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YSU hopes Marzec brings added power
By JON MOFFETT
YOUNGSTOWN
Photo
Eric Marzec
Rich Pasquale can still remember the fly ball that almost made his heart stop.
The Youngstown State baseball had traveled to New Jersey to play St. Joseph’s University at Campbell’s Field last month.
During the game March 20, Hawks freshman Shane Lynch hit a liner to right-center field in bottom of the third inning. Outfielders Eric Marzec and Armani Johnson each went for the ball, dove, and laid on the field for several minutes.
“It was a shot,” Pasquale said. “It wasn’t really anything you could have waited on and called for. They both dove for it.”
Marzec, a senior, took the brunt of the head-on collision, and suffered a serious concussion. Pasquale said he was unconscious for a few minutes. Both Marzec and Johnson, a junior, left the game.
Marzec would spend the next two days in the Trauma Center at Cooper University Hospital, Pasquale said. He was told he couldn’t play baseball, attend school, or even watch TV until his injury could heal.
After a week, Marzec returned to class. And on Tuesday, Marzec returned to the diamond.
“He’s such a big part of the team. Not only in terms of playing and on the field, but just a big part of this program,” Pasquale said. “This program is so special because of people like him. To get him back means a lot.”
Marzec, who had started all 14 games prior to the collision, was batting .386 with 15 runs scored and 12 RBIs.
Marzec’s return give an already potent offense another weapon.
The Penguins (14-14) are batting .317 as a team and have scored 228 runs in 28 games. As a team, the Penguins scored 274 all of last season.
“We’ve got a lot of power with him in the lineup, and there’s always that threat of a home run,” Pasquale said. “But we’re just thankful that when he left, the other guys have stepped up. Those guys have really stepped up on the offensive end.”
Pasquale said the plan is to play Marzec as the designated hitter and bat him in the No. 2 slot for the next few games. The reason, he said, is to allow Marzec to regain his form at the plate.
But a return to the outfield is right around the corner.
“He’s too good of a player to be just one-dimensional,” Pasquale said.
One of the positives is the timing of Marzec’s return. Medically cleared Monday, Marzec can enjoy a handful of non-conference games to rebuild confidence at the plate.
The Penguins play Akron today, and have a weekend series against LeMoyne College. Pasquale stressed the games are not “throw-away” games, but don’t hold as much weight as Horizon League games.
Pasquale said he isn’t expecting Marzec to kill the ball, but rather just make contact and gain confidence at the plate.
“I just want him to swing at good pitches and just stick with them,” Pasquale said. He needs to just see it and rip ... If he has four ground-balls hit to the shortstop, but he hits it hard, that’s OK. We’ll take it one at-bat at a time.”