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09/08/2016 12:00 AMEvan Makowicki did a little bit of everything for the Shoreline Cougars baseball team in the 2016 season. Evan, a Deep River resident, moved around the diamond and batted throughout the lineup, while playing the game he loves one final time. Evan says he enjoyed sharing the field with guys from different towns on the 18-U AAU co-op squad that was led by Head Coach Dennis Annicelli.
“AAU baseball is a great experience and a lot of fun. Coach Annicelli is an awesome guy and a great coach, so he could put me wherever and I would play my hardest,” Evan says. “I played with kids from [Haddam-Killingworth] and Old Saybrook, which were rivals before, but we really came together, and I never felt pressure because we all got along really well and everybody had each other’s backs.”
The Cougars won 18 games and made their way to the semifinals of the East Shore Travel League Playoffs this summer. Evan played first base, third base, designated hitter, and both corner outfield positions for Shoreline. At the plate, he batted everywhere from third to ninth. However, no matter where Evan was in the lineup, he approached every at-bat with the same focus and intensity, according to Coach Annicelli.
“Evan had a lot of versatility for us and was productive anywhere I put him in the lineup. He never knew what position he would play or where he would hit and that didn’t faze him a bit,” says Annicelli. “I coached him last year with Shoreline Legion and he had so much growth from last year to this year, despite having a year off. He also had some big hits for us—game-winning and tying hits—because he’s always cool and calm at the plate.”
Much of Evan’s growth stemmed from working with his dad during the offseason. That support proved instrumental this year for Evan, who batted .277 and drew 11 walks with the Cougars.
“I grew more this year because me and my dad worked a lot. This is probably my last competitive year playing baseball, so I wanted to go out with a bang,” he says. “My dad also played baseball at [Valley Regional] and threw me thousands of pitches. We worked out and I felt like I played well this year.”
Evan, who is a sophomore at Central Connecticut State University, graduated from Valley Regional last year after playing with the Warriors for all four years of high school. Evan wants to stay in the game in any way he can, so he’s been umpiring Little League games and is on his way to getting his certification to officiate American Legion and AAU baseball.
“I like being behind the plate, calling the game. It keeps you involved, keeps you humble, and it’s a lot harder to do than you would think. But really, baseball is a big family thing for us,” Evan says. “My great-grandfather J. Orlean Christian was the [athletic director] at UConn and coached there in the 40s and 50s and the stadium is named after him,” says Evan. “Baseball is always on at our house and I go to Red Sox games all the time with my dad. It’s just something we all love.”
Another way Evan wants to remain involved with baseball is by getting into the coaching game down the road.
“I definitely want to coach someday. I’d like to have kids one day and help coach them,” he says. “Baseball is such a great game. It teaches you a lot because it’s so mental and it takes time and patience.”
Annicelli feels that Evan has the right personality to become a great coach one day.
“Evan is such a great kid. He always has a positive energy about him and he’s so much fun to be around,” Annicelli says. “Evan really enjoys life and always has a joke ready. He lightens the mood when it needs to be done and he has a good time keeping everybody’s spirits up. He really reminds me of myself, though, because, when he’s between the lines and out on the diamond, Evan is very serious about baseball, but in the dugout, he keeps everybody loose.”
Evan, who’s been playing baseball since he was five, concludes by thanking some of the many people who’ve helped him through the years, including his father Tom, his mother Gretchen, his colleagues on the diamond, plus Annicelli and Valley Head Coach Gary Marineau.
“I have to thank my dad because he nearly blew out his arm throwing to me. When I pitched, he would always have a red palm from catching me so much,” Evan says. “I also have to thank my mom, all my teammates and coaches over the years for all their support, and, especially, coaches Annicelli and Marineau.”