When looking back on the last decade of high school baseball on Long Island, a number of players and games come to mind. When two of the more notable players match up in the Long Island Championship, it makes the moments even more indelible.
In 2012, arguably the two best players on Long Island were Shoreham-Wading River’s RHP Mike O’Reilly and Plainedge’s LHP Tyler Manez. Those two locked horns in an unforgettable game at Dowling College. It’s a game that still gets brought up by those that were lucky enough to witness it.
And for those that were key figures in the game – they will never forget it. Plainedge defeated Shoreham-Wading River, 3-1, in 11 innings with both pitchers going the distance. The game was scoreless into the 11th inning. Both pitchers were named first-team All-Long Island and later got drafted and it was clear on that they that they were simply head-and-shoulders above their peers.
I had a chance to speak with Tyler, who was the winning pitcher that day and was later selected in the MLB Draft by the Houston Astros, but decided to attend Elon University instead. Here’s what he had to say…
Can you tell us what you are doing for work?
After college, I started working in sales as a Territory Manager for Mizuno USA selling sporting goods equipment and apparel for baseball, softball, volleyball, and swimming. I was selling to sporting goods stores, colleges and travel organizations throughout the NY and NJ territory. I recently started a new job also in sales selling medical devices for wound care.
Looking back on that incredible 2012 season – what stands out the most? What was the atmosphere like in that historic Long Island Championship against Shoreham?
After an undefeated regular season and disappointing ending to our playoff run in 2011, we were all excited to get the 2012 season started. Unfortunately, we were struggling, and our playoff hopes were in jeopardy. Luckily, we squeaked into the playoffs as the number 16 seed and went on to sweep #1 Clarke in the first round. After beating Clarke, we went on to play #3 Southside. One of my most memorable moments of that playoff run was the complete game no-hit shutout I pitched against a real good South Side team that was on a 13-game winning streak. As great of a feeling as that was, it couldn’t compare to the LI Championship game. The atmosphere was so intense, and the crowd was awesome for both teams. I never thought the game would go 10 shutout innings and never thought that both pitchers would still be in the game going into the 11th. O’Reilly was pitching an unbelievable game striking out a ton of batters, so I knew I had to continue to pitch well. I was averaging almost 2 strikeouts an inning during the season, but in this game, SWR was swinging early in the count and was putting the ball in play. This helped me keep my pitch count down and allowed me to continue to pitch deep into the game. Our defense was unbelievable all game, especially our shortstop Ralph Caccavale and a great throw to the plate by our left fielder Gianfranco Soriente on a single saved a go ahead run that would have ended the game. In the top of the 11th, we had some clutch hits by Steve Miller and Anthony Pensato to put us up 3-0. I wasn’t sure if coach Pisani was going to let me pitch the 11th after going ahead, but there was no way I wasn’t going back out there. In the bottom of the 11th, I let up a run and SWR had 2 runners on before I finally closed it out with a strikeout to end the game. It was an unbelievable game between two great teams and I’m sure anyone involved will never forget it.
Can you tell us about your college recruiting experience and why you chose Elon?
The recruiting process for me was probably a little different than for most guys. I didn’t go to a single showcase or college camp. Instead, I put together a profile of my accomplishments, size and pitches I threw. I sent that profile to over 30 college coaches along with a letter letting them know I was interested in their program and that I would reach out again when I knew when and where I was pitching over the summer with the LI Whalers and Titans. I started to hear back from several coaches and then started to see them at my games. I was first discovered by an Elon coach at a tournament in East Cobb, Georgia where I pitched well for the Titans. Then Elon came to see me pitch again in NJ where I pitched a 1-0 complete game shutout with the LI Whalers. There had to be 15-20 coaches with radar guns on me in the last couple of innings. I followed up that game with another really good starts in a tournament in Florida. I started to hear from more and more coaches and then we started to make visits to 4-5 schools a weekend. I had several really good offers at great schools, but I really liked the Elon campus in North Carolina and knew they had a great baseball program and had won several conference championships. It was also a very good academic school, so it had everything I wanted. In the Fall of 2011, I was invited to try-out for the USA baseball team in NC so while I was there, I made a second visit to Elon unannounced and liked it even more. They offered me a great scholarship and I accepted. I graduated from Elon with bachelor’s degree in Sport and Event Management and a minor in Business.
Who were some players in Major League Baseball you tried to emulate ?
At an early age, one of the players I tried to emulate was Orlando Hernandez “El Duque”, but mostly because I thought his high leg kick looked cool. Later in my career I remember mostly watching Madison Bumgarner and Clayton Kershaw. I loved the fact that they were both lefties like myself and two of the best in the game. Bumgarner always had this calm, cool collectiveness to him but also had that bulldog mentality on the mound. I was also told that Bumgarner and myself had a similar delivery and mechanics. What I really liked about Kershaw was his command and his devastating curveball. I absolutely loved throwing my curveball and Kershaw always had one of the best.
Do you keep in contact with anyone from your baseball career?
I met a lot of friends through baseball over the years and played with several great LI players in the summers on tournament teams and in the college league out in the Hamptons. I’m still really good friends with several of my Plainedge HS and my Elon college teammates. We get together often to golf, for weddings and to just hang out.
Did you play any other sports growing up?
I played several other sports growing up including football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and bowling. Football was one of my favorite sports and I continued to play in my senior season even after I signed my letter of intent at Elon. Several of the college coaches that I spoke to loved the fact that I played football as a dual sport athlete and loved that I wanted to compete.
Any regrets not signing with the Astros out of HS?
No regrets at all. I wasn’t scouted by MLB teams until late into the playoffs my senior season. At that point, I had already signed with Elon and was looking forward to the college experience. A few days before the draft, the Houston Astros called me and told me to listen for my name, because they were going to draft me. It was an awesome feeling, and I was lucky to be with a few friends when they called out my name. I was excited that I got drafted and when the Houston Astro scouts came to the house to talk with my parents and me, I must admit, they made it sound great. A few days later, I spoke to my parents and without asking their opinion, I told them I didn’t want to go back to college at 23 years old if I didn’t make it. I was a good student and knew baseball was a long shot and a scholarship was a big help with the cost of college. I decided a college education was important and I figured if I had a good college career, I would get drafted again. After I was drafted, the Elon coaches reached out to me and upped the scholarship offer from 50 percent to 70 percent for my last 3 years because they wanted to make sure I didn’t change my mind. I was going either way, but the extra funding was really nice.
Did you take any private pitching lessons?
I had several pitching coaches over the years but the coach that helped me the most and stayed with me throughout HS and College was John Byrne. He didn’t try to change my entire delivery but continued to tweak my motion and worked with me on several different grips and pitches until we found things that worked and were most effective.
Who were some people that had an impact on your career?
My first memory of baseball was going out in the backyard with my mom playing catch and hitting whiffle balls off the tee while my brothers and sister were at school. I also remember going to field after field every Spring and Summer to watch my two older brothers play. Going to Cooperstown to watch them compete was awesome and I couldn’t wait to play there when I was twelve. In my early years of baseball, my father and my friend’s dad Fred Kurz coached me and taught me the basics of the game while playing little league and travel baseball. They taught me how to practice and made me understand that I needed to work hard if I wanted to be better than the next guy. When I turned fifteen, my father thought it was time for me to move on and play for a travel organization to get more exposure. I played with the LI Whalers and was invited to play with the Titans for a few highly competitive out of state tournaments. My family, especially my older brothers pushed me hard to be the best. My Dad, John Byrne and Coach Pisani from Plainedge HS had the biggest impact on my baseball career. They gave me the confidence, knowledge and tutoring I needed to get to the next level. Coach Pisani made everyone work hard and expected the best of you each and every time you stepped on the field.
