This is the ninth of a planned series of feature stories about Carthage College athletics and its athletes to be written by veteran Milwaukee-area sports writer Jerry Karpowicz. Click here for a story archive.
Mike Petti is supposed to send any number of baseballs into the outfield for hits this week. Instead, he suffered a hit that will keep him from doing that.
Petti is supposed to do what he has done during this, his senior season, for the Carthage baseball team. Get on base. Instead, Petti, who admits he is not a rah-rah type, will cheer on his teammates and offer tips if he sees the need.
About a month too soon, Petti's season came to an abrupt end. What the heck, let's say it is an unfair end.
Augie Schmidt IV has had all types of tough losses during his 24 years as coach of the Red Men. Losing Petti, his right fielder and a young man who thrived in the No. 2 spot in the batting order, to a broken wrist May 3 is as gut-wrenching as any of them.
You can hear it in Schmidt's voice.
“It was just one of those things,” Schmidt says. He offers a little laugh to mask the sadness. “As a coach, it just kind of makes you sick to your stomach, because you know what the kid has done for four years, what he's put into this. To lose him on a play, that, heck we do it in practice, just part of being a baseball player ... I've been around long enough to know that these things do happen, and it's a, it's just one of those freak things.”
It was the bottom of the seventh inning at Concordia (Wis.). There was a fly ball that, with the help of a healthy puff from Mother Nature, was going to make catching it a little more difficult than it should have.
“Right away, I knew it was mine, and I called the second baseman off,” says Petti, who turned 22 on May 10. “The wind just kind of held it up, and it seemed like it kind of pushed back toward the infield, and when I slid feet first I just couldn't get there. Usually I can slide, get under the ball and that's it. It was starting to sail pretty bad. Then I knew I wasn't going to be able to get there, so that's when I had the awkward slide to really try and get under the ball. And that's when it happened.”
It Looked Bad
Petti's left (glove) hand “gets bent backward with a lot of force,” Schmidt says.
The ball falls for a single. Petti does not get up.
“Out of 100 times, he probably wouldn't get hurt but once, and that was the one time where something freaky happens,” Schmidt says. “Mike's a real tough kid, and when he stayed down, we pretty much knew. The only question was what (the injury) was.”
Petti, an exercise and sport science major, had a bad feeling.
“I got nauseous, and it's kind of a sign when you get light headed and all the blood is rushing to the injured area and you kind of get woozy,” says Petti, who was, admirably, in the dugout to support his teammates a day after his surgery. “I kind of knew right away, when I couldn't move my fingers, when I saw how rapid the swelling was. I kind of knew from studying the body and all the muscles and bones, The X-rays showed right away it was broken in four spots.”
Carthage assistant coach
Cory Everts, also a trainer, went out to attend to Petti. Schmidt stayed back at the dugout.
“Just kind of praying, I guess, that he was OK,” Schmidt says. “It's a hard situation, because you could tell by the look on Mike's face. He knew he was done, walking off the field. He was really in a lot of pain. We just had to get him situated and just try to take care of him. For a kid like him, the emotional pain was probably worse the physical pain. Just kind of knowing that it's all over, and that type of thing.”
What did Schmidt say to Petti? What could he say?
“We're just telling him to hang in there,” Schmidt says. “It was really quiet. We went on to win the game, and it didn't really feel like we won. Quietest bus ride home from a win I've ever been on. Michael was on there. We just wanted to get home, get him to the hospital and get it checked out. Of course, we were all keeping our fingers crossed, but we kind of knew that it was bad.”
While you cannot feel Petti's pain, you have to feel for him. You have to feel sad that his collegiate baseball playing days ended the way they did.
He Was Hot, Red Hot
Petti was having a terrific season. In fact, you can make a case for Petti receiving some type of All-America recognition. He should be a cinch for All-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin.
Petti batted a team-leading .418 (51-for-122), with 13 doubles, 4 home runs, 40 runs and a team-high 19 multiple-hit games (he twice had four hits). The left-handed hitter's on-base percentage of .486 led the team, and his slugging percentage of .623 trailed only Will Hodges (.637). He was a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases.
Petti led the CCIW in batting (conference games only) at .432 and in runs (30), was second in on-base percentage (.506), tied for second in doubles (9), third in hits (32), fourth in slugging percentage (.716) and fifth in total bases (53).
In NCAA statistics through May 8, Petti was 38th among Division III schools in runs per game (1.25), 62nd in batting average (.418) and 77th in doubles per game (.77).
The season did not get off to a hot start. After five games, Petti was batting .154, but a 10-game hitting streak during which he was 22-for-41 (.557) boosted his average to .444. In his final 17 games, he “cooled off” to .397, but had his best game against Wheaton on April 13 when he went 4-for-5 (two home runs, a double and a single) with five RBIs and a school-record-tying five runs.
Asked to pick one game that stood out, Schmidt painted with a broader brush.
“Lotta good ones,” Schmidt says. “He went on a tear. He was just on a tear. There were a bunch of games. He was just so consistent. One game to the next, he was getting after it. Even when it didn't show up in the box score, he was hitting the ball hard. Even his outs were hard. It's been more of an all-season run for him. Hitting in the two spot, we kind of had a three-headed monster with him Joey Aiello and Will Hodges. That was the meat of our order, and very rarely would you be able to stop all three of them.”
Petti made the best of his opportunity as a senior. As a junior, he hit a team-high .431 in part-time duty, getting only nine starts and playing in 29 of the team's 47 games. As this season approached, Schmidt had Petti pegged as his right fielder.
“All of a Sudden, Kaboom, Man”
“He did start slow in Florida, but the thing is, we're facing very, very good competition,” Schmidt says. “We play really good competition in Florida, and the pitching we're facing is as good as we're going to face all year.
“The slow start didn't concern me. He was going to be our right fielder, we knew that. It was just a matter of him getting comfortable, and once he did, all of a sudden, kaboom, man. He went from really struggling to being kind of our most consistent guy, easily, for the whole rest of the season until his injury.”
Petti had a good feeling about this season. He followed last season with a good summer with the Kenosha Merchants and carried that through his fall and winter preparations.
“This year I expected to start,” says Petti, who was also good with the glove, making one error in 44 chances and throwing out three runners. “Especially as a senior, I had a great, great summer going into my senior year, and as a junior, I finished the season off as a DH and had a great end of the year. Going through conference and regionals, played really well. Had a great summer, had a pretty good fall, and had no problems going through winter.
“I put a lot of work into it the last four years, so I was hoping to have a real good senior season, finish strong. I learned a ton from when I came in to now.”
Now. Now he has his arm in a sling. With the CCIW tournament beginning May 12 and, hopefully, an NCAA bid to follow. The timing of the injury is hard to accept.
“Right around the playoffs, when it was most important,” Petti says. “It couldn't have come at a worse time. But, you know, things happen.”
The Red Men split their first four games without Petti, missing the chance to win the CCIW title and with it the opportunity to play host to the conference tournament. Schmidt realizes his team must move on, and do it quickly.
He Sets an Example
“Being a coach for 20-some years, you have season-ending injuries to guys, and every once in awhile you have one of these where it just kind knocks the wind out of you,” Schmidt says. “Michael has a lot of do with our team. He is kind of our quiet leader-type of a guy. I don't know if he even looks at himself as a leader, but he is. It says all the right things. He works real hard. He leads by example.
“You can't lose a guy that's our leading hitter, and has just been there every game. ... We're trying to replace him by committee. That's part of being a team. Somebody goes down, somebody else steps in. But it's hard to replace a senior who is having a fantastic year. We've got some young kids who are trying, and we've just got to hope they get better real soon here. It's definitely affected our team.”
Schmidt feels fortunate to have Petti. He is the kind of player a coach enjoys watching grow.
“Michael was one of those guys, any other program, most any other Division III school, he would have been starting a lot sooner,” Schmidt says. “He was behind some really good players. He worked his tail off, and never was a problem. Did all the right things. Really worked hard in the weight room. I think that's why the injury hurt so much, because he was a guy who had patience, and a guy that didn't have to have everything now, and was just a good team guy. And it's finally his time to shine, and he's taking advantage of it. You enjoy nothing more as a coach to see a kid, where the hard work pays off, and watching him and really enjoying watching him play. That's why the injury hurts more.
“The kids don't have a lot of patience nowadays, and everybody wants to play right away, and everybody thinks they're ready to play, even if they're not. He's kind of like an old throwback type of guy, and boy, as a coach, you love guys like him, and then ... and then ... to have the year he had really sets an example for some of the young kids in the program. 'Hey, even if you don't get to play a ton, keep working and eventually you'll get your chance.' ”
Petti says it has been difficult to adjust to his role as observer. It is difficult to stay on an even emotional level.
“It's definitely not fun to watch, especially with all the time and effort and everything that I put into it,” Petti says. “It's not fun to watch. Definitely not fun to watch when we're not winning. When we're winning, it's great to see other guys in there and watching them. I wish I could definitely help out the team like I was doing, but it's an opportunity for the other guys to get in and step up, and like Augie says, that's why we're a team and not an individual sport. They're going to have to step up.
“I'm not a rah-rah type of guy, but I definitely will cheer guys on and I like to be around the guys in the dugout. Give the guys a pointer here or there if I see something. I don't sit there with my head down and sulk. That's not going to do anything. I definitely will cheer on, gives the guys high fives, pat on the butt when something's not going good.
“We play probably, one of the toughest schedules in Division III, with all the teams we played down in Florida. So, hopefully, we do have a pretty good shot at a regional berth if we don't win the CCIW. But our plan is to win the CCIW and go into regionals that way.”
Lesson Learned
Petti, a past member of the athletic director's honor roll, will graduate this month. He hopes to land a job in personal training “anywhere around here, back in Illinois (his home is in Mundelein). Looking to coach high school sports, football, baseball.”
Schmidt has a clear view of the big picture. He was proud to hear Petti used the words “things happen” when talking about his injury.
“We talk a lot about that,” Schmidt says. “That's Michael's approach. He's really matured during his time at Carthage. I don't think he'd have that attitude as a freshman. But as a senior, he understands. This is a big setback, and it definitely hurts.”
Schmidt laughs.
“Life's going to throw a whole lot more at him than this, and all he can do is deal with what happened and move forward,” Schmidt says. “Hopefully, that's what he's doing. He's been around every day, and it IS what he's doing. He's been at every game, even the day after the big surgery. He's still there, and he's got a great attitude.
“That really is the story. One side of it is, how his hard work paid off, and how perseverance and maybe not getting as much as some of the other kids those first three years and then coming back and do what he did for the fourth year. And I think the other side of the story is that, hey, things happens. Deal with it, and move on. That's what he's doing.”
Five questions for Mike Petti
Cubs, White Sox or someone else?: “Someone else. I was born in New York, huge Yankees fan. Definitely cheer on the Yankees.”
What's your favorite music on your iPod?: “Down in Florida, I always put my iPod in the van when we were driving to the games. We listen to all types of stuff, either rock music or rap. Either rock or rap.”
Favorite food: “Probably cheeseburgers. Cheeseburgers or burritos. Probably burritos from Qdoba. Anyplace with a cheeseburger.”
Favorite class: “Any class with
Cory Everts, he's the pitching coach. So any class with him. He teaches some good classes inside the major. I love his classes. I think he's a great teacher, and I learned a lot from him. So anything with Cory, is a great class to take.”
What will you miss most about Carthage?: “Oh, baseball, for sure. To be part of the team, and the tradition of Carthage baseball. I'll definitely still root for the team, and check in from time to time. Playing baseball and being part of the team at Carthage.”
