Trey Bien!
By Don Leypoldt
A generation ago, Ray “Boom-Boom” Mancini was the undisputed lightweight boxing champion of the world.
In the summer of 2011, the Holyoke Blue Sox have their own “Boom Boom” Mancini.
Trey Mancini, a 6’5” rising sophomore first baseman, leads the NECBL with 32 RBI. The league record, set by Effrey Valdez last summer, is 42. Mancini would need 11 in the Blue Sox’ final 13 games to break it. So far, he is on pace to break the mark.
Balls off of Mancini’s bat tend to go “boom boom” off of outfield walls.
The Notre Dame product via Winter Haven, Florida also co-leads the NECBL with seven homers. And while a batting title would be a bit of a long shot, Mancini’s .337 average as of press time is still among league leaders.
A triple crown is nothing new to Mancini. He won the Fighting Irish’s Triple Crown this season en route to claiming the Big East Rookie of the Year and a spot on the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American first team.
And after posting a 3.43 GPA in first semester at South Bend, Mancini showed he could dominate just as well in the classroom.
Mancini’s breakout game this summer came on Independence Day, when he homered twice and knocked in six in a 9-3 win against Old Orchard Beach. That game helped him clinch the NECBL’s Player of the Week for July 3rd through 9th.
When he hit a bases loaded double against Mystic on July 16th, it marked the fifth time this summer that Mancini recorded a 3-RBI game. Mancini’s 16 extra base hits also currently lead the NECBL.
The big first sacker recently caught up with NECBL.com:
NECBL.com: When you got to Notre Dame, what were your expectations? Did you expect to have the type of Spring that you did? How did you handle the transition?
Mancini:I came in expecting just to compete for the starting first base job, and I thought I could do it. I thought the biggest transition would be the pitching since every body in college has a scouting report on you. They all know your tendencies so it’s harder to adjust, where as in high school pitching is definitely not as advanced
Everyone has had to adjust to the new metal bats this year too. I don’t think they’re as good as the old ones, so that’s been kind of tough.
NECBL.com: Was it easier to adjust as a freshman since you didn’t have the old bats? Or did you use similar bats in high school?
Mancini:I think it was better to be a freshman this year rather than having the old bats last year. You’re going to have them for all four years, so you didn’t have to switch in the middle of your college career. All of the numbers go down and that effects how some people play.
NECBL.com: That’s a good segue into wood bats in the NECBL. How was the transition into wood? Have you had to make any adjustments?
Mancini:At Notre Dame, we used wood for the entire Fall and when we hit in the cage we use wood a lot so it wasn’t too tough of a transition. It took me a few games to get used to it. I started off a little rough at the beginning, but I got used to it and everything started going well.
NECBL.com: Your Holyoke offense is stacked. (Note: Holyoke leads the NECBL in runs; Blue Sox catchers Ronnie Freeman and Tom Murphy, both spent time with Team USA.) Do having players like Ronnie and Tom make your job as a hitter easier?
Mancini:Oh, for sure. We have a really good lineup 1 through 9 so that really helps. It’s always easier to hit when you have people on base and runners in scoring position. It takes a lot of pressure off of you, so you don’t try to do too much.
NECBL.com: A lot of coaches will want to keep their freshmen close to home their first summer. How did you react to going away again?
Mancini:I got to go home for a couple of days between when the college season ended and when we came up here, but it wasn’t too much. It was good to be home but I wasn’t too worried about being far from home. I don’t get homesick very easily. I’m definitely excited to go home before school starts. But when I found out I was going to New England, I was excited and I never really thought about being close to home. (With baseball), you have to get used to the traveling at an early age. I’ve been doing that!
NECBL.com: South Bend, Indiana (average January high of 31) ain’t Winter Haven, Florida (average January high of 74). How did you adjust to the cold weather? Was that a factor?
Mancini:Winter is pretty rough. I’ve never seen snow like that before. Baseball-wise, I’m going to say it affected me. We had some pretty cold games. It was really tough to adjust to the weather. The thing about Notre Dame baseball-wise is that we have some really nice indoor facilities, so it doesn’t really affect the baseball team. But sometimes you think, “Wow, this is ridiculous, the weather is so bad up here.”
NECBL.com: Is this your first extended time in New England?
Mancini:Yes, I came to Connecticut when I was a lot younger but I don’t really remember it.
NECBL.com: What are your thoughts and impressions of New England off the field? What’s different from home?
Mancini:The weather is nicer than it is in Florida in the summer. I like going around to all of the different New England states because everything is so nice. I like how all of the houses are made of wood. They all have that Colonial style. It’s definitely different from Florida.
Trey Mancini’s other favorites:
When you were growing up as a kid, which athlete’s poster was on your bedroom wall? “When I was younger, my favorite player was always Ken Griffey Jr. I know a lot of kids liked him, but I always loved his swing and loved watching him growing up.”
Favorite Food:“Steak. There is a place called The Texas Cattle Company by me in Florida. They have the best steaks.”
Favorite Movie: The Shawshank Redemption
Favorite Musician: “That’s tough…I don’t exactly have one. L’il Wayne. He is the first person I can think of.”
Favorite Website:“Wikipedia. I’m on Wikipedia all the time
