Schwarick starts with HR
Long ball in catcher’s first at-bat triggers mercy rule in victory
Catcher Willie Schwarick has a big start to his Siena baseball career.
In his first at-bat as a college baseball player, Siena freshman catcher Willie Schwarick locked onto a 2-1 fastball, took a big swing and did something he accomplished only once in high school.
He hit a home run.
And this one wasn’t cheap. Schwarick drove the ball over the center-field fence 400 feet away to end Siena’s 15-5 victory over Iona last Sunday.
The solo homer triggered the 10-run mercy rule in the bottom of the seventh. Schwarick, who entered the game in the top of the inning, was greeted by his teammates at home plate to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Gaels to open the season.
“It was definitely a great feeling,” Schwarick said. “Nothing like it. Just looking for my pitch, got it and was able to help out the team and get us out of here kind of early, save some (pitching) arms and just get us to the next day. That was the plan and I’m glad I executed it.”
Siena (2-2) resumes play with a home doubleheader against Niagara on Friday.
He hit one homer in high school — as a junior at Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J. He didn’t have a senior season because it was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Schwarick didn’t think the one he hit on Sunday was gone at first. He sprinted around first base before watching it clear the fence at Connors Park.
“I was pretty surprised,” he said. “I didn’t think I got all of it and then it just kind of kept going.”
It’s rare, but certainly not unprecedented, for a batter to “go yard” in his first career at-bat. The last time it happened at Siena was when Nico Ramos had a pinch-hit solo homer in a 17-6 loss at Central Florida on Feb. 17, 2017.
“I talked to (Schwarick) after the game and he was on cloud nine,” Siena coach Tony Rossi said. “He was really, really excited about it and he should be because he got a hold of it and hit it to dead center and the result was the game-ending hit. That adds some spice to it. He’s a good kid.”
Rossi thinks he’ll develop into a good player for the Saints, who were Schwarick’s only Division I scholarship offer. Assistant coach Anthony Spataro spotted him at a tournament in the Boston area.
Schwarick committed to Siena the summer before his senior year.
“I came up here, looked at the school and fell in love with it the first time,” Schwarick said. “I came up here for practice day and just kind of played in front of coach (Rossi) and was lucky enough to get the chance for him to call me and tell me I had a spot on the team if I wanted to come here. I had a Division II offer kind of sitting on the table but I came up here, loved the school and there was no option for me after that.”
Schwarick got used to catching top-notch pitching at Delbarton, an elite private-school program. Left-hander Sean Rapp is now at the University of North Carolina and right-hander Jack Leiter, son of former big-league pitcher Al Leiter, is a top draft prospect with Vanderbilt.
“Just catching elite arms like that and then coming here and catching our elite arms, it’s definitely helpful,” said Schwarick, who has played the position since age 7.
He got his first college start at catcher on Monday in a 10-7 loss to Iona. He went 1-for-4 with an RBI single. Assistant coach Rob Hardy signaled in the pitches to Schwarick, who checked them against his wristband.
“He struggled a little bit, but I don’t care about that,” Rossi said. “He’s a freshman. We’ve got to put him in the fire. Willie’s a good player. He’s going to help us.”
He’s already showing the Saints he has some pop in his bat.
“I made a few big changes to my swing over the winter,” Schwarick said. “It felt like it definitely helped. I hope it only goes up from here.”