Penn Hills grad staying sharp with Monroeville summer ball team

Anthony Tucci’s arm was in midseason form when Clarion University wrapped up its pandemic-shortened baseball season.

The Penn Hills native, a junior pitcher for the Golden Eagles, found a spot where he could keep throwing when his coach at CCAC Boyce, Bill Spina, reached out and asked if he would play for the Monroeville Cardinals of the National Adult Baseball Association.

The Pittsburgh version of the NABA league has been operating since 2003 and is a wood bat league for adult players 18 and over. Spina, a Plum graduate who used to play for the Cardinals, now serves as manager.

Tucci, who appeared in two games for Clarion, was happy to get some work in. He believes the competition will serve him well in the long run. The Cardinals are 5-5-1 and in fourth place in the AAA division.

The top four teams in each division make the playoffs. Jefferson Hills leads the division with a 12-0 record and has outscored its opponents, 113-23.

“I think guys take these adult baseball associations lighter than they should,” said Tucci, who is 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA in three starts. “These guys might be 25 to 30 years old, but they played at the college level. They may have some rust, but they know what they are doing and still have the fundamentals.”

Tucci has also shown NABA hitters he has a strong mix on the mound. He has fanned 19 batters in 13 innings while only allowing one walk.

“He has a strong fastball and change-up,” Spina said. “He incorporated a slider and has a decent curveball. Clarion has helped him a lot. He’s built up his velocity.”

Adding Tucci has been a boost for a Monroeville squad that has a 25-player roster.

Jared Lehman leads the Cardinals regular players with a .480 batting average and has driven in nine runs. Spina also expects Douglas Pollock, who is batting .500 in five appearances, to play a big factor when he returns to the team. Pollock, a Gateway graduate, is playing in another league.

Spina is pleased his baseball club isn’t reliant on the three true outcomes — a strikeout, home run or walk — to generate offense. Monroeville has only hit two home runs this season and has stolen 53 bases.

Tanner Schmidt leads the team with 16 steals. The Cardinals hit .333 as a team, but Spina has his sights set on the group getting to .400.

“We have guys that aren’t selfish,” Spina said. “I preach situational baseball. These young guys see all the home runs and whatnot, and I bring them down to earth. It’s about situational baseball and manufacturing runs is easier than hitting home runs. It’s basically one guy handing the bat to the next guy.”

The pitching staff has leaned on Tucci, but Isaiah Pitt, Javier Rosado Guidin and Danny Leitholf also have wins.

Tucci, who has a fastball in the mid to upper 80s, has been working on throwing his offspeed pitches with more efficiency. One thing he learned pitching at the Division II level was any mistakes made will be punished.

Tucci hopes the summer league will play a vital role in his evolution.

“The adjustment was a lot larger of a gap,” said Tucci of going from junior college to Division II. “At CCAC, with some of the competition in that league, you could get away with throwing fastballs. In the PSAC, you need the velo and need to hit your spots. You can’t miss because those hits will hit bad pitches.”