ULM Warhawks

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
 
MONROE, La. – The Marucci name is a famous brand in the world of wooden bats and sports apparel.

Here lately, the Marucci name has been a big one around the ULM baseball program too.

Thrust into action because of an injury five games ago, ULM senior outfielder Gino Marucci has been the hottest Warhawk in the lineup during a four-game winning streak.

Marucci hit .600 (9-of-15) with five RBIs, a home run and scored seven runs in a win over Grambling State and a three-game sweep of Georgia State. He's the reigning Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week.

"It's been a lot of fun," Marucci said. "I've been having the time of my life. The best thing is just that we're winning. That's all that I want for the team is for us to win. I'm just glad that we're all having fun."

The Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native has hit safely in all five games since becoming a starter following the shoulder injury to Turner Francis in Game 3 of the series at Coastal Carolina.

"I hate that one of our guys got hurt and that's how he got his opportunity," ULM coach Michael Federico said. "But it's been neat to see that. There's probably a little pressure on him because of his name, but he's a great kid. He's got the best smile and the best hair on the team."

Long before he was part of the ULM Warhawks family, Marucci played a major role in his father Jack Marucci's legendary foray into making customized wooden bats. As a young boy, he asked his father to make him a bat he could swing.

"I couldn't find one my size," Gino Marucci said. "He learned how to hand cut when he took wood shop in high school. He had a little shed and that's how he used to make 'em. He'd be out there for hours trying to make hand-cut bats."

From those humble beginnings making the "Gino Crusher," Jack Marucci (LSU's director of athletic training for more than 20 years) launched "The Marucci Bat Company." Now hundreds of Major Leaguers are swinging his signature lumber, including Albert Pujols, who recently collected his 3,000th hit.

"It's really cool," Marucci said. "I'd have never guessed that it would blow up into what it is today."

A product of University High in Baton Rouge, Marucci transferred to ULM from the University of Houston.

"I remember him going to Houston," Federico said. "He could really, really run but he got hurt. When I got the job here, I saw his name on the roster. I knew who he was, but I'd never really talked to him. From the moment I first talked to him, his charisma and his personality were just amazing."

Although his playing time was limited until recently, he's been a model teammate.

"It's been hard at times but growing up, my dad always taught me to be patient," Marucci said. "He said 'Your time is going to come. It's what you do with it when you get your chance.' I just tried to make the most of it."
  
Once he's finished at ULM, Marucci said he plans to go to graduate school. He's aiming to head back home and attend LSU.

"I plan on going to grad school for business," said Marucci, who has seen a great American success story first hand.

Walk into any sporting goods store and you're bound to see the Marucci name and logo on apparel and baseball gear, representing the "Marucci Sports" company that investors built out of the original bat business.

"It definitely makes me proud of my dad, but it's kind of weird sometimes," Marucci said. "It took a little getting used to. I'm really proud of my dad and what he's made it into and everyone who contributed and made it what it is."

Said Federico: "I recruited a kid one time whose mom started Build-a-Bear, but I never got him. But Gino has been a neat story. I remember watching him as a young kid in summer ball. I didn't really know the whole bat story though."

So what kind of bat does Marucci swing for ULM?

"It's a Marucci," he said, smile widening. "I can't stay away from it."