouthern.com / 351-5087