Mario Pesca fulfilled a lifelong dream of being drafted, on Sunday, July 12, he was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians with the 273^rd pick in the ninth round. 

The dream began when he was a young kid. Pesca’s father was a huge baseball fan and influenced his love of baseball. He remembers attending New York Mets games as a fan and summers of playing Little League with friends.

To reach that level, Pesca knew he needed advanced training. He remembers his early days with Athletes Warehouse, a training facility that would grow and create sub-brands like Velo University, where he continues to train to this day. Pesca knew that was the right place for him, with its high-end facility and advanced training methods that track the athlete’s progress through data.

VeloU helped Pesca grow as a pitcher by fixing his mechanics. “There were things in my mechanics and delivery that were stopping me from accelerating. We figured out what was blocking me from hitting new checkpoints in terms of velocity.” The new mechanics have assisted Pesca’s growth as a player.

Pesca went on to have a decorated high school career at Cardinal Spellman High School, where he played varsity all four years. He was team MVP as a senior in 2022, was named to the CHSAA First Team that same year and was an all-league selection in 2021.

The aspect of playing varsity that intrigued Pesca was the opportunity to learn from players older than him. “Being around older guys, learning what it means to go about your business, the right way to do things, the wrong ways to do it, it was all on display, so it gave me a variety of perspectives to grow into the player I am now.” Those experiences were things he took with him, so when he eventually became one of the older players on the team, he was an example to younger players and looked after them.

Pesca’s first opportunity in college allowed him to remain home and attend St. John’s University, where he pitched for two seasons, making 33 appearances and 24 starts. While his freshman year didn’t go as planned from a performance standpoint, it allowed him to figure out who he was as a player and embrace the process instead of worrying about the results all the time. 

He saw statistical improvement in his sophomore year, posting a 2.96 ERA after a 6.65 ERA the season prior. He went 6-1 compared to 1-5 as a freshman and was named to the All-Big East First Team. “Every year has its own mindset shift,” Pesca said. “My mindset going into that year was believing how good I was and knowing that I’m just the man. When you have that confidence, a lot of doors open.”

After two years with St. John’s, Pesca believed it was time for a new opportunity to grow as a player, even though he loved his time there and cherished the memories. He entered the transfer portal and, after several visits and calls, decided Oklahoma State University was the right choice for his baseball career. He envisioned himself fitting in there and was drawn to the family environment.

What also drew Pesca toward the Cowboys was their honesty with him from the first day. He was not promised a guaranteed starting spot, instead he was going to have to earn it, and that level of transparency and knowing he was going to have to work very hard to get that role was something he embraced.

Pesca had a strong junior year at Oklahoma State, as he was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, had a .261 opponent batting average across nearly 67 innings, played in 22 games and started eight of those. He served as both a starter and a reliever throughout the season. He hoped the season would be good enough for him to get selected in the draft, as he was eligible to enter. 

He wasn’t drafted, and that was a big hit to Pesca. He was disappointed and hurt by it. Once the feelings of not getting drafted started to dissipate, he returned to Oklahoma State for his senior campaign and used it as fuel for a strong year.

This past season, Pesca ranked 10th in strikeouts in the Big 12 Conference with 80 strikeouts across 70 innings pitched. He had several big moments throughout the season, with multiple games of eight strikeouts, including a game against Texas Christian University on May 2, where he recorded six strikeouts through three innings and allowed zero runs after not playing for two weeks due to a blister on his right hand.

Pesca understands the importance of being confident, but knowing there is always room for improvement. He believes, “there’s never a perfect product.” He chases growth, and with his work at VeloU and working with his various college coaching staffs, he knows he has made tremendous progress.

The rejection Pesca faced last year has given him a great perspective on life, teaching him that he can achieve anything, no matter the challenges of the situation in front of him. He loves the Rocky Balboa quote, “It ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

A year later than Pesca wanted, but he can now call himself a professional pitcher.

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