Wednesday March 27th, 2024
TEXT_SIZE

An interview with Columbus Pipe outfielder Mike Malesko

 

Mike Malesko

USSSA Playing History

GoSoftball.com Player Page

2012 Interview
    

Why do you like the game of softball?
It gives me a chance to play a sport I enjoy while I can have some fun with friends.

Who is the best softball player you have ever seen play?
Fielder: Rob Menke, I've seen alot of ball games at all levels and Menke has made plays I've never seen anyone else do.
Hitter: Brett Helmer, not just because I've played on a Easton team, but because I rarely see him make outs, with or without hr's left.
Pitcher: D-Lopez, my career batting average against him is something like .080
    

What is your nickname in softball?
Squuuuu
    

Where do you call home?
Dayton, Ohio
    

What do you do for a living?
Project Manager / Mechanical Engineer for a Midwest Consultant Firm "Heapy Engineering"
    

Did you play sports in High School / College / Pro?
High School Basketball and Baseball
    

How did you get your start in softball and how did you get to the upper level?
While in College, a friends dad (the Kender's) asked me to play on there league team.
I'm not sure how I really got to play at the upper level, I would say that I've been lucky enough to play on good teams.
    

What position do you play?
Outfield, but I love catcher and 1B.
    

What batting grip do you use?
Pinky over the knob, normal grip other than that.
    

What ounce bat, make and model do you use?
Normally a 28, but sometime 27.   I been swinging the Easton 2 piece bats.
    

What do you do in the offseason to prepare for the next softball season?
A heavy leg routine, and in January I start doing a dry swing routine of heavy/light, then take BP once a week.
    

What is your favorite sports team?
Cincinnati Reds and The Ohio State Buckeyes Football and Basketball
    

What is your favorite sport other than softball?
College Basketball
    

Do you have any superstitions and if so, what are they?
Before I step in the box, I spit in my hands to get the handle sticky.

What is your most memorable softball moment?
I have many memorable moments, but not in any order.
While on Freeze Concrete, we beating a major team "Creative Stucco" watching the Jeff Hall hit one for an out with a wood bat.
While on Columbus Pipe, we beat Resmondo in St. Louis.
Filby (aka Flipper) struck me out in the Smokys, and then the following weekend in Cincinnati the same year.   Damn Illegal pitcher.
    

Is slowpitch softball a sport or a game?
We all play Softball as a sport, but we play games in tournaments and leagues against each other.
    

What is the best improvement upper level softball could make?
Make the major tournaments a blind draw.   The top seeds get a free pass every tournament to the top 8.
    

What is your favorite non-World tournament?
The Smoky Mountain Classic and the Cincinnati Major.
    

What is the funniest thing you have ever seen on a softball field?
The one the only, Jeff Schmitt pitched in AZ a few years ago, he put the ball and his glove on the ground near the rubber, backed up about 15 feet, and proceeded to do the worm, stood up, then did a break dance move then pumped faked, then pitched the ball.   Laughing so hard, I almost fell over in field.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.