Nick Guarino grew up around the diamond. Nick’s sisters were playing softball before he was even born and so that led to Nick finding his home on the baseball field. Nick pitched his first game when he was eight and he’s been on the hill ever since, displaying the craftiness that southpaws are known for.

“It had a lot of impact because, if I wasn’t a lefty, I probably wouldn’t pitch because I don’t throw that hard,” says Nick, a junior. “I came in my freshman year as an outfielder and pitcher, but my sophomore year, my coach told me I’d be pitching only. That’s when I became more serious.”

One way Nick got serious was by pitching for the AAU’s Connecticut Grind in order to improve his mechanics. He also put on about 25 pounds of muscle to beef up his fastball and make his other pitches that much more effective.

“When playing with the Grind, I worked in the bullpen a lot on my mechanics and made sure everything was sharp. I also go there for lessons once per week to get everything down in between starts,” says Nick. “It feels good because a lot of [the Grind’s coaches] played college ball and some pro ball, so it’s nice to know I have guys I can rely on to help me get better.”

East Haven Head Coach Butch Johnson has seen that improvement on the mound as Nick is sporting a 7-1 record with an ERA of 2.00 this season.

“He started out pretty good last year and then it seemed like he [got tired] or wasn’t as strong. He’s put some muscle on and I think he’s probably throwing five or six miles per hour faster, so it makes everything better for him,” says Johnson, whose team is competing in the Class L State Tournament this week. “He’s pitched in a lot of big games for us this year. He’s a battler and it seems like the bigger the game, the better he gets. He’s very smart out there and mixes up his pitches well.”

Nick features four pitches in his repertoire. He throws a fastball, changeup, curveball, and a knuckle-curve. Nick says he can command all of them and that enables him to keep the opposition off-balance.

“I use the off-speed pitches well. A lot of kids don’t see much from lefties, so when I’m coming at them with curveballs, I’m effective because they don’t see it much,” says Nick. “I’ve started to throw the knuckle-curve this year. It was a lot different because I needed to hold the ball with a knuckle on the seam. I found it difficult to throw like that, but I’ve noticed it gives the batter a different look because it’s tougher to pick up the spin.”

Nick also gets a lot of help from his battery mate in Yellowjackets’ catcher Sam Loda. Nick gives plenty of credit to Loda for helping have so much success this spring.

“Our relationship is like a brotherhood. We have classes together and text all the time to make sure everything is right,” says Nick, who is also a member of East Haven’s basketball team. “I shook him off once and he yelled at me, so I don’t do that anymore. It was in our first game of the year against Foran. I shook him off and threw a curveball that was hit for a double. After the hit, he came to the mound and told me to never do that again. So far, I haven’t.”