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08/16/2018 12:00 AMMike O’Toole has already gained a ton of experience on the baseball field heading into the second half of his career at Haddam-Killingworth High School. Mike, who also plays for the Shoreline Cougars 18-U baseball team, has learned a lot about what it takes to thrive on the diamond by competing against older athletes.
Mike is a first baseman in the H-K baseball program who is about to begin his junior year at the high school. Meanwhile, he’s also been sharpening his skills by playing for the Shoreline Cougars at AAU level this summer. While facing older competition, Mike posted a .286 batting average, including five extra-base hits, to go with a .456 on-base percentage and seven RBI for Shoreline, which finished its season with 14 wins and earned a spot in the East Shore Travel League Playoffs. Mike will serve as a junior captain for Haddam-Killingworth next spring.
“I’m only 16 and facing kids that are older and stronger, so that gets me more prepared for the high-school season in a more relaxed way. It’s great practice and keeps me going,” says Mike, who is also a defenseman on the Lyman Hall/H-K/Coginchaug ice hockey squad. “At the plate, I try to not think too much and do my thinking in the dugout. I try to find the gap and hit it hard. In the field, I think about how to field the ball from different angles and what my teammates need to do.”
As a first baseman, Mike is constantly involved in the action on the infield. Mike always makes sure that he’s ready to react whenever the ball is hit to him or thrown to him by one of his fellow infielders.
“I love being involved in a lot of the plays in the infield. The position is more suited for me, I think, and there’s a good chance a ball will be thrown to me,” Mike says. “A demanding part of the position is that you have to be ready for any situation, along with where and how the ball is hit.”
Mike knows there are still things he needs to work on as he enters the latter half of his tenure at H-K. Still, he feels pleased with everything that he’s learned thus far, including his overall awareness of the game, along with what it takes to be the best teammate he can be.
“I have more confidence in myself now, but I know I still have a lot more to learn,” he says. “Baseball has helped me grow to be ready for any situation possible. Physically, I have gotten stronger, and I feel more prepared to help the team succeed.”
Shoreline Cougars’ Head Coach Dennis Annicelli praises Mike for his play at first base, but says that Mike also brings the crucial component of versatility to his club. Annicelli adds that Mike is a selfless athlete who will do whatever is necessary to contribute to the greater good of the Cougars.
“Mike is a very versatile player, but really is a lights-out first baseman. I’ve used him to pitch and play outfield, and he always accepts the challenge with a smile on his face,” says Annicelli. “Mike will do whatever it takes to bring our team success. I’ll often find him picking other players up or trying to give them advice on things that will help them be more successful. You get to coach so many great players, but it’s special when you get to coach a great player who is also a great leader at such a young age.”
As he looks toward his junior year, Mike says that Haddam-Killingworth has its sights set on claiming some postseason prizes in 2019. Mike wants to help H-K reach the top of the mountain during his final two years at the high school.
“It would be great to make All-Shoreline Conference First Team or All-State, but I’d rather be able to say I was part of the team that brought the first state championship to the H-K baseball program,” says Mike. “That’s my ultimate goal.”