LH grad Marra reaches milestone at Cal
Before he takes over for his father at Marra鈥檚 Mountaineer Sport Shop, Santino Marra plans on finishing his final season at California in style.
Marra, a 2020 graduate of Laurel Highlands, is hitting .431 this season through 36 games with 12 doubles, four home runs and 30 RBIs. He has 53 hits and scored 32 runs.
Marra reached a program milestone on April 6 in Game 2 of a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West doubleheader against Clarion at EQT Park in recording his 200th-career hit on a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Marra became the eighth player in program history with 200 hits.
鈥淚 have put in a lot of work since I鈥檝e been here,鈥 Marra said. 鈥淚 took a redshirt my freshman year because guys were coming back that didn鈥檛 get to play in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that provided me with a year to develop and get used to facing college pitching.鈥
Marra missed his senior year of high school baseball due to COVID, which was difficult enough, but compounded because the Mustangs had a strong returning class a year after playing for the Class 5A WPIAL championship.
The 2019 Class 5A district title game was held, ironically, at EQT Park when it was known as, 鈥淲ild Things Park.鈥
鈥淚t was really tough to have all that happen because we were really confident going into our senior year because we had most of our top guys coming back,鈥 Marra said. 鈥淲e went through game situations in practice during my redshirt year, but it wasn鈥檛 like a game. I had almost two years of not playing games, which had never happened since I started playing baseball.鈥
Marra didn鈥檛 let the time off affect his play, as he batted .340 in 42 games during his freshman season in 2022. He had a .404 average as a sophomore, and hit .310 last season.
Marra was listed at 165 pounds when he arrived at California, but has added 20 pounds of muscle.
鈥淚 spent a lot of days in the weight room working on my strength, which has helped because I believe I can hit for power and average,鈥 Marra said. 鈥淚 have worked on hitting to right field, and I had to adjust to the velocity because most guys in college throw in the 90s.鈥
Playing at EQT Park, which is the home field for the Vulcans, has its advantages when it comes to hitting.
鈥淚t is a really good hitters鈥 park,鈥 Marra said. 鈥淭he wind will blow out a lot. When we played there in the WPIAL title game, I wasn鈥檛 that far in my recruiting, so I really didn鈥檛 know if I would ever play at that field again.鈥
Marra played second base in high school, and that has carried over to the collegiate level. He has a career fielding percentage of .968.
The Vulcans have 15 regular season games remaining, and possibly the PSAC tournament. Marra is eager to see how they finish, and he believes the team has the potential to have a postseason run.
鈥淲e have really good arms on our team, and a lot of depth on the bench. I believe we can make a push.鈥
Marra, who plays in the Fayette County Baseball League for M&R Transit, which is managed by his dad, Buddy Marra, said he would definitely give professional baseball a shot if given the opportunity.
Santino Marra cherishes the time playing in the county league because he gets to not only play for his dad, but the majority of the team is made up of players he went to high school with.
M&R Transit has won three straight county league championships. Marra hit a grand slam in Game 5 of last year鈥檚 championship series to help M&R Transit to a 3-2 series win over Carmichaels.
鈥淚t鈥檚 great to not only play for my dad, but get to play with guys from high school,鈥 Marra said. 鈥淚t is definitely for the love of the game. We plan on putting together a team this summer, and we will see if we can win another one.鈥
If baseball didn鈥檛 take up enough time, Marra is working towards his master鈥檚 degree in professional accountancy. He earned his undergraduate degree in accounting with a minor in finance.
Marra works at his dad鈥檚 shop when he can, and would like to keep the business running once his father retires.