As the pitcher for the Plainedge Varsity baseball team, senior Anthony Pugliese has had to shoulder some major athletic responsibilities this season. The former student sportswriter for the Massapequa Observer is heading off to Boston’s Emerson College in the fall, but his time with the Plainedge Red Devils will forever stay with him, on and off the field.
“I’ve been playing baseball since I was 5-years-old when I started out with Tee-ball,” said Pugliese who now has a solid 13 years of experience throwing a ball.
Pugliese, who has always been a pitcher, is also a trained middle infielder, playing shortstop and second base. Upon entering high school, he made the decision to find his place on the mound.
“Once you reach a certain age, you have to choose what position you want to play,” said Pugliese, who had to make a decision to pitch in college as well. “There are tryouts for college, but I committed early in December, so I’m going in as a recruit.”
To Pugliese, baseball is his favorite sport because it is so different from other sports.
“Baseball takes 90 percent of your mental strength, so it’s less physical, but it’s a mind game,” he said. “You really have to stay within yourself to be successful. You can’t put yourself down or up on a pedestal.”
But it is that same mindset that players must master, both individually and as a team.
“You can’t think too much. It’s a team sport but more individual as well, so you have to be able to do both,” said Pugliese, who chews six pieces of Orbit sweet
mint bubble gum every game as a ritual. “The team is always behind you to help.”
The senior’s teammates consider their pitcher a team player. If he’s not pitching, Pugliese is helping his younger teammates by giving them advice or working them through a slump. If it’s one thing he is proud of, it’s his sportsmanship.
“I never put anyone else down. I’m the jokester so I always make the team laugh and get them cheering for one another,” he said, adding that a large portion of his style of play is based off of professional pitcher Marcus Stroman, who created the trend HDMH, which stands for “Height Doesn’t Measure Heart,” for all undersize athletes who have been told they couldn’t play. “Head coach Fratrick and assistant coach Crawford expected me to be leader before the season started. I fulfilled the roles and I think I did a good job.”
Pugliese has grown up with everyone on his team and will miss the camaraderie of his fellow Red Devils.
“My third baseman is my best friend. It’s going to be weird looking behind me and not seeing him there anymore,” he said. “I’ve grown up with the Plainedge staff and I went to youth camps as a kid. It will be hard to leave those childhood memories behind.”
While he will miss his time on the high school baseball diamond, Pugliese is excited and confident about his new home in the fall.
“Over the summer, I’ll be playing in the North Atlantic Collegiate Baseball league, so that will help me be prepared for college ball,” said Pugliese of the transition. “I’ll be playing division three for the Emerson Lions.”
While the Red Devils clinched the playoffs, they lost in the semi-finals, with a team record of 18-8. Pugliese received the All-Conference award and finished his Red Devils baseball career with final stats of 48 innings pitched, allowing 7 earned runs with an ERA of 1.31 and WHIP of 1.21. In eight games pitched, his record was 5-2.
As he readies to leave high school baseball for collegiate baseball, Pugliese hopes to leave behind a few words of advice for up and coming players.
“Always be confident on the field but when you get off the field, stay humble,” he said. “Always believe in yourself because at the end of the day, you are all you have. Don’t let anyone else make your goals become smaller.”
