Sure, Sun Devil baseball deals the heat. They are the mitochondrion that gives life to the Tempe campus and draws a baseball crowd like none other. Then again, who said America’s pastime is only subjected to one campus alone? David LaCilento did not.
LaClilento, a junior physical education major, has further redirected that surge of life to the Polytechnic campus and has kept it going. Polytechnic’s baseball club, the Polytechnic Pitchforks, has been an official club since last spring, but they have further established themselves as a competing team this year.
“We really got it off the ground this year,” LaCilento says. “It started out as a club on paper then to actually competing. We really didn’t know what it was going to be at first but later we figured out that we wanted a team.”
According to LaCilento, the club started out with just a few people “throwing the ball around.” Then, it expanded. What were informal practices are now early Sunday practices in preparation for the games played against teams in the community; they look to compete against other intercollegiate clubs in the future.
“The overall view of it is the passion and drive,” LaClilento says.
With all campuses in the mix, LaCilento believes that if one player puts in the effort then “we’ll put in the effort ourselves.” The club atmosphere is based on the mentality to equally put in the work. For example, Sunday practices start at 9 a.m. For some though, the day begins at the crack of dawn at 5 a.m.
For freshmen Ryan Hill and Luis Vasquez, to be on the team means to put in that very effort and then some, even if it means losing a little sleep. Looking forward to baseball, they hop out of their beds at the downtown Phoenix campus to make the travel.
“I just love baseball,” says Vasquez, a freshman exercise and wellness major. “Once I get to that practice field it just makes me happy and energetic. I get into what you can call my baseball mood and I will stay there as long as I have to.”
With every player, there is an expectation. There is that required commitment level but to also help others is a key benefactor. The game of baseball depends on team cohesiveness.
“These are the guys that are eager to get back into it. It’s being able to play,” LaCilento says. “That’s something I’ve come to like. After two months max, we’re close and it’s a vital part to our team.”
With a close team, the players can help each other work to refine their skills and techniques whether it is hitting, fielding or pitching. Having a grip on the game is assumed but with players coming from around the nation, some are fresher than others.
Besides learning from others, this sport is something more. The Polytechnic Pitchforks aren’t solely fixated on the number of wins they get. That’s not complete success. Success to them is living out a passion.
“Every baseball career is going to come to an end so enjoy the time you’re out there. Play with class and honor,” LaCilento says.
And when they put on their baseball caps with the old-English embroidered “P” outlined in gold, they know their passion and love for the game will keep that spark alive.
Pitch me some ideas. E-mail me at bcapria@asu.edu.
