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08/23/2023 06:45 AMAs a pitcher, Shailen Pathy is at the epicenter of the physical chess game that is the sport of baseball, though it is that test of cerebral and physical fitness that motivates him and drives him to be at his best.
The incoming Hand junior started with baseball around the age of 3 and additionally took part in basketball until the conclusion of his freshman season but stayed with his first athletic love through the Hand baseball program. This past summer, Shailen aided the Madison 19U Travel baseball team to 18 wins and an East Shore Travel League Tournament championship to top off its 2023 campaign—completing his way back from a UCL strain.
“I like having the team dynamic to achieve a collective goal with baseball, and there is a lot of strategy with baseball, and even more so with pitching,” says Shailen. “I have never had the biggest roles on teams I have played on, but I always make sure to get the job done to the best of my abilities. As I was rehabbing from the UCL injury this spring, I knew my job was to come in and relieve, and I was successful at it. I was dead set on being ready for the spring after the strain, and it motivated me to keep at it, and I was able to do that. This summer, I was getting healthier, and my arm is pretty much at full strength.”
With the ball in his hand, Shailen knows he controls the pace of play every time he toes the rubber. Yet he truly shows his stuff when he knows the conventional path to mow down hitters and figures out an efficient and effective alternative to dominate at bats.
“I love being in control of the tempo of a game and the mind game of trying to throw a hitter off balance. I love trying to figure out how to defeat a batter,” Shailen says. “It can be tough when you have to figure out a new way to get a guy out, and then you have to rely on other pitches and your fielders around you.”
In terms of Shailen’s stuff, his off-speed tosses float a little to the southpaw side in addition to adding gas to his heater. He has also bolstered his arm strength while trusting his teammates around him to get through frames when he, in fact, pitches to contact.
“My changeup has been good with keeping guys off balance; it is a different look and moves to the left instead of the right. I am also trying to increase my velocity and movement on my fastball, and I have gotten better with my location on it,” says Shailen. “I have been getting stronger and throwing harder. Mentally, I have gotten better at knowing when and where to throw certain pitches. I have also improved on figuring out hitters’ weaknesses and trusting my fielders more. I have grown a bond with them, and they have also gained my trust.”
Now trekking onto the upperclassmen portion of his high school career, Shailen is geared towards upping his rank within the Tigers’ baseball squad’s roster. Beyond Hand, he looks to balance the ball and books towards potentially attending one of the more prominent baseball schools in the nation.
“Academically, I want to go to a prestigious school, perhaps Vanderbilt, because they have a fun baseball team to watch, and I would like to play club ball,” Shailen says. “Athletically, going forward, I want to play on the varsity team for Hand.”
Madison 19U skipper Jason Vitale exclaims that Shailen’s impact roved positive on the mound and throughout the team this summer, as he was someone who knew how to balance the light-hearted and white-knuckle moments.
“Shay’s contributions to the team were on full display this season,” says Vitale. “He is a great kid who comes from a great family. He always wanted to get better, and he knew his role as a pitcher and did it very well. I was proud to be his coach. He always had a smile on his face, but when it was time to lock in and be serious, he knew how to flip that switch. I cannot say enough about him as a person, player, and a teammate.”
Basking in the afterglow of what was a very successful summer with the local Madison squad, Shailen surmises that he and the team saw great gains and growth when compared to the 2022 campaign, which stemmed from great synergy flowing throughout the clubhouse and field.
“The travel team was similar to the team last year, but we grew a bond with each other more,” says Shailen. “We had a good connection with everyone, and we all saw how everyone grew as an athlete from the previous year and fixed mistakes. We were also winning more as a team, too, from a year ago.”