Junior Terry Meaney's move from New York gives Nature Coast Tech the No. 3 batter it needs, plus some standout pitching and catching.
By FRANK PASTOR
Published April 8, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - From the first crack of junior Terry Meaney's bat, Nature Coast Tech coach Dan Garofano knew his prayers had been answered.
Garofano needed a No. 3 hitter to fill out his lineup when Meaney magically appeared at the start of the spring season and smacked the first batting-practice pitch he saw 350 feet down the leftfield line.
"Yes!" Garofano remembers telling himself at the time. "We got us a hitter."
But not just a hitter.
In Meaney, a second-semester transfer from Sachem North High in Lake Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Nature Coast (1-12) found a top-of-the-rotation pitcher and strong-armed catcher as well.
A line-drive hitter with good power who seldom strikes out, Meaney leads the Sharks with a .385 batting average, two home runs and eight runs batted in.
On the mound, he has a 1-3 record, 30 strikeouts and an earned-run average in the 2.00s.
"He was like a Godsend for us" Garofano said. "We needed somebody to bat in the 3-hole, and we needed somebody that could strike out a lot of guys pitching."
Problem solved.
Meaney, 6-feet-2, 215 pounds, throws in the low 80s and gives Nature Coast a chance to win every time he takes the mound.
He picked up the Sharks' lone win, striking out 13 on 90 pitches in a complete-game, 4-2 victory over Wildwood on March 16.
"Winning that first game, it felt like it got the season going," Meaney said. "We started playing more as a team that whole week."
Earlier in the season, Meaney hit a tying grand slam in a loss to Lecanto and homered against Land O'Lakes.
A natural third baseman, he slid seamlessly into the starting catcher spot.
Though he had not played the position since travel ball three or four years ago, Meaney now starts two of every three games behind the plate.
"It was kind of like riding a bike," he said. "You don't forget."
Catcher is where Meaney has the best chance of playing in college, Garofano said.
To get there, Meaney, who has a strong arm and quick feet, likely will have to shore up his defense and work on hitting breaking pitches.
"He's a good all-around hitter right now," Garofano said. "I think they'll love his arm, and he's pretty big, too."
Despite his quiet nature, Meaney acclimated quickly to his new school.
Billy Hughes, a friend since kindergarten, already was enrolled at Nature Coast, and Meaney's success on the diamond didn't hurt.
"It kind of helped, because my first day was baseball signups," Meaney said. "It was pretty much like I had 13 new friends."
His popularity grew exponentially after his first few batting practice swings.
"I was kind of nervous coming to a new school; I didn't know what to expect," Meaney said. "I was trying to make an impression. I guess it worked."
- Frank Pastor can be reached at 800 333-7505, ext. 1430. Send e-mail to pastor@sptimes.com
