Jack Moriarty – Down in the Dirt for Millis Baseball

Millis baseball captain Jack Moriarty is a dirt dog in the true sense. The senior catcher doesn’t mind getting his uniform dirty; in, fact he’d rather prefer it.
The three-sport athlete (baseball, football and basketball) began playing baseball like most at an early age, and although the diamond is his first love, he says there is nothing like football. Catcher became his main position while playing double A baseball in Millis (second grade), and although he has played third base for the Mohawks, calling the plays from behind the plate is where he’d rather be.
“I came in contact with playing catcher in Double A when we rotated through the positions,” Moriarty said. “I just remember doing whatever I needed to do to keep that ball in front of me and not get past me. I fell in love with the position right there.”
It was here he developed his dirt dog mentality and his passion for actual dirt on his uniform. Moriarty believes first and foremost no matter what position you’re playing, you can’t let the ball get past you.
“Whether I’m playing catcher of third base I’ll do anything that I can to knock the ball down and keep it in front of me,” he said.
Millis Head Coach Mike Carter agrees.
“On the field, he’s a hard working individual that’s high dedicated to getting better. He doesn’t fear the ball at all and will use whatever body part he has to knock the ball down and keep it in front of him to make the play,” the Coach said. “As a coach, you definitely want to see your players field the ball cleanly; Jack’s not perfect but he gets the job done. And when you talk about getting dirty – that’s definitely him.”
It was around sixth grade when the Millis captain realized that he had what it takes to play catcher on the high school team. Playing on a bigger diamond, he was one of the only ones who could make the throw to second base from behind the plate. Although he knew that he could play the came on a higher level, he was not exactly ready for what was to come.
“Playing for the junior varsity team was a big adjustment; the game was so much quicker that what I was used to,” Moriarty said. “And when I made it to the varsity team, it was even quicker.”
As a freshman and sophomore, Moriarty found himself behind the plate for the Mohawks junior varsity team with an occasional call up to varsity. Although he only found himself involved in a handful of games for the varsity team, he would have like to play more especially since his older brother Colin was a senior at the time.
In his junior season, he found his way to the varsity squad for good. Unfortunately, there was a senior catcher on the team, so Moriarty found his way to the infield.
“Jack was our mainstay catcher on the JV team his freshman and sophomore years, but when he got to the varsity team in his junior year, there was an established senior catcher in his way so we put him at third,” Carter said. “This year, he should see the majority of his time behind the plate, but when you’re looking to put together the best defense in the field he may see some time at third. He’ll be in the starting lineup somewhere, that you can count on.”
While his defense is definitely to notch, Moriarty struggled at the plate last spring. According to Carter, it got to him early and he just couldn’t adjust.
“I started the season out ok, but then I hit a bad slump and never could get out of it,” Moriarty said. “I had played in a good league prior to my junior year so it wasn’t like I didn’t know how to hit. I know I can hit, but my confidence was just not there when I got into that slump and couldn’t shake it – it became a mental thing more than anything else.”
So, with hitting being an issue last year, the senior captain took right to the batting cages as soon as basketball was complete, and as he enters his final campaign as a Mohawk, he feels zoned in and comfortable at the plate.
“Playing behind the plate is second nature,” he said. “My goal this year is to get the bat on the ball and be a consistent hitter at the plate. As for the team, I’m looking to be a competitive team in the Tri Valley League, especially since last year was tough.”
If his extra hitting in the offseason has indeed improved his batting skills, Moriarty may see his name higher in the lineup this season.
“He’s typically been one of our better doubles guys,” the coach said. “Last year, he was hitting down near the bottom of the lineup, but if he fixed his swing he’ll be near the top this year. Jack’s a tough at bat and doesn’t go down that easy.”
Carter is hoping that his catcher has improved his batting so that he can help this team improve in the Tri Valley League and hopefully earn a trip to the tournament.