Jeff Corsaletti: Leading by Example
Tuesday, February 8, 2005 | Baseball
By Tim Casey
Senior outfielder Jeff Corsaletti is itching for Feb. 11 to arrive. After striking out in a fall workout, he slammed his bat to the ground and grimaced.
Missing a curveball in the dirt on his final at-bat of the practice left a sour taste in his mouth.
"I knew what pitch was coming, he threw it, I was just trying to foul it off," Corsaletti said. "I started out hot, and it fizzled away. I just hate to lose.
"I thank my dad for that; he gave me that competitive edge. I think that's one of the reasons I'm here today. A lot of kids just give up after they get beat. If you beat me, I want to go again. I think that comes from my parents, and Coach Mac [Pat McMahon] loves it. If it was up to me, I'd play all day."
Corsaletti enters the season as the most experienced position player on the UF roster, one of only four seniors on the team. However, after the Gators lost to Miami in the NCAA Super Regional last season, it was uncertain whether he would be back in Gainesville for his senior season.
The Cleveland Indians selected Corsaletti in the 22nd round, with the 647th overall pick, in the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft.
"I was fortunate to get drafted, but I'm glad I came back. I feel like there is unfinished business here," Corsaletti said. "I love college baseball, and I'm having a great time. Coach Mac was behind me in any decision I made. My parents supported me either way.
"It took me a month to decide, but I finally decided that I still wanted to be a Gator. The money they offered wasn't worth one year of education and a whole year of college baseball. Hopefully I get drafted again this year, but I'll worry about it when it happens."
Last year, Corsaletti played and started in 63 of UF's 65 games, making 55 starts in center field and eight in left field. He was third on the team with his .323 (81-of-251) batting average. Corsaletti drove in 43 RBI and scored 47 times, hitting 12 doubles, two triples and five home runs.
"Everybody wants to improve home runs," Corsaletti said. "I'd like to hit 12-13 home runs this year. But, at the same time, if I hit five or six and we go to Omaha, that's fine with me. I just look at on-base percentage; I've never been a power guy.
"I just try to put the ball in play, a RBI will present itself, and I'll try to pick up a run. As for home runs, I just take them when they happen."
His 11 stolen bases were second on the squad and he also held a .409 on-base percentage. Corsaletti had a career best 14-game hit streak (March 12-April 3) and was named SEC Player of the Week on May 3.
Two summers ago, Corsaletti underwent shoulder surgery. Unable to work on his upper body, he spent every day in the weight room doing leg exercises.
That work paid off, as Corsaletti saw a significant change in his speed entering last season, cutting down his 60-yard dash time from 6.8 to 6.6 seconds.
"I think that's one of the big reasons I got drafted and why I'm in center field," Corsaletti said. "You can't teach speed and it's tough to come by. I'm thankful for what's happened."
One person who is glad that Corsaletti spurned the majors during the off-season is UF coach Pat McMahon.
He's seen the senior's development and now depends on him as much as he does any player on the roster.
"Jeff is an outstanding young man, who has been a starter every season of his carrer for us," McMahon said. "He provides a tremendous ammount of leadership and is someone we will count on heavily during the upcoming season."
In the postseason, Corsaletti was named to NCAA Regional All-Tournament team and had a hit in 12 of the final 15 games of the season.
His most recent successes could be because of his past dedication in his off-seasons. During the summers of 2002 and 2004, Corsaletti played for the Rochester (Minn.) Honkers of the Northwoods League with several UF teammates.
"I didn't play the whole summer; I didn't know if I was going to sign or not," Corsaletti said. "I got up there July 15, just wanted to get some ABs with the wood bats."
Corsaletti, a life-time Red Sox fan, has drawn inspiration from watching the 2004 American League Championship Series.
"I'm a huge Red Sox fan," he said. "The Sunday they were down 3-0 to the Yankees, my sister and I were in the car coming home from church. She asked how I thought they would do. I said I didn't know."
Corsaletti's sister, who is a sophomore at UF, predicted that Boston pitcher Derek Lowe was due, that he'd pitch well, and the Red Sox would be all right since they won four in a row against the Yankees in the regular season, and could do it again.
"I laughed, I didn't think anything was going to happen," Corsaletti said.
"Sure enough, they win eight in a row to win the World Series. The night they won, she called me up going crazy. It shows you anything can happen, never to give up."
With that mentality adopted by the team, he has predicted that the 2005 Gators will improve on last season's success.
"Last year, I thought we were one pitcher short. This year our pitching staff, with the crop of new pitchers, is a real good one," he said. "Every team in the SEC can hit. We've hit ever since I've been here, just missing that one guy.
"This year we have a bunch of guys who want to pitch and want to compete."
He stressed how important it was that the new players learn not to get overconfident, despite playing well in fall scrimmages.
"It seems like we always have to go through Miami to get through the postseason. The SEC is tough. There isn't a single team that you can plan to sweep," Corsaletti said. "Having so many new guys, it's going to take them a while for them to learn that. We're trying to press the issue that you can't take anyone lightly."
Through it all this off-season, Corsaletti knows that he will be a key in UF's success. But that's how he wants it and why he told the big leauges to wait.
"I love to compete. Hopefully this will be my best year. I hope to go out with a bang," Corsaletti said. "I have high expectations for this team. We have a lot of talent and lot of competitors, and I think we're going to surprise a lot of people this year."
-UF-
