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By Caryn Monis
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Friday, May 02, 2008 |
 The baseball program at Lexington Catholic in Lexington, Ky., is looked at as one of the better programs in the state, according to its baseball coach, Rodney Martin.
In the 12 years Martin’s been at the school they’ve won two state championships: one in 1999 and the other in 2006. One of the contributing factors to that 2006 win was a left-handed pitcher named Nick Maronde.
Maronde grew up in Florida and moved to the Midwest his freshman year, so the first time Martin saw him play was his first game that season.
“We knew he had the arm strength but he was really green and we knew we had to fix him up a little bit,” Martin said.
Maronde’s development was a yearlong process, from mid-freshman year to his mid-sophomore year.
“By his mid-sophomore year he became our No. 1 pitcher. You could see a metamorphosis and he gained strength both mentally and physically,” Martin said. That year Lexington Catholic went undefeated to become the 2006 state champs. “He was 14-0 and pretty dominant.”
Maronde is now a senior, standing at 6 feet 3 inches and weighing 195 pounds. He has a fastball that sits right around 92, a slider and changeup and he overmatches a lot of people at the high school level, according to Martin. He had 110 strikeouts and 22 walks in 65 innings his junior year.
His maturity on the mound sets him apart, Martin added. “He has the innate ability to compete that a lot of high school kids don’t have nowadays. At the high school level it’s hard for players to accept the fact that they’ll only be pitching but he understands that. He’s sacrificed a lot to come out every five days and give us a win. He’s a team player.”
Maronde remains focused on his goals even if he’s not playing. “I work really hard to become better and practice every day,” he said. To keep in shape during the cold Midwest winters he works out doing core strengthening and swimming.
That dedication isn’t lost on his coaches or teammates. “If he’s running or doing conditioning training he always works hard to get better and it’s good for the young kids to see how hard you need to work,” Martin said. “He’s a very soft-spoken kid and if you ask him I think he’d say that’s enough. He’s not a leader vocally but he is by his actions and work ethic.”
Last year he went 10-1 with a 0.78 ERA. The loss was in the region finals when he threw a one-hitter.
He also took part in the East Coast Professional Showcase last summer.
In addition, Maronde was chosen for the 2007 USA Baseball Junior National Team where he pitched in three games. He went 2-0 and gave up no earned runs with 10 strikeouts and 6 walks. “It gave me an opportunity to play with the top guys, the best players in the country,” he said.
Maronde said Randy Johnson and Johan Santana were heroes of his as a child. “They went about their business and were dominant,” he said. Does he follow suit? “I’d like to think so.”
Although Lexington Catholic is off to an average start this season with a 9-9 record, Martin said Maronde remains a standout. “He has had two no decisions. In one he pitched 9 innings in a shutout and in the other he only gave up one run in 7 innings. He’s at a .038 ERA, averaging two strikeouts per inning so he’s having a good year.”
In the fall, Maronde will return to his roots and play for Coach Kevin O’Sullivan at the University of Florida.
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