Top-notch coaches help Damico’s own career
Nick Damico had the good fortune of playing for and working with some top-notch baseball coaches and that helped prepare him for his own career as a baseball coach.
Damico was a outstanding left-handed pitcher during his playing days at Connellsville High School under head coach Bob Renzi.
鈥淲e were the flagship program in the area for a lot of years,鈥� Damico said. 鈥淚t always seemed like the juniors and seniors going through the program always got to another level. The players underneath them modeled that behavior and it just made everybody that much better.
鈥淲e were section champs my sophomore year. My junior year we finished second and in my senior year, we lost the last game of the year and finished in second place.鈥�
Damico earned first-team all-section honors with the Falcons in 1999 and was a second-team all-section selection in 1998. His ERA was 1.96.
鈥淎ll I did was pitch,鈥� Damico stated. 鈥淚 never really enjoyed playing offense as much as I did pitching. I鈥檓 the type of person that likes to control my environment, and pitching was the perfect thing for me because I can control the entire game.鈥�
Damico also had a standout 11-year career playing for Bud Murphy鈥檚 in in the Fayette County Baseball League.
Those Bud Murphy鈥檚 squads were coached by Tom Sankovich, who was a longtime coach at Connellsville High School and led the Falcons to a state championship in 1989. Damico credits Sankovich for much of his own success in baseball.
鈥淧laying for Tom was not only a blessing for me as a pitcher, but he also brought the best out in me as a person,鈥� Damico said. 鈥淭om had a competitive drive like no other, something that needs instilled to young ballplayers.
鈥淚 returned all the knowledge he gave me by giving him everything I had for 11 years. He was the best coach I ever had.鈥�
During his time with Bud Murphy鈥檚, Damico helped the Cokers win six championships. He was the FCBL Pitcher of the Year five times and posted a career record of 86-25 with a 2.28 ERA. He pitched 73 complete games, recording 693 strikeouts, 202 walks, seven saves and 16 shutouts in 713 innings pitched.
鈥淢y first five years with Bud Murphy鈥檚 we probably had the Connellsville All-Stars dating back from 1986 to 1999-2000,鈥� Damico marveled. 鈥淲e had all the best players from that area playing on those teams and we were very successful. It was a great time, I think over that span we won six titles.鈥�
After high school, Damico went on to have a standout career at California University (Pa.).
鈥淢y senior year I was getting some looks from colleges,鈥� Damico recalled. 鈥淢ike Conte who is still the head coach at Cal. U he came to watch me pitch against Laurel Highlands and he didn鈥檛 bring a radar gun, he didn鈥檛 bring a clipboard, he didn鈥檛 bring anything. He just walked down behind the backstop and watched me pitch for one inning and walked back up about 20 yards away from the field and waited a few innings and called me over.
鈥淗e said you are throwing like 82-84 with a nice curve ball and a straight change. You look great, we want you. I said, 鈥榯hat sounds good to me let鈥檚 do it.鈥濃��
At Cal U Damico ranks in the top five all-time in the program鈥檚 history in wins (19), number six in saves (8) and number four in appearances (54). He helped the Vulcans win two PSAC West titles and, in 2004, earned All-PSAC pitching honors as the Vulcans won the PSAC state championship.
鈥淚 never had the 88 to 90 mph fastball,鈥� Damico offered. 鈥淪o I had to learn how to pitch and it came with a lot of practice. I really picked up on batters weaknesses and strengths. What to throw to them and what not to throw to them. You could probably say I was a crafty pitcher.
鈥淭hose were some great memories for me at Cal U. They would describe me as a workhorse, I pitched double the amount of innings when I was in the Fayette County League for 11 years. I ended up throwing 730 innings. Yeah I could eat up a lot of innings and I took pride in that.鈥�
When Damico graduated from Cal U in 2004 he got a grade assistants position at Cal U in sports information and got his masters in 2005. He got a job in Waynesburg teaching special ed students. An opening came at California High School in 2007. He has been at California ever since and served as an assistant baseball coach under Don Hartman for six years before taking over as head coach of the Trojans in 2014.
Damico guide the Trojans to a 20-1 record in his first season at the helm and captured the WPIAL Class A title.
鈥淚 was lucky with the coaches I played for and worked with,鈥� Damico said.
Damico has the Trojans off to another great start this season and they will be in the mix for another WPIAL title.
Damico, 34, resides in California, Pennsylvania with his wife, Jamie.
鈥淚鈥檝e got baseball in my blood,鈥� Damico stated. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 shied away from it since I was eight years old. I鈥檓 constantly doing something baseball related, including playing professional wiffle ball.鈥�
George Von Benko鈥檚 鈥淢emory Lane鈥� column appears in the Monday editions of the 缅北禁地. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.