{"id":3929,"date":"2016-02-22T16:36:55","date_gmt":"2016-02-22T16:36:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baseballontheisland.com\/?p=3929"},"modified":"2016-02-22T16:36:55","modified_gmt":"2016-02-22T16:36:55","slug":"q-a-with-tom-strazza","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/","title":{"rendered":"Q &#038; A With Tom Strazza"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>2014 Sachem North grad <strong>Tom Strazza<\/strong>, chose to play his college ball at Eastern University in Wayne, PA. He saw significant time as an infielder and pitcher during his freshman season in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>Our reporter <strong>David Moskowitz<\/strong> had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say…<\/p>\n<p><strong>What was the college recruitment\/process like? What made you choose Eastern University?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The college recruitment process was exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Playing in front of college coaches meant you had to always be on your game, which added a level of excitement to every game, but also a few extra butterflies. There was also a good amount of research that had to be done on my part, which many high-school athletes don\u2019t always think about. I chose Eastern University after I had visited once. The coaching staff was very welcoming, and their attitude toward the team was very family-like. The school itself has a beautiful campus, and is strong in the area of study I was looking for.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3147\" style=\"width: 323px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3147\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-3147 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/baseballontheisland.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/12\/asglogo.jpg\" alt=\"ASGlogo\" width=\"313\" height=\"313\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 313px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 313\/313;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3147\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">June 5 at Dowling College<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Eastern University is a good academic school. What was the adjustment like going from high school to Eastern academic-wise and how was the student-athlete balance?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The workload is definitely more intense than high school. The first semester was a bit of a shock, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Being a student-athlete requires good time management, but even with that there are a lot of late nights.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3202 aligncenter lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/baseballontheisland.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/01\/ciros.jpg\" alt=\"ciro's\" width=\"266\" height=\"134\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 266px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 266\/134;\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Not only were you a two-way player last\u00a0year, you also saw significant action as both an infielder and as a pitcher. \u00a0That is rare for a freshman.\u00a0 Did you expect to receive significant time as both an infielder and pitcher? Were you satisfied with how you performed?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Coming into the season I knew there were open spots in the infield, and on the mound. I didn\u2019t come into the season expecting anything, but I knew I could definitely contribute as a pitcher right away. After senior captain and shortstop Ryan McMenamin began practicing more and more with me I felt very comfortable playing up the middle with him. I\u2019m content but not exactly satisfied with how I performed, because there is definitely room for improvement.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your dad was a huge influence on your baseball career. Most dads are a part of their son\u2019s career but your dad went above and beyond: What was it like to have your dad around so much during your career?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-2767 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/baseballontheisland.files.wordpress.com\/2015\/08\/stcharles.jpg\" alt=\"stcharles\" width=\"1896\" height=\"600\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1896px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1896\/600;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>More than anything I\u2019m thankful my father devoted the amount of time he did with me, because without it I wouldn\u2019t be here. Most of my baseball memories prior to college include my dad, which is something that I\u2019ll always have with me. However, a bad game usually didn\u2019t end at the field, or even at the dinner table.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Travel baseball has become incredibly competitive in recent years. There are many good organizations out there: the Whalers, the Ducks, BEAST, etc. What is special about your dad’s organization, Diamond Baseball Academy?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Diamond Baseball Academy is realistic. Often times players are given an idea of playing highly competitive division 1 baseball, which isn\u2019t realistic to every player. Most times when kids hear this they search for colleges with one idea in mind: baseball. When choosing a college there\u2019s much more to it, and at DBA we try to do two things when it comes to college. Get them somewhere they will play. Get them somewhere they fit in academically and personally. Many organizations just look to appease a player\u2019s baseball outlook of a school, and not who they are as a person. My father, and the rest of Diamond Baseball Academy, tries to make players feel like a family and get to know them as a person to help them the best they can.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3698\" style=\"width: 309px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3698\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-3698 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/baseballontheisland.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/02\/img_0814.jpg\" alt=\"IMG_0814\" width=\"299\" height=\"531\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_0814.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_0814-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/img_0814-577x1024.jpg 577w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 299px) 100vw, 299px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 299px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 299\/531;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3698\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">To Register:Call Ray at 631-286-2414<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>What did you do to improve this offseason? Any specific part of your game you guys tried to improve upon?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Over the offseason physically I worked on getting my legs in good shape for the season. Being a two-way player if you don\u2019t have your legs under you won\u2019t be able to perform. Mentally you just have to get yourself in a focused mindset. It\u2019s important we all remember what happened last year, but understand we can\u2019t sit back and expect it to happen to us again.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your long term plans? Do you see yourselves staying a part of the game in some capacity in the long term?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Long term I would like to continue as a coach. I know there is going to come a day I have to stop playing it, but if I can coach I will still feel like I\u2019m part of the game. Would love to coach alongside my dad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>2014 Sachem North grad Tom Strazza, chose to play his college ball at Eastern University in Wayne, PA. He saw significant time as an infielder and pitcher during his freshman season in 2015. Our reporter David Moskowitz had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… What was the college recruitment\/process like? What made you choose Eastern University? The college recruitment process was exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Playing in front of college coaches meant you had to always be on your game, which added a level of excitement to every game, but also a few extra butterflies. There was also a good amount of research that had to be done on my part, which many high-school athletes don\u2019t always think about. I chose Eastern University after I had visited once. The coaching staff was very welcoming, and their attitude toward the team was very family-like. The school itself has a beautiful campus, and is strong in the area of study I was looking for. Eastern University is a good academic school. What was the adjustment like going from high school to Eastern academic-wise and how was the student-athlete balance?\u00a0 The workload is definitely more intense than high school. The first semester was a bit of a shock, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Being a student-athlete requires good time management, but even with that there are a lot of late nights. Not only were you a two-way player last\u00a0year, you also saw significant action as both an infielder and as a pitcher. \u00a0That is rare for a freshman.\u00a0 Did you expect to receive significant time as both an infielder and pitcher? Were you satisfied with how you performed? Coming into the season I knew there were open spots in the infield, and on the mound. I didn\u2019t come into the season expecting anything, but I knew I could definitely contribute as a pitcher right away. After senior captain and shortstop Ryan McMenamin began practicing more and more with me I felt very comfortable playing up the middle with him. I\u2019m content but not exactly satisfied with how I performed, because there is definitely room for improvement. Your dad was a huge influence on your baseball career. Most dads are a part of their son\u2019s career but your dad went above and beyond: What was it like to have your dad around so much during your career?\u00a0 More than anything I\u2019m thankful my father devoted the amount of time he did with me, because without it I wouldn\u2019t be here. Most of my baseball memories prior to college include my dad, which is something that I\u2019ll always have with me. However, a bad game usually didn\u2019t end at the field, or even at the dinner table. Travel baseball has become incredibly competitive in recent years. There are many good organizations out there: the Whalers, the Ducks, BEAST, etc. What is special about your dad’s organization, Diamond Baseball Academy? Diamond Baseball Academy is realistic. Often times players are given an idea of playing highly competitive division 1 baseball, which isn\u2019t realistic to every player. Most times when kids hear this they search for colleges with one idea in mind: baseball. When choosing a college there\u2019s much more to it, and at DBA we try to do two things when it comes to college. Get them somewhere they will play. Get them somewhere they fit in academically and personally. Many organizations just look to appease a player\u2019s baseball outlook of a school, and not who they are as a person. My father, and the rest of Diamond Baseball Academy, tries to make players feel like a family and get to know them as a person to help them the best they can. What did you do to improve this offseason? Any specific part of your game you guys tried to improve upon?\u00a0 Over the offseason physically I worked on getting my legs in good shape for the season. Being a two-way player if you don\u2019t have your legs under you won\u2019t be able to perform. Mentally you just have to get yourself in a focused mindset. It\u2019s important we all remember what happened last year, but understand we can\u2019t sit back and expect it to happen to us again. What are your long term plans? Do you see yourselves staying a part of the game in some capacity in the long term? Long term I would like to continue as a coach. I know there is going to come a day I have to stop playing it, but if I can coach I will still feel like I\u2019m part of the game. Would love to coach alongside my dad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[460,347],"class_list":{"0":"post-3929","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-archive","8":"tag-archive","9":"tag-features"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Q &amp; A With Tom Strazza - Axcess Baseball<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Q &amp; A With Tom Strazza - Axcess Baseball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"2014 Sachem North grad Tom Strazza, chose to play his college ball at Eastern University in Wayne, PA. He saw significant time as an infielder and pitcher during his freshman season in 2015. Our reporter David Moskowitz had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say… What was the college recruitment\/process like? What made you choose Eastern University? The college recruitment process was exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Playing in front of college coaches meant you had to always be on your game, which added a level of excitement to every game, but also a few extra butterflies. There was also a good amount of research that had to be done on my part, which many high-school athletes don\u2019t always think about. I chose Eastern University after I had visited once. The coaching staff was very welcoming, and their attitude toward the team was very family-like. The school itself has a beautiful campus, and is strong in the area of study I was looking for. Eastern University is a good academic school. What was the adjustment like going from high school to Eastern academic-wise and how was the student-athlete balance?\u00a0 The workload is definitely more intense than high school. The first semester was a bit of a shock, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Being a student-athlete requires good time management, but even with that there are a lot of late nights. Not only were you a two-way player last\u00a0year, you also saw significant action as both an infielder and as a pitcher. \u00a0That is rare for a freshman.\u00a0 Did you expect to receive significant time as both an infielder and pitcher? Were you satisfied with how you performed? Coming into the season I knew there were open spots in the infield, and on the mound. I didn\u2019t come into the season expecting anything, but I knew I could definitely contribute as a pitcher right away. After senior captain and shortstop Ryan McMenamin began practicing more and more with me I felt very comfortable playing up the middle with him. I\u2019m content but not exactly satisfied with how I performed, because there is definitely room for improvement. Your dad was a huge influence on your baseball career. Most dads are a part of their son\u2019s career but your dad went above and beyond: What was it like to have your dad around so much during your career?\u00a0 More than anything I\u2019m thankful my father devoted the amount of time he did with me, because without it I wouldn\u2019t be here. Most of my baseball memories prior to college include my dad, which is something that I\u2019ll always have with me. However, a bad game usually didn\u2019t end at the field, or even at the dinner table. Travel baseball has become incredibly competitive in recent years. There are many good organizations out there: the Whalers, the Ducks, BEAST, etc. What is special about your dad’s organization, Diamond Baseball Academy? Diamond Baseball Academy is realistic. Often times players are given an idea of playing highly competitive division 1 baseball, which isn\u2019t realistic to every player. Most times when kids hear this they search for colleges with one idea in mind: baseball. When choosing a college there\u2019s much more to it, and at DBA we try to do two things when it comes to college. Get them somewhere they will play. Get them somewhere they fit in academically and personally. Many organizations just look to appease a player\u2019s baseball outlook of a school, and not who they are as a person. My father, and the rest of Diamond Baseball Academy, tries to make players feel like a family and get to know them as a person to help them the best they can. What did you do to improve this offseason? Any specific part of your game you guys tried to improve upon?\u00a0 Over the offseason physically I worked on getting my legs in good shape for the season. Being a two-way player if you don\u2019t have your legs under you won\u2019t be able to perform. Mentally you just have to get yourself in a focused mindset. It\u2019s important we all remember what happened last year, but understand we can\u2019t sit back and expect it to happen to us again. What are your long term plans? Do you see yourselves staying a part of the game in some capacity in the long term? Long term I would like to continue as a coach. I know there is going to come a day I have to stop playing it, but if I can coach I will still feel like I\u2019m part of the game. Would love to coach alongside my dad.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Axcess Baseball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/axcessbaseball\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-22T16:36:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/strazza-hitting.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"785\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vinny Messana\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@axcessbaseball\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@axcessbaseball\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vinny Messana\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vinny Messana\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f547cb10f01b2dcfa9613585604f881f\"},\"headline\":\"Q &#038; 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What made you choose Eastern University? The college recruitment process was exciting and nerve racking at the same time. Playing in front of college coaches meant you had to always be on your game, which added a level of excitement to every game, but also a few extra butterflies. There was also a good amount of research that had to be done on my part, which many high-school athletes don\u2019t always think about. I chose Eastern University after I had visited once. The coaching staff was very welcoming, and their attitude toward the team was very family-like. The school itself has a beautiful campus, and is strong in the area of study I was looking for. Eastern University is a good academic school. What was the adjustment like going from high school to Eastern academic-wise and how was the student-athlete balance?\u00a0 The workload is definitely more intense than high school. The first semester was a bit of a shock, but I adjusted pretty quickly. Being a student-athlete requires good time management, but even with that there are a lot of late nights. Not only were you a two-way player last\u00a0year, you also saw significant action as both an infielder and as a pitcher. \u00a0That is rare for a freshman.\u00a0 Did you expect to receive significant time as both an infielder and pitcher? Were you satisfied with how you performed? Coming into the season I knew there were open spots in the infield, and on the mound. I didn\u2019t come into the season expecting anything, but I knew I could definitely contribute as a pitcher right away. After senior captain and shortstop Ryan McMenamin began practicing more and more with me I felt very comfortable playing up the middle with him. I\u2019m content but not exactly satisfied with how I performed, because there is definitely room for improvement. Your dad was a huge influence on your baseball career. Most dads are a part of their son\u2019s career but your dad went above and beyond: What was it like to have your dad around so much during your career?\u00a0 More than anything I\u2019m thankful my father devoted the amount of time he did with me, because without it I wouldn\u2019t be here. Most of my baseball memories prior to college include my dad, which is something that I\u2019ll always have with me. However, a bad game usually didn\u2019t end at the field, or even at the dinner table. Travel baseball has become incredibly competitive in recent years. There are many good organizations out there: the Whalers, the Ducks, BEAST, etc. What is special about your dad’s organization, Diamond Baseball Academy? Diamond Baseball Academy is realistic. Often times players are given an idea of playing highly competitive division 1 baseball, which isn\u2019t realistic to every player. Most times when kids hear this they search for colleges with one idea in mind: baseball. When choosing a college there\u2019s much more to it, and at DBA we try to do two things when it comes to college. Get them somewhere they will play. Get them somewhere they fit in academically and personally. Many organizations just look to appease a player\u2019s baseball outlook of a school, and not who they are as a person. My father, and the rest of Diamond Baseball Academy, tries to make players feel like a family and get to know them as a person to help them the best they can. What did you do to improve this offseason? Any specific part of your game you guys tried to improve upon?\u00a0 Over the offseason physically I worked on getting my legs in good shape for the season. Being a two-way player if you don\u2019t have your legs under you won\u2019t be able to perform. Mentally you just have to get yourself in a focused mindset. It\u2019s important we all remember what happened last year, but understand we can\u2019t sit back and expect it to happen to us again. What are your long term plans? Do you see yourselves staying a part of the game in some capacity in the long term? Long term I would like to continue as a coach. I know there is going to come a day I have to stop playing it, but if I can coach I will still feel like I\u2019m part of the game. Would love to coach alongside my dad.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/","og_site_name":"Axcess Baseball","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/axcessbaseball","article_published_time":"2016-02-22T16:36:55+00:00","og_image":[{"width":785,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/strazza-hitting.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vinny Messana","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@axcessbaseball","twitter_site":"@axcessbaseball","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vinny Messana","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/2016\/02\/22\/q-a-with-tom-strazza\/"},"author":{"name":"Vinny Messana","@id":"https:\/\/www.axcessbaseball.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f547cb10f01b2dcfa9613585604f881f"},"headline":"Q &#038; 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