July 1, 2009

VILLANOVA, Pa. - An important part of the recruiting philosophy for head baseball coach Joe Godri is an emphasis on finding players that demonstrate all-around athletic ability in addition to their baseball skills. Of the 35 players on the Villanova roster for the 2009 season, 24 lettered in more than one sport in high school. The goal of this philosophy is to produce what Godri calls "two-way" players for the Wildcats - individuals who will make contributions as hitters, position players and on the mound.

In recent years, Villanova has taken this idea a step further, as Godri can now describe his "two-way" players as the ones who excel in more than one sport while wearing a Wildcat uniform. The baseball team currently has three players - outfielder Matt Szczur (Erma, N.J.), shortstop Marlon Calbi (Montclair, N.J.) and relief pitcher Christian Culicerto (Charlotte, N.C.) - who are also on the football team at Villanova.

Two things stick out about the contributions these players have made to their teams. First, it is a testament to their athletic prowess that their specific individual strengths are what make them successful in both of their respective sports. Second, they have had an opportunity to demonstrate their abilities against some of the top competition in the nation. The latter point became even more noticeable last week at the conclusion of baseball's College World Series.

It is one thing to talk about scheduling tough opponents but, for the Villanova baseball and football teams, the facts speak for themselves. The baseball team opened the 2009 season with a three-game series at Louisiana State, their third series against a Southeastern Conference opponent in the last five years. The Tigers went on to capture this year's national title, just as Wildcat football rival Richmond did in last fall's Division I Football Championship.

One other school - University of Virginia - played both LSU in baseball and Richmond in football this past year. However, the Wildcats stood alone in having players - Szczur and Calbi - play both sports against the eventual national champion. Szczur was the starting right fielder for the baseball team this spring after a breakout football campaign in which he was used as a wide receiver, a running back, a return man and even on direct snaps when Villanova went to, naturally, a Wildcat formation.

Calbi played 43 games at shortstop on the diamond for Villanova, starting 33 of those contests. A quarterback by trade, he made a contribution on special teams in football, playing in all 13 games as the team's primary holder on placekicks. Culicerto, also a backup quarterback, pitched in two games out of the bullpen for the Wildcats after gaining the attention of the baseball coaches with his strong left arm.

The earlier point about Villanova's two-sport athletes using the same attributes to succeed in both sports is remarkable. Szczur's speed and athleticism helped him earn second team All-Colonial Athletic Association honors in football last fall. He was third on the team in both rushing yards and receiving yards and was second on the squad in all-purpose yards. Szczur shone brightest in a first round playoff game against Colgate, when he recorded three touchdowns in a 55-28 romp. His scores included a 91-yard kickoff return on the opening play of the game, a four-yard touchdown run and a 16-yard reception.

Szczur is a sophomore academically, but redshirted his freshman baseball season in 2007 with a sports hernia injury. This past winter, his busy baseball preseason schedule coincided with offseason football workouts, a dilemma that made him think twice about playing two sports. By all accounts, his decision to tweak his schedule so that he could continue playing both sports was a good one.

His collegiate baseball debut came in the season opener against LSU on February 20, nearly two years after his last appearance in a baseball game, as a senior at Lower Cape May Regional High School. Szczur went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in that first game against the Tigers. And after that? The next day he singled to begin a 15-game hitting streak during which he batted .436 and struck out just three times in 68 plate appearances. For the season, he led the team in runs (45), hits (65), batting average (.346) and on-base percentage (.438), while tying for the lead in stolen bases with 18. He was named a freshman All-America selection by Ping! Baseball and his batting average was fourth among all BIG EAST freshmen.

What Szczur has done with his speed, Calbi has done with is arm. He was a quarterback for the football team at Montclair High School, earning three letters in football and four in baseball. Clearly he has a strong arm, but it was his steady hands that got him into football games as the holder last fall. Villanova went 10-3, made its first playoff appearance since 2002 and advanced to the second round before falling to CAA rival James Madison. Calbi played in all 13 games.

He came to Villanova with hopes of being able to play baseball for the Wildcats, but there were no guarantees for Calbi, even as the 2009 season got underway. In the season opener, though, he was pressed into immediate action in the bottom of the first inning when a teammate was injured. Calbi wound up splitting time in the infield all season long, batting .238 with 18 walks and a .350 on-base percentage while playing excellent defense at shortstop.

An even more unlikely story was that of Culicerto, a late baseball walk-on thanks to a notably strong throwing arm. Less than two weeks into the season, he found his way into game action in a rather unique scenario. He entered a game with the bases loaded and two outs in an inning in which the opponent had already scored 10 runs, and promptly retired the side on one pitch before going on to pitch a 1-2-3 inning in the next frame. Culicerto made two appearances and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, during which he allowed just one single and retired seven of the eight batters he faced.

Possibly the best attribute of all that these three players offered Villanova this season was their age. Each member of the trio as three years of baseball eligibility remaining and is part of a young Wildcat roster that will return all but five graduating seniors to next spring's squad.

Between now and then, be sure to catch these Villanova two-sport student-athletes in action this coming fall. The Wildcat football season begins on Thursday, September 3 when Villanova takes on Temple at Lincoln Financial Field.