Mack - The first
question is always an easy one, though it might take you a little time to
finish it. Take us back to that first day a baseball was placed in your hand
and take us up to day. I’m talking 8-11yr. old years, travel teams, positions,
coaches, etc.
Nick - I've been
playing baseball for as long as I can remember. Everyday since I have been big
enough to handle and bat and a ball I've played baseball. For the most part I
have always been a catcher. I tried to play the infield and other positions but
basically got bored. I wanted to control the game and be the "coach"
on the field. I first played travel ball when iIwas 11 years old. My first
coach was Nick Cummings. My first catching coach was Johnnie Cribb (caught at
the citadel). I played for the Diamond Warriors until i was 14. My last
tournament was with the 18u team in Atlanta. I played for Eddy Barwick, David
Wolfe, Matt Ishee. I then went to play for the SC Diamond Devils. I played for
the 15u team for a summer when I was 14 and played for Ashley Farr. The next
fall was my freshman fall of HS when i played for the 18u team. i played for
John Rhodes who I I still play for now.
Mack - Nick, PG says
“Outstanding at PG National, 1.83 pop time and very good left handed bat with
power”… tell us a little about your game from your perspective.
Nick - There is always
room for improvement with every players game. Everyday there is something that
you can get better at. I feel like right now the best parts of my game are all
around defense, knowledge/maturity when playing the game, and hitting.
Defensively I feel like I have an above average arm/release and good
fundamentals blocking and receiving behind the dish. With my bat I have good
power but am still working on getting it to translate all the time into the
games. And last, with knowledge/maturity level I feel like I know the game very
well. As a young kid I basically lived at the College of Charleston baseball
field. Most kids learn from their dads or rec league coaches, I learned from
college coaches and players, so the only way I knew how to play the game was at
the Division 1 college level. I learned from Cougar greats like Brett
Gardner(LF for the Yankees), Brandon Siezmore, Chris Campell, and many other
players who were drafted. I learned just as much about the physical part of the
game as I did the mental. I learned things like how to think through at bats
and how to call a game and control a pitching staff.
Mack - Nick, you play
for a killer school that is ranked 9th nationally and 3rd in the state. Do you
find there is an extra amount of pressure on you as a player when you have this
kind of schedule to defend each season?
Nick - I am asked
questions about pressure a lot, but through my 3 HS seasons the most pressure I
felt was when I was catching Drew Cisco my freshman year at Wando. He was a 6th
round draft pick by the Reds. He was such a good pitcher and expected a lot out
of himself and also expected a lot out of me. If I wasn't on my "A"
game every time i caught him it made him look bad and as a 14 year old freshman
on a varsity team you don't want to disappoint the best player and someone I
had looked up to for many years. If it wasn't for the pressure he put on me as
a young player catching him my defensive game would not be as good as it is.
Other then that I
always put pressure on myself to be the best whether I am representing
Lexington High School, myself, or the United States of America. But overall
yes, when playing for a good team like we had at Lexington it's always more
pressure when playing on one of the best teams in the state and in the country.
Mack - Here’s an indie
scout’s thoughts on you: “C-1b, Nick
Ciuffo (shoe-fo) (American Legion) 6'1 190, L/R, one of better hitters in
tourney, shows good presence as a fielder, idea as receiver, with arm strength,
also pop in his bat, with some power, had some trouble vs. LHP, but there is
something there to work with, Lexington HS, Lexington SC, watch him in 2013,
has gotten a bit better last 3 yrs. I've seen him.” – Thoughts?
Nick - Those are all
good points. The biggest thing that sticks out in that statement about me is
the LHP comment. During HS I saw a lot of lefties. It had been a while since I
had seen a lefty and I feel like that was a big reason why I struggled. During
HS when I would see a lefty almost every game I felt very comfortable and hit
well against them.
Mack - You transferred
from another great school, Wando. Did you find any new challenges with that
process?
Nick - There weren't
very many challenges moving to the new school. After about 2 days it was like I
had lived there my entire life. The team was very accepting of me on and off
the field. The biggest challenge on the field was learning the pitchers, the
way they liked to pitch and what their biggest issues mechanically were. Off
the field in the school it was learning where the classes were and how to get
around the school.
Mack - Lastly, I’m sure
you’ve been busy this summer. Have you played at any level and what are you
doing to get ready for the most important season of your young lifetime?
Nick - This is a summer
I have been waiting on for a long time. I have been preparing for this summer
my entire career. Still today just like my whole life I try to improve on every
aspect of the game every day. The only difference this summer that I've done
different is I've taken time off. I've played so much baseball that I have had
to take time off before I play the next 3 week
Mack – Thanks Nick.
Email me your schedule when you get it and I’ll drive up (around 100 miles) and
catch the game you want me attend.
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