Wyatt Mascarella announced a move to St. Johns University on his Twitter feed | Wyatt Mascarella
Wyatt Mascarella announced a move to St. Johns University on his Twitter feed | Wyatt Mascarella
After a season behind the plate at McHenry County College, catcher Wyatt Mascarella announced he's headed to New York City to play Division I baseball for St. John's University.
Mascarella announced the move via Twitter on June 9. He told the McHenry Times he is excited about the opportunity to play baseball and go to college at St. John's after attending MCC. He said the Big East school fits his long-term goals.
"I feel like this is a great opportunity for me," Mascarella said. "St. John's has a really good reputation at developing catchers for professional baseball."
Each of the last 12 St. John's catchers have gone on to play professionally, according to the Northwest Herald. The team made to every NCAA tournament in the past decade.
"I want to be playing against the best guys in the world," Mascarella said.
The Cary-Grove High School graduate also fielded offers from Penn State, Winthrop, Washington State and Illinois State, the Herald reported.
Mascarella played for the University of Illinois at Chicago during his freshman year. He transferred to MCC after surgery to repair a labrum tear in his right hip, so he could be close to home while he went to physical therapy.
MCC won its third-straight Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference championship this year. Mascarella was named to the All-ISCC First Team.
Mascarella's passion, commitment and determination are apparent, but he also acknowledges the other important forces in his life that have contributed to success on the field and in the academic arena.
"I credit my family, my coaches and my friends for being extremely supportive throughout this whole process," Mascarella said. "Baseball is a game with a ton of failure, so by having a great support group, it's made it much easier to get past the negative things that can take place."
Mascarella said he hasn't forgotten his academic goals and commitment to education. He plans to pursue a degree in biological studies while playing baseball. If the major leagues don't pan out, he said he'd like to go for a graduate degree in veterinary medicine.
Alerts Sign-up