The Philly Mummers are hard to miss on the diamond, sporting an unorthodox tri-color combination of green, yellow, and pink. Their starting pitcher, Justin Marraccini, was just as hard to ignore on a hot Wednesday night in Bensalem.
The left-hander set the tone early, racking up 11 strikeouts in an 11-0 victory over the Philly Bandits.
The rising senior at Elizabethtown College struck out the side in both the first and third innings. One of the two singles he allowed didn’t leave the infield.
“Being able to locate my pitches,” Marraccini said when asked about the key to his performance. “It’s been a big problem in the past. I’ve had the stuff, but just being able to find the zone and throw all four pitches for strikes was a big factor.”
The southpaw, who made a career-high 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays last season, pummeled the zone with his four-pitch mix, keeping the Bandits' lineup off balance throughout.
Behind the backstop, his dad, Jason, held a radar gun. Normally with a camera in his hands, Jason was instead keeping tabs on his son’s velocity. Justin and his uncle, Anthony Cantore Jr., have a friendly wager to see if the young lefty can hit 92 on the gun — the fastest pitch his uncle ever threw.
“It’s been my mission to try to hit that before I leave in a year. I hope I get there,” Marraccini said.
Sitting in the mid-80s, Marraccini turned in an effort both his uncle and grandfather, Anthony Cantore Sr., would be proud of. The two have helped mold him into the pitcher he is today — especially his grandfather, with whom he shares a special bond.
“His grandfather has been his best friend since he was very young,” Jason said. “Justin’s very mature, and I think that’s why his best friend is a 68-year-old man.”
“My grandfather has been my pitching coach since I was three years old,” Marraccini said. “He’s older now, so he’s a little out of touch with some of the newer stuff, but for fastball, changeup, hand position, mechanics — he’s been so beneficial for me growing up and getting to where I am now.”
It’s been a true family effort to help Marraccini reach this point entering his senior season at Elizabethtown. From his grandfather imparting 40-plus years of baseball wisdom, to his uncle helping fine-tune his breaking pitches, to his father offering guidance as a former collegiate athlete — all have played a role.
Jason, an All-American quarterback at Lycoming College in 1998 and a Hall of Fame inductee in 2007, used his own recruiting experience nearly three decades ago to help his son manage expectations during the process.
“I think the only thing I really helped with is a little bit of attitude when it came to some of the things with recruiting — how to deal with all of that,” Jason said.
A talented photographer who has covered some of the biggest moments in Philadelphia sports for 6ABC — including the Phillies’ 2008 World Series title and the Eagles’ first Super Bowl win — Jason also used his skills behind the lens to document Justin’s games and create recruiting videos.
“It actually helped me greatly in the recruiting process,” Justin said. “Putting together videos of my outings, posting them, getting them out to college coaches — to have professional camera work like that and be able to send it to coaches, it was so big for the recruiting process.”
Justin, a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection, and his sister, Rosie — a two-time national champion in cheerleading — are used to their father snapping away at their events, capturing the biggest moments.
“I’m not a very photogenic guy, I’d like to say,” Justin said, laughing, “but it’s been really great to be able to look back on memories. I could be done playing in a year’s time, and it’ll be nice to have the pictures and videos.”
On Wednesday night, Marraccini was near picture-perfect on the mound.
“Being able to locate my pitches,” Marraccini said when asked about the key to his performance. “It’s been a big problem in the past. I’ve had the stuff, but just being able to find the zone and throw all four pitches for strikes was a big factor.”
The southpaw, who made a career-high 17 appearances out of the bullpen for the Blue Jays last season, pummeled the zone with his four-pitch mix, keeping the Bandits' lineup off balance throughout.
Behind the backstop, his dad, Jason, held a radar gun. Normally with a camera in his hands, Jason was instead keeping tabs on his son’s velocity. Justin and his uncle, Anthony Cantore Jr., have a friendly wager to see if the young lefty can hit 92 on the gun — the fastest pitch his uncle ever threw.
“It’s been my mission to try to hit that before I leave in a year. I hope I get there,” Marraccini said.
Sitting in the mid-80s, Marraccini turned in an effort both his uncle and grandfather, Anthony Cantore Sr., would be proud of. The two have helped mold him into the pitcher he is today — especially his grandfather, with whom he shares a special bond.
“His grandfather has been his best friend since he was very young,” Jason said. “Justin’s very mature, and I think that’s why his best friend is a 68-year-old man.”
“My grandfather has been my pitching coach since I was three years old,” Marraccini said. “He’s older now, so he’s a little out of touch with some of the newer stuff, but for fastball, changeup, hand position, mechanics — he’s been so beneficial for me growing up and getting to where I am now.”
It’s been a true family effort to help Marraccini reach this point entering his senior season at Elizabethtown. From his grandfather imparting 40-plus years of baseball wisdom, to his uncle helping fine-tune his breaking pitches, to his father offering guidance as a former collegiate athlete — all have played a role.
Jason, an All-American quarterback at Lycoming College in 1998 and a Hall of Fame inductee in 2007, used his own recruiting experience nearly three decades ago to help his son manage expectations during the process.
“I think the only thing I really helped with is a little bit of attitude when it came to some of the things with recruiting — how to deal with all of that,” Jason said.
A talented photographer who has covered some of the biggest moments in Philadelphia sports for 6ABC — including the Phillies’ 2008 World Series title and the Eagles’ first Super Bowl win — Jason also used his skills behind the lens to document Justin’s games and create recruiting videos.
“It actually helped me greatly in the recruiting process,” Justin said. “Putting together videos of my outings, posting them, getting them out to college coaches — to have professional camera work like that and be able to send it to coaches, it was so big for the recruiting process.”
Justin, a two-time College Sports Communicators Academic All-District selection, and his sister, Rosie — a two-time national champion in cheerleading — are used to their father snapping away at their events, capturing the biggest moments.
“I’m not a very photogenic guy, I’d like to say,” Justin said, laughing, “but it’s been really great to be able to look back on memories. I could be done playing in a year’s time, and it’ll be nice to have the pictures and videos.”
On Wednesday night, Marraccini was near picture-perfect on the mound.
