ATHOL — After just one 15-pitch side-session, Athol High School rising junior Mark Ferrari pitched his way onto a rather selective Bay State Games team comprised of premiere high school talent from western Massachusetts. The games will begin today and end the following Friday as players will compete in front of several college coaches and professional scouts.
“I can’t be more proud of him,” said Mark’s father, Mark Ferrari Sr. “To be honest, I didn’t think he would be this good. He’s actually turning my eyes on the mound.”
The elder Ferrari’s astonishment of his son’s accomplishment comes from a realization of his son’s pitching talent, but also as validation of a process that began when his son was 5 years old.
Ferrari Sr. grew up playing in local sports leagues here in Athol, where he still lives, and eventually for the Athol High School varsity football, basketball and baseball teams. As a self-proclaimed “sports nut,” Ferrari Sr. maintains a thorough fandom for the local professional teams as well as each team that his son plays on, which ranges from the varsity teams at Athol High School, to travel teams and select teams, such as the Bay State Games. Because of his love of sports, Ferrari Sr. quickly instilled that same love into his son. He gave Mark a bat and ball at 5 years old and has worked him hard ever since. Ferrari Sr. coached many of his son’s youth teams, citing Little League, street hockey and basketball teams as just a few.
“I mean, we’ve had our battles,” laughed Mark. “It’s been unique. He’s been my biggest supporter, he really has.”
Ferrari Sr. has taught his son the same way his father taught him. Ferrari Sr. refused to favor his son just because he was the coach. Mark had to play well enough to start and to earn every minute. Ferrari Sr. did this knowing he wanted his son to one day play sports in college and even beyond that, hopefully professionally.
“I talk to him and he loves pitching,” said Ferrari Sr. “So that’s my job. I want to get him there. I want to push him there and have him do something that I’m not doing. I would love to see him pitch for his living, that would be nice, and don’t do what I do. You don’t want to work for a living.”
Mark embraced the same philosophy.
“Oh, of course,” said Mark when asked if he has always wanted to play sports in college and beyond. “I want to play baseball in college.”
As a child, Mark, whether he knew it or not, began preparing himself for that goal by pitching as well as he could every time he took the mound. Even in Little League, he treated it as if he was in Major League Baseball. As he grew older and made the varsity baseball team, he took it upon himself to prepare as best he could mentally for each appearance. He cited that as he enters his junior year, he wants to start lifting and working out regularly.
“In Little League, it was fun to compete against your friends,” said Mark. “Me and Nick (Bousquet, who now also pitches on the Athol varsity baseball team) would go back and forth. Looking back on it, it was like you were playing in the MLB. As a kid, you don’t really know what’s going on. But I definitely think that I’ve put my all into pitching.”
As a sophomore, Ferrari had a breakout campaign on the mound, finishing the varsity season with a 1.08 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and with 80 strikeouts in 46 ⅓ innings. He caught eyes during his playoff start against Southwick, pitching seven shutout innings and striking out 14 batters upon leaving the game in a scoreless tie. The performance particularly caught the eyes of Monument Mountain varsity baseball coach Tom Hankey, who attended the game to scout the two teams in preparation to face its winner during the second round of the MIAA playoffs. He approached Ferrari Sr. about the Bay State Games, believing Ferrari should try out.
After talking to Hankey, Mark and his father felt he should try out, knowing he had had a good season but, more importantly, because Mark would pitch in front of college coaches and professional scouts if he made the team. They felt doing so will potentially take Mark to the next level of playing college sports.
“There’s many college scouts out there,” said Mark. “(My dad) has brought me here and it’s time to give it to the professionals now.”
It will be a tough task for Mark. In general, there are only 750 available jobs in the MLB and even less for pitchers. The process has become so competitive, largely because of the monetary value of playing professional sports, that Mark will compete against hundreds of thousands of high school baseball players across the world who want the same roster spots on college teams, in the minor leagues and in the majors. More often than not, these high schoolers will never even receive consideration for Division III baseball programs, let alone Division II and Division I programs, which Mark has set his eyes on. But both Mark and his father believe the Bay State Games will help the cause. Starting today, Mark will compete with 40 other individuals (all but two come from Division I high school teams. Mark is one of those two) who qualified for the western Massachusetts team in five different games against five other teams: Metro, Northeast, Southeast, Coastal and Central. According to the games’ website, six professional teams have attended the event in the past as well as more than 40 colleges, which ranges from Division III programs such as Worcester State University and Clark University, both based in Worcester, to Division I programs such as Boston College, Harvard University and Holy Cross.
“From last year to this year, I never thought that I would be in the position that I am,” said Mark.
And for his father, he never would have put Mark through this process if he didn’t feel like his son had something special.
“He’s got the potential,” sadi Ferrari Sr. “That’s why I’m thinking I’ve got something here. That’s why I’m pushing him.”
When combined with the time he has volunteered to coach Mark and his teams, Mark’s successes have become intertwined with Ferrari Sr. But for Ferrari Sr., just watching his son play has become the best thing in his life, and everything else is just extra.
“I never thought I would love watching more than to play, and it’s 10 times better to watch your kid” said Ferrari Sr. “When you start watching your kid succeed, it’s priceless. It really is. … there is nothing I’d rather be doing right now in my life. I’m his biggest fan.”