(Photo Credit: Robert Armbruster)
It’s hard to go through more as an individual than P.J. Martino has done already. By the time he was a sophomore at the University of Bridgeport, the Pat-Med grad had already dealt with Tommy John surgery as a junior in HS, the passing of his father just prior to his senior baseball season and then he tore his ACL and MCL last summer.
Our reporter David Moskowitz had a chance to sit down with him, and here’s what he had to say.
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You had a great career at Pat Med, a powerhouse baseball program. What was it like to play there and for coach Frascogna?
Playing at Pat Med was some of my best years of my baseball career. Those teams were the best teams that I have ever been a part of: it was a family more than it was a team and that is something special. I was lucky enough to spend all four years of my high school career as a Raider and it was really an amazing experience. I will never be able to fully express how thankful I am for my years playing for Pat Med and I will always be a Raider. Playing for coach Frascogna was truly a pleasure, he really created a family atmosphere for the team, and he has been a very successful coach.
Besides coach Frascogna are there any other coaches who have played a role in your life both on and off the field?
I would like to start with Coach Vin Mangone. He is the most knowledgeable coach that I have ever had. He coached me earlier on in my career and he really taught me the basics and helped to shape me into the player that I am today. Coach Sal Trovato was my coach during my recruiting process and he really helped to get me into a great baseball program. He stood by my side and believed in me even after my Tommy John surgery. He was really an inspiration to me and he kept me going and landed me at the University of Bridgeport. After I began my college career I was able to work with coaches Joe Tonelli, Josh Parrow, and Mike DeLellis. They really placed their trust in me and even though I was only a freshman, they still gave me plenty of opportunities on the mound and I am extremely grateful for that. Out of all the coaches I’ve had the most influential was my father, Peter Martino. He coached me from the moment I picked up a baseball to the moment he left us. My father passed away in my senior year of high school but he still lives within me. He molded me into the player I am today and he has always been my biggest inspiration. He always pushed me to be the best that I could be. He was the best coach I have ever had and I will never forget all the lessons that he taught me. Everything I do I do for him and I know that he is beyond proud of me.
While a freshman at Bridgeport you had a spectacular season: 50 2/3 innings and a 1.07 era. That’s pretty unheard of. How confident were you going into your freshman year? What kind of expectations did you set for yourself?
Going into the Fall pre-season I was a little nervous, but as the season progressed I became more and more comfortable with my team and myself. The coaches kept giving me chances, which made my confidence grow. Going into my freshman year I set myself a goal, and that goal was to work on becoming the go-to guy in the Bridgeport bullpen. This became reality for me during the season and so I feel my goal was reached.
Jump to last summer and you got injured. How grueling was the recovery process and where are you at health wise now?
The recovery was a prolonged painful process. I had to go through extensive therapy that was very painful at certain times. While I was going through the process I also had to watch as my team was starting up their fall season and it sucked that I was not able to help the team. Being that I had gone through two surgeries, one on my UCL and the other being my ACL, I can easily say that the ACL was much worse. As of right now I am 100% back and I feel better than ever.
Obviously everyone who plays has the dream of playing professionally. Is that something you intend to seriously pursue? What is your backup plan?
Playing professionally is definitely something that I want to pursue. It has been a rocky road for me and I have had a lot of set backs but I was taught to keep going. As an athlete your main goal is to make it as far as possible and I hope that maybe someday I could live that dream of becoming a professional player. My backup plan is to follow in my father’s footsteps and become a police officer. Since I was 11 years old I have dreamt about becoming a police officer.
Last question: I have been around the game for a while now. It’s very rare for players to have a spotless reputation. Steven Matz is one of them: I don’t know anyone on the planet who would say anything negative about him. I have never heard a negative thing about you both as a player and a person. That’s a big accomplishment in my opinion. Other than your coaches is there anyone in particular who played a critical role into shaping the person you are today? Anyone you want to give a special shout out to?
There are many people in my life that have played a critical role into shaping me into the person I am today. A special thanks goes to these people that I feel really were crucial to my success. My mom and my dad really just did everything in their power to make my sister and I into the best people we could be and they never gave up on us. Even after the passing of my father I still hear his voice and remember lessons that he taught me when I’m in need of guidance. My mother is the strongest women I know and she inspires me to keep going no matter what. She is always there to help me through hard times and to help me stay on track. My sister Ashley has always been someone that I look up to. She has always been so dedicated to become the best she could be and even with the passing of our father she still worked hard and went on to graduate from Coastal Carolina University and has become a teacher down in South Carolina. I am so proud of her and I will continue to look up to her because she really is an inspiration. My Grandparents have also played a huge role in my life. They have always been my biggest fans and I know that they will always support me no matter what happens in my life. My girlfriend Amanda has been there for me through both of my injuries and also the loss of my father and if it wasn’t for her I really don’t know where I would be. She has been my inspiration to keep going and never give up, and she always pushes me to do better and become a better person. My girlfriend’s parents have really become like my second pair of parents, as they have really supported me through all of my ups and downs. They really have opened their arms to me and treat me as if I am their own son. Bill has really became a father figure for me since the loss of my dad, he always makes sure he goes the extra mile to make sure I stay on track and also he is just there for me if I was to ever need anything. They have always been there for me and they never fail to put a smile on my face. I would also like to give a shout out to Brian and Steve from Excel therapy, as they really worked hard on me and helped me get back on the field and I couldn’t be any more thankful for that.
