This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/01/2016 12:00 AMWhenever Mike Mancuso takes the mound for the East Haven Senior Legion baseball team or Notre Dame-West Haven, his coaches know that he’ll put together a great performance and limit the number of batters who reach base. Mike features a repertoire of five pitches and uses all of them to keep hitters off-balance and the bases clear.
“It’s a big factor to be able to throw them all for strikes. When I’m behind in the count, I know I can go to any pitch in a 2-0 or 3-0 count and get a strike when I need it,” says Mike, who throws a four-seam fastball, a two-seam heater, plus a changeup, curveball, and sinker. “To get a batter off-balance is key, but it’s bigger to spot them. I can spot my pitches really well and that was a big thing for me this year. I’m big on keeping my walks down and I did that this year.”
Mike, a right-hander, loves how pitching puts him in charge of the game and allows him to have a major impact on the final outcome.
“Having the game be in your control at any time is really what stood out to me. It was never about the hitters or fielders. I was in control and I ruled the game. I could make things happen,” Mike says. “Being in the center of the infield was a great feeling. I love going out there to start or coming in with guys on, getting out of a jam, and getting the save. It’s a great feeling that you’ll never experience playing shortstop or in the outfield. It’s totally different and I love it.”
East Haven Senior Legion Coach John Longley knows that Mike displays great passion on the hill and says his hurler always goes out with the confidence that’s necessary to win games.
“He’s a very smart pitcher. As a batter, you never see the same pitch twice,” says Coach Longley. “He moves the ball up and down in the zone, mixes in his curve really well, and his fastball can be overpowering at times. He pitched very well for us and did a great job.”
This was Mike’s first summer competing with East Haven’s Legion program after he’d spent years playing travel baseball. Mike enjoyed how the Legion level gave him a chance to face older competition, while he took the field with some of his lifelong friends.
“Before, I was on numerous travel teams going across the Northeast playing. This year, I did a little bit of that, but not as much, as it was my first full season with the Legion team. I really wanted to see the other side of high school competition that I didn’t get to see, whether in my conference or in our class [with Notre Dame],” Mike says. “I knew I’d be playing against some college guys and I’d have to challenge myself pitching. I also wanted to play with the guys I grew up playing with. Some of them are close friends and some are going to college, so I won’t get the chance to play with them again. It was a good season for me to get back and try something different.”
Last spring with Notre Dame, Mike was a member of a squad that won the Class L state championship. He says it was an experience that he’ll never forget.
“I’ll remember that for the rest of my life. As an athlete and eventually being a Notre Dame graduate, to go into the gym in say, 10 years, I can say I was a part of that 2016 state championship team and it’s a great feeling,” he says. “We were all excited, especially after we were down at one point. We were 6-8, but turned the tables, and challenged ourselves to get to a spot where we needed to be to win games.”
Mike decided to attend Notre Dame to help prepare for the future and, as he enters his senior year, Mike hopes that all his hard work will one day pay off with an opportunity to play baseball at the next level.
“Notre Dame challenged me in the classroom and on the baseball field. It was difficult at times, but it makes me better as a person, student, and athlete being there,” says Mike. “I’m looking at numerous colleges. Division I, II, or III, it doesn’t matter to me. It’s about getting an education and baseball is a gift that I can use to play while I’m getting that education. I’m planning on playing baseball in college.”