Our #5 hitter did something this summer that the vast majority of baseball players have never done: he got a hit to win a championship. Mike Marcinko, the junior from Division-II Shippensburg, ripped a single in the bottom of the 9th inning on August 6th, 2014, scoring Dan Neff with the championship-clinching run. Bedlam ensued.
So now we have a fun convergence of information, as the hero of the final game also was one of the league’s best hitters in 2014.
Mike tattooed the baseball during the regular season to a 344/503/427 clip in 131 at-bats, along with 39 runs scored, 45 hits, 7 doubles, 2 triples, 18 RBIs, a fantastic 35/25 BB/K ratio, and 13 stolen bases. He finished 6th in batting average, 4th in runs scored, 3rd in on-base percentage, tied for first in walks, and 7th in OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). The Generals named him their MVP of the season, and even though there is another Waynesboro hitter to come on this list, it’s easy to see why.
In the playoffs, Marcinko went 8-26, while scoring 5 runs, walking 8 more times against 3 strikeouts, stealing 3 bases, and then hitting the single that he will most likely remember for the rest of his life.
As a freshman for the Shippensburg Raiders in 2013, Mike hit 331/397/392 in 166 at-bats, with 5 doubles, a triple, a home run, a 14/31 BB/K ratio, and 11 stolen bases. He slipped a bit as a sophomore, as he hit 276/335/338 in 145 at-bats, along with a 12/12 BB/K ratio and 8 stolen bases. We all know, though, that Mike will most likely use his summer to springboard to great success this spring!
Congratulations on your memory-making summer in 2014, Mike!
All Things Valley League 