MAC ATTACK: Meara prepares for next step in journey

BY HANNAH NEWMAN / For Jersey Baseball Nation

The younger the age the bigger the dream.

That’s what Hamilton West pitcher Mac Meara believed as his love for baseball strengthened the older he got, while his collision with reality heightened with age.

A left-handed pitcher who had a dream of going to the majors from the age of four, Meara was able to find his dream within the dream and commit to Catholic University for baseball, a team that made it to the 2022 Division III College World Series.

“MLB is everyone’s dream, but it died out the older I got. My main goal was to play college baseball once I found out what was realistic,” said Meara.

At the age of eight, Meara joined his first travel team for his hometown but his relationship with the game started to intensify at the age of 11 when he started playing for Tri-State Arsenal Baseball. This is where connections to his future began to grow since the majority of those players later committed to playing Division I baseball.

By the age of 14, Meara started to train at the Centercourt facilty in Lawrence and did so until around the time of his commitment to Catholic last November. This summer, Meara will playing for the Trenton Generals in the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League.

As maturation grew with his experience as a player, Meara realized that obtaining a goal has little to do with expertise. It’s the work put in when no one is watching that is most visibly seen.

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“I think learning that maybe when your younger talent can only get you so far, but now hard work is the biggest thing,” Meara said. “Seeing how big the commitment to the game is – getting up at 6 a.m. for workouts or finding time to go to the gym at 10 p.m. It is not all sunshine and rainbows, but in the end when the progress shows you will be happy with the improvements you have made.”

Meara wasn’t even aware the first time Catholic University observed him during his sophomore year. The second time Catholic watched Meara play was his first encounter with the assistant coach.

Catholic University acknowledged that Meara put on weight from working out. At that moment, Meara realized that the work put in when no one is watching is the first thing people see.

“From his sophomore year to his junior year he realized that getting into the weight room was going to take his game to the next level,” Hamilton coach Mike Moceri said. “He put on about 20 pounds of muscle and it really transformed his game both on the mound and at the plate. He is continuing to grow mentally; once he figures out how to control his emotions and slow down the game, he is going to be a complete player at the next level.”

As Meara’s final high school season approaches abruptly, and the next level of his baseball career follows behind, he is sure to keep in mind his goal to pitch as a freshman at Catholic University. With his future in mind, Meara will be bringing a new mindset to the mound filled with determination to see himself pitching with a Catholic University uniform in just a few short months.