Confidence helps former Blackhawk shortstop Mike Turconi succeed at Wake Forest

When it comes to succeeding on a baseball field, confidence is a big thing for former Blackhawk shortstop Mike Turconi.

It’s what helped him earn a Trib HSSN Player of the Year award with a .571 batting average and a 0.71 ERA as a senior, and it’s also what propelled him to becoming one of the top baseball prospects in Pennsylvania.

“The higher your confidence is, the more comfortable you feel and the better that I play,” Turconi said.

Through his first two years at Wake Forest, Turconi has been building that confidence as much as he can. Before his sophomore season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, it might have been at the highest point of his career.

In 18 games, Turconi hit .351, tallied 26 hits for the third-highest total in the ACC and finished the season on an 11-game hitting streak. He said he put a ton of work in during the offseason and was starting to see it pay off.

“I just felt like my confidence was a lot higher, having one year under my belt,” Turconi said. “I guess just putting all my hard work together, I thought it was paying off.”

Wake Forest’s season was canceled after a nonconference matchup with Coastal Carolina on March 11, right when Turconi thought the Deacons were hitting their stride.

“I think we were all disappointed,” Turconi said. “I thought we were hitting a stride. We were coming off a series against Louisville where we took one out of three, and I thought we were starting to put it all together when we were starting to hit ACC play.”

Although the coronavirus pandemic ended a promising season, this wasn’t the first time the former Cougar’s self-determination showed on the collegiate level.

When Turconi first joined the Wake Forest baseball program last season, he was out to prove he belonged even though he was only a freshman.

Through the first 10 games, he registered hits in five games and had multi-hit games in four. He also produced five RBIs and eight walks. His confidence was building, and he could start to feel like he was settling into a comfortable groove.

“I really had to prove my spot so I was just trying to do well those first 10 games that I was in,” Turconi said. “I felt a little bit of pressure, but once I felt that I could prove to the coaches that I could play every day my confidence started to rise a lot more.”

Turconi started in 42 games last year, hit .273, and tied for the eighth most walks by a freshman in program history. As the season carried on, his confidence grew and carried over into the offseason and his sophomore year.

Now, Turconi isn’t about to let shortened season upend his continued improvement. He believes that even though his sophomore year was only 18 games, it will help considerably for next season.

“I feel like my confidence will now be way higher next year, and I’ll be a leader on the team, being an upperclassman,” Turconi said. “I feel like people look up to me. Coming from my freshman year to my sophomore year, now to my junior year, I feel like my confidence will be way higher than what it has been before. So, hopefully I’ll be able to prove my point, play my game and do my best.”

Turconi was planning on playing baseball in the Cape Cod League this summer, but after its cancellation, his coaches were able to get him on a team in North Carolina in the Coastal Plain League and he’s ready to go.

“I’ve been itching to get back out there,” he said.