 |
| Courtesy: FIUSports.com |
Good morning Ryan. How's the off-season going? .
Mollica: - Good morning Mack, the off-season is going great, I've been doing a little traveling lately, just enjoying the time off before I start getting into the off-season training. It's nice to get away and enjoy yourself after a long baseball season. .
Mack: - Ryan, let's go back to that third day on the draft... was it tough waiting for your name to be called? .
Mollica: - Yeah, it was really tough waiting so long. I was already pretty disappointed that my name had not been called on the second day. I left my computer on my desk and left the audio play, and just listened every now and then. It was tough hearing so many names of former players, coaches and executives being called and not my name after I had such a successful college career, but this is how my whole baseball career had gone since a youngster, getting overlooked. When my name did get called it was a pretty bittersweet moment. I was disappointed getting picked so late, but hey, I was drafted by a Major League ball club and nobody can take that away from me. I then recieved calls from all my family and friends, and went to see my grandfather in the hospital to give him the good news, just seeing the smile on his face, it kind of hit me that this was a huge accomplishment.
Mack : Ryan, your beginning in baseball reminds me a lot of Carlos Guzman. Carlos came out of my neighborhood in Queens, undrafted, and has had to fight his way up the Mets organization just to be heard. Anyway, you had a wonderful 2009 season with K-Port (.287/.368/.365/.734, in 115-AB). First of all, did you find playing ball every day a grind compared to school? .
Mollica: - Yep, you're right Mack, just have to keeping fighting and working hard. That's the perfect word to describe the season, a grind. Playing everyday was probably the hardest thing for me to get used to last year. Everyday seemed the same, you really didn't know if it was Tuesday or Saturday. Coming from college, your body is not used to playing a game everyday. Now you have to make sure you're focused everyday, and get in the weightroom to get your endurance up, because you start getting really worn out toward the end of that season. Mike DiFelice did a great job keeping us fresh up there, I couldn't of asked for a better coach to play for in my first season.
Mack: - Let's stay at Kingsport for a second... I noticed only 115 at bats. Was it here you began to realize you were going to have to fight for starts at this position?
Mollica: - Yeah, I definitely realized in Kingsport that being a late round pick, I was really going to have to work extra hard and battle for playing time. The good thing is I was battling for playing time in high school and my first 3 years of college, so this was nothing new to me.
Mack: - In 2010, you played St. Lucie, and again did well: .277/.313/.383/.696 , but once again, only had 94-ABs. The web site has you listed as the DH... were most of those at bats playing second or DHing? .
Mollica: - Well, I missed the first 3 months of the season. I came into spring training in excellent shape but wound up tearing a ligament in my wrist on a swing during spring training, so that really set me back. My at bats in St. Lucie were split pretty evenly between 2B and DH. It's just part of the game, there's someone at your positon that the organization really covets, you have to be ready to get at bats wherever and whenever you can get them.
Mack: - Ryan, the one thing I have learned in life is to not worry about the people and talent around you. Just concentrate on what you do best and, trust me, if it's better than the guy next to you, it will eventually be recognized by someone. What are you planning to do in the off-season to mae a difference next spring? .
Mollica: - That's great advice, I couldn't agree with you more Mack. I'm going to hit the weights hard again this off-season. I lost a lot of strength and muscle during my recovery from wrist surgery, I was very light and weak during my season in St. Lucie. So I'm definitely looking to bulk up some and regain that strength in my wrist. Injuries have plagued me over the past couple seasons, I just want to come into spring training healthy and get an opportunity to show what I got. .
Mack: - Ryan, we're gonna keep a close eye on you this next season. Thanks for your time and I'll look for you on the back fields in March. .
Mollica: - No problem Mack, take care, see you in March!
http://www.fiusports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11700&ATCLID=1472904 - FIU junior second baseman Ryan Mollica was named to the 2008 All-Sun Belt Conference First Team, it was announced today. The All-Sun Belt teams are selected by the conference’s 11 head coaches. Mollica posted some of the best numbers in FIU history in 2008, batting .413 with 23 doubles, five home runs, 49 RBI and .483 on-base percentage in 55 games with 48 starts. He also led the Sun Belt with a .504 average against conference opponents. His overall average of .413 was the fourth-highest in FIU single-season history and he tied Joe Hughes’ single-season school record for doubles, set in 1980. A fair amount of Mollica’s success this season came on a 27-game hitting streak, the fifth-longest in school history. He is the first FIU infielder named to the SBC First Team since former first baseman Brad Eldred in 2002. Mollica was voted onto the first team ahead of what is arguably the deepest and most-talented position in the Sun Belt this year, including Preseason Sun Belt Player of the Year, New Orleans’ Johnny Giavotella, who earned second team honors with Kyle Suire of Louisiana at Monroe.
No comments:
Post a Comment