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Mike Caputo (top) and Shane McCarthy (bottom). Photos via SHU Athletics.[/caption]
While their sports are not in season, a few Seton Hall athletes are still finding ways to contribute to the school’s athletics department.
Two members of the baseball team, Mike Caputo and Shane McCarthy, are currently interning for Seton Hall athletics during the baseball offseason.
Caputo works in the marketing and promotions branch under Christopher Carl, the assistant athletics director of Marketing and Promotions, while McCarthy works for the Department of Facilities and Operations.
Caputo, a senior infielder from Morganville, N.J., works on Wednesdays and Fridays with the rest of the marketing staff, bouncing potential promotion ideas off of each other. Mostly, Caputo works on game days for a variety of Seton Hall sporting events. He is assigned to specific parts of the gymnasium or arena to help out with different events that the staff is promoting.
As a sports management major, Caputo needed two internships to receive his degree.
“Considering that I play baseball, it’s kind of tough to go off campus and do an internship,” he said. “I thought it would be best to do something through athletics, and I felt that marketing and promotions would be useful for me.”
The convenience of being on campus and the benefits of working for this department were deciding factors in Caputo’s decision to intern for Seton Hall.
McCarthy, a native of Fair Haven, N.J., also helps to set up sporting events like soccer and basketball. He also puts in office hours with Kevin Sponzo, the senior associate athletics director for Facilities and Operations. Like Caputo, McCarthy needed an internship for his management degree.
“I thought ‘Where was the best place to turn?’ especially since I’m an athlete and I have a busy schedule myself,” McCarthy said. “Fortunately I was able to reach out to Mr. Sponzo and we put this together for the fall. It’s been a great experience.”
While Seton Hall athletes have plenty to do during the offseason, the two agreed that they are managing their time well thanks to the flexibility of the staff.
“They’ve been very accommodating with my schedule,” Caputo said. “Dan [Ditusa, graduate assistant for the Marketing and Promotions Department] used to be a baseball player as well, so he knows what kind of schedule I’m on. They’re more than willing to work around it…there’s no real juggling that I have to do to work around it.”
McCarthy echoed the sentiment. “They’re very flexible and they’re supportive of me because they know I have a tough schedule,” he said. “I never had any hiccups. It’s been a really clean and smooth fall working with the athletic department.”
The junior starting pitcher also recommended that other student-athletes work with the athletic department during the offseason.
“It’s cool to see the administrative side and the athlete side. I’m living both lives right now,” McCarthy said. “It’s cool to see everything come full circle and see all the support that the athletic department gives our athletes.”
Both Caputo and McCarthy started their internships at the start of the semester and will be finished before the start of the season in February.
Matt Lapolla can be reached at matthew.lapolla@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @MatthewLapolla.
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