The North Pocono senior homered twice, scored 6 runs and drove in 10 in three wins, and tossed 4⅔ innings of shutout ball, yielding one hit and fanning 10 against Scranton Prep.
Age: 18
Family: Mother, Ann; father, Doug; brother, Alex
Other sports you play: Golf.
Talk about the pitching performance against Scranton Prep. Prep’s a good team but luckily I had my stuff working that day.
What is in the repertoire pitching wise? I have fourseam (fastball), changeup, slider and curveball.
Any of those that have really come on recently? Oh my slider actually. I’ve been working on it all winter. It’s definitely my go-to pitch for a strikeout, honestly. And it’s really been working for me well, so I’m really excited.
Do you have any pregame superstitions or rituals? Not really. I just really like to get a good meal. But besides that, I just get to the field early and do my stretches.
One player you like to watch pitch when they’re on TV. I’d say Trevor Bauer. You know he brings a lot of energy and you know, definitely he’s out there having fun, but you know he does his job and he does it really well.
What’s been the hardest thing to overcome this past year? I definitely think the mental part, for the entire team. It was tough losing last season. But now, coming out and doing as well as we have, confidence is back and I think we definitely think we have a great team and a lot of potential.
How did you stay sharp? During the quarantine a lot of us got together in my house. We have a cage and got some swings so we really prepared for the season.
You have a batting cage at your house? My dad is a paving contractor and we have a big steel building. My dad hooked me up. I’m down there every day. Greg Legg is my hitting coach so he’s down there every day.
When did you start switch hitting? I was always capable of doing it in Little League. Once I got to about 13U I really started and Legger was a big part of it. Just about every single day we were working on lefty. Once that happened, it really kicked into gear and I stuck with it.
Do you model yourself after any major league switch hitter? I definitely look at some swings, but I don’t really model after anyone.
From which side of the plate do you hit better? To be honest I’d have to say they’re equal. I feel comfortable from both sides. I don’t know if I can choose one.
Have you ever homered from both sides of the plate in the game? I did in Little League once but not recently. I was hoping for this year but we’ll see. I’ve got one righty and lefty this year, so we’ll see.
Do you have a favorite athlete you admire? Tiger Woods and Mike Trout.
Favorite sports teams? The Phillies, Saints and the Lakers.
Three people you would like to have dinner with. Tiger Woods, Mike Trout and Derek Jeter.
What’s one meal that you can’t live in your house? My mom makes veal parmigiana and it’s my favorite. She does a great job at it. That’s what helped me gain the weight.
One thing you would like to learn to do? Cook.
After high school, you’ll be playing baseball at Division I Florida Atlantic University. Why there? The coaches are great, the area, you can’t beat it, down in Florida. Everything about them. The campus is beautiful and I’m just really excited to get down there.
Do they project you pitching down there as well? I’m going there as an outfielder-first baseman.
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Marty Myers began his career as a sports writer at The Wayne Independent in Honesdale, where he served as sports editor and later managing editor. After 10 years there, he joined The Times-Tribune in 1994 and has spent the ensuing years reporting on high school sports, local and professional golf. An award-winning journalist, he also enjoys his duties as a copy editor for The Times-Tribune, editing stories and designing pages. A native of Williamsport, Marty resides in Clarks Summit. Reach him at mmyers@timesshamrock.com, 570-348-9100 x5437 or @mmyersTT.
