SSHS Athlete of the Week: Christian Colletti

Senior ace of the Cyclones starting rotation, Christian Colletti, has gotten off to a scorching start this season, and baseball aficionados around Nassau County and even those in Major League Baseball have taken notice.

The southpaw is 3-0 with an Earned Run Average around 1.00 and is coming off a start where he in five innings while throwing only 85 pitches. Every out he recorded came via the strikeout, and the senior ace said it was the first time this season he's felt so locked in.

"It's nice when you have every pitch working," he said. "It's just you and the batter. There's nothing else distracting you."

Colletti went to a full count on only two batters in his masterful 15-strikeout performance, and racked up K's by spotting his 91 MPH heater around the corners of the plate or snapping his devastating slider passed the bats of opposing hitters.

The 6'2'' senior southpaw said the biggest thing he worked on this past offseason was perfecting his form, and so far the tinkering of his follow through has culminated in excellent results.

"I just worked on finishing my pitches more," Colletti said. "Last year, I recoiled, now I'm just finishing and hopping over instead of stopping."

Major League scouts from the L.A. Dodgers and Kansas City Royals have been on hand to watch Colletti's last two starts, and there's a possibility he could be snatched up in the MLB draft before he throws a single pitch for the University of Connecticut. Colletti said that if he's drafted, his decision on whether to play in the minors or pitch for UConn depends on how high he's selected.

"If you get drafted in the later rounds, they're not going to develop you, you'll just be one of the other guys," he said. "If you're in (rounds) 1-5, then it's something to consider because there's extra care (put into those players)."

The Cyclones own a 5-4 league record, and even though last year's team won its conference, Colletti said he thinks this year's squad may have more talent.

"I think we can do it if we stay focused," Colletti said of winning a Nassau County title. "Every game that we lost, we didn't focus in the game, but when we're on, we're on. I think talent wise we're a little better. We have more speed on the team...not as much power, but base hits work as well as homeruns."

Head Coach Keith Lessuk said Colletti has taken on a larger leadership role on the team and has seen how much Colletti's game has grown since last year. "He's trusting his pitches," Lessuk said. "He's smart with his pitch selection in certain counts, he's more of a confident pitcher. He does a lot by leading by example."

And there's no doubt in Lessuk's mind who he wants on the mound when his team needs a win.

"He's our ace," Lessuk said. "I'll put him against anybody."