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08/04/2016 12:00 AMWhenever Luca Lawrence took the mound for the North Haven Junior Legion baseball team this summer, Head Coach Pete Civitello and company knew that Post 76 was typically going to come away with a win. Luca emerged as the ace for Post 76 and helped the team have a great season.
“He really grew into our No. 1 pitcher this summer. From the first weekend, he got stronger, continued to improve, and became our go-to pitcher,” says Civitello, who coached the club with Pete Katynski. “He pounds the strike zone and is very efficient with his pitch count. He helps our philosophy where he gets ahead and keeps his defenders in the game. He’s really developed into a smart, efficient pitcher.”
Luca has pitched from the time he began playing baseball. He’s constantly working on his commanding his pitches and says that his father has helped him see success on the hill.
“I like pitching and being a part of every play. My dad pitched and it made me want to follow in his footsteps a little,” Luca says. “When I was younger, I’d throw to my dad. When I threw it by him, he’d make me go get it, so it made me work on hitting certain spots. He always teaches me—if a kid one time hits a hard ball, don’t throw that to the kid again. I know I need to throw a few curves and then sneak one by. He doesn’t teach me how to throw, but how to pitch to kids.”
Luca currently throws a fastball and a curve with confidence, but he’s trying to broaden his repertoire and is currently learning how to work a few new pitches into the mix.
“I’m trying to learn a splitter and a sinker. I like them personally because I know a lot of good pitchers that threw those balls. I know that if I can get them to work, I’ll be better,” says Luca. “The sinker is my favorite pitch in baseball. I like how it’s sort of like a fastball, but has a lot of movement and breaks differently than most pitches. It’s just something else that I know batters will have to worry about.”
Luca played on the JV team for the Indians this spring, splitting time as a pitcher and third baseman. The move from the high school season to Legion baseball was good for Luca seeing that he got to face some of the same batters and also because opposing hitters used wood bats instead of metal.
“They’re sort of the same. You see the same kids that you play against. The thing that changed most for me during high school is I got to call my own pitches,” says Luca. “I’ve been pitching with the same catcher and he knows what I like to throw. I usually have the grip in my hand and I throw the pitch.”
Luca feels that refining the command of his pitches is the most important thing he’s learned throughout his time pitching for North Haven’s Junior Legion squad.
“I don’t throw the hardest, so I need to work on my speed to keep guys off-balanced,” says Luca. “You learn at Legion you can’t throw the ball; you need to aim it and hit your spots. You need to change up your motion to get the ball out quicker.”
Post 76 had a great summer season that saw the team record 18 victories, finish second in Zone 2, and win two games in the State Tournament. Luca shut out Danbury in the opening round of states and was the losing pitcher when top-seeded Stamford eliminated North Haven with a 4-2 victory. Still, Luca pitched well in the defeat as North Haven had lost 11-0 to Stamford earlier in the tournament. Following a great summer with the Legion program, Luca wants to be a member of the high school’s varsity squad going forward.
“I have the same goal. I want to play varsity baseball and that’s all I plan on doing,” says Luca. “I can’t be lazy. I have to go to the gym, throw a little harder, work on my pitches, control, and keep my team in every game.”