This year, no rest for the lefty

DeCarlo honing his pitching skills for Michigan role

Medford native Jeff DeCarlo is playing summer ball with the Sanford Mainers, preparing for the University of Michigan's rugged 60-game Division 1 schedule in the spring. (John Lefaive/Wolverine Photo)

His focus, year round, is baseball. Jeff DeCarlo joins his teammates at the University of Michigan in the late summer and gears up for the exhibition season in the fall. He spends the winter months training indoors in Ann Arbor, preparing for the Wolverines' rugged 60-game Division 1 schedule in the spring.

The grind is taxing for the 19-year-old Medford native, who is admittedly "wiped out" after the grueling routine. Michigan coach Rich Maloney finds that players from the North and Northeast, in particular, need to get used to the year-round schedule.

Then comes summer ball.

"It's my favorite time of year to play," said the 6-foot-2, 175-pound left-handed pitcher.

This summer, DeCarlo is living roughly an hour and a half away from friends and family while suiting up for the Sanford Mainers of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. He's staying with a host family in Rochester, N.H., 25 minutes from Goodell Park in Sanford.

A three-year varsity performer at St. John's Prep in Danvers, DeCarlo is using the summer to work on his mechanics and mental toughness as a member of the Mainers' bullpen. In eight appearances, he ranks fifth on the team with 19 strikeouts.

"Ideally I want to start and also that's what [Maloney] wants next year," said DeCarlo. "But I'm not where I want to be, mechanically, physically, mentally. It's hard to describe, I just know there are things I have to work on."

Maloney said DeCarlo, who posted a 2-1 record with a 4.80 earned run average as a sophomore last spring, needs to work on control and get some innings to make the transition to a starting role.

"Jeff's on the cusp. He has the stuff, but he just needs to gain the experience," said Maloney, who led the Wolverines to a 46-14 mark and a Top 25 ranking nationally this past season. "Once he's able to control his location more, he has the signs to be a really good college pitcher."

When DeCarlo visited Medford for a few days earlier this month, he met with a friend of former high school teammate Rob Noyes, who worked on DeCarlo's throwing mechanics.

With his flight to Ann Arbor booked for Aug. 26, DeCarlo is dedicating the rest of the summer to improving his control on the mound and catching up with former teammates and opponents off the field.

"I love it because there are a lot of guys I used to play against in the NECBL," said DeCarlo. "This summer has been especially great because it's a chance to come closer to home, but also see some local guys I haven't seen since AAU or high school. It's a great combination of relaxing before we all jump back into our routines of college baseball again and getting away from those routines."