Pitcher swings hot bat
Menlo- Atherton’s McGarry has 7 HRs
Matthew McGarry, a hard- throwing righthanded pitcher, gave an oral commitment to play college baseball at Vanderbilt before his junior year at Menlo- Athertron.
He’s having a breakout season as a senior — but as a hitter rather than on the mound. McGarry is listed on MaxPreps as having hit eight home runs this season, a total McGarry is quick to correct.
“I’ve only hit seven,” he said. “Eight’s a mistake.’’
You don’t often encounter an athlete correcting stats downward, but regardless whether it’s eight or seven, McGarry is the Central Coast Section leader in home runs. And they’ve come in just 51 at- bats for a ratio of a home run for just over every seven at- bats.
All that for a guy who hit just .200 as a junior with two homers in 75 at- bats.
“He’s taken a little off his swing and is making better adjustments to off- speed pitches,’’ MenloAtherton coach Mike Amoroso said.
“Just mechanical stuff,’’ McGarry said. “I was swinging too hard, trying to do too much. Now I’m trying not to overswing, putting the barrel on the ball and getting good backspin.’’
McGarry, along with Burlingame standout and Michigan signee Jonathan Engelmann, work on their hitting every Sunday with Stu Pederson, the father of Dodgers rookie center fielder Joc Pederson, and a former major leaguer in his own right.
“Stu’s an awesome hitting coach,’’ McGarry said.
The 6- foot- 3 McGarry throws 92 to 95 miles per hour, according to Amoroso. He’s been a bit of a tough- luck pitcher at M- A, going 2- 3 as a junior with a 2.38 ERA. One of his losses came after pitching a no- hitter for seven innings, only to lose in the eighth inning against Sacred Heart Prep.
This season he got off to a slow start on the mound, but has come on of late and is 2- 0 with a 2.45 ERA.
Home run barrage aside, McGarry still envisions a future as a pitcher.
“I’ll pitch at Vanderbilt,’’ he said. “But if they give me a chance to hit, I’ll take it.’’
Burlingame’s Tatum n Novitzky has committed to play volleyball at UC Santa Cruz. Novitzky is the daughter of former Mills standout Jeff Novitzky, one of only three athletes in CCS history to clear 7 feet in the high jump, and the granddaughter of longtime San Mateo County basketball coach Don Novitzky.
Jeff Novitzky went on to play basketball at San Jose State and then became an investigator of steroid use in sports for the Internal Revenue Service and the Food and Drug Administration. He came to national prominence through his role in the BALCO doping scandal that rocked Major League Baseball. He investigated Barry Bonds, Marion Jones and Lance Armstrong, among others.
When Mark Canha n made his debut for the A’s this month, he became the 14th player from Bellarmine College Prep to appear in a major league game.