Bucknell’s Closer Excited to Bring The Heat to CLPB in 2021; An Interview with Anthony Casciola
Many people love the game of baseball, but not many love the game while dominating it. Anthony Casciola is one of those guys and he cannot wait to get on the mound for the CLPB this summer!
Casciola is a 6’2, 195 lb Sophomore out of Charlotte, NC. A college baseball junkie, Anthony lives and breathes baseball. Keeping up with several of Carolina’s D1 baseball teams, Casciola cannot get enough.
He is a part of Bucknell University’s D1 team and is currently studying Biology. He hopes to benefit our world by positively impacting our current pandemic crisis.
“Ironically, even before the pandemic, I wanted to get into virology and pandemic response research, potentially for the CDC. Last year, I used to talk my teammate’s ears off about how I think COVID would reach the US and lock us down.”
Casciola credits his success to his parents, Sheila and Gene, as well as his brother, Dante, who is also studying Biology!
“Family has always been everything to me. My parents are hands down the hardest working people I know, day and night. My walk up song for Bucknell was even a shoutout tribute to them.”
Only appearing in 4 games his Freshman season, Casciola struggled to find the strike zone. With just 4 strikeouts and 11 walks in 2020, Anthony was determined to shatter his inaccuracy woes in his Sophomore year.
So far in his comeback season, Casciola has appeared in a third of the Bison’s games so far, solidifying his spot as the main closer and go-to bullpen arm in big games. His youth hindered his playing time last year, but the Bison have made a point to incorporate Anthony much more in the bullpen in 2021.
“I worked my butt off last summer to command the low 90s, and now I’m one of our top strike throwers and hardest pitchers.”
Casciola also earned his first career collegiate win last Saturday as the Bison defeated Navy 4-2. Throwing 3.2 innings while allowing just 1 run on 4 hits, he continues to strive at the Division-I level. “… my coaches brought me in relief to throw 4 innings for my first collegiate win ever earned, it felt good.”
Learning from his Freshman struggles, Casciola offers some great advice to aspiring pitchers during games: “Don’t listen to the noise from others. Don’t listen to the ‘throw strikes’ and the mockery comments about inaccuracy. Just keep doing you.”
Casciola is very excited for the Eric Cressey Throwing Program that the CLPB is offering for all pitchers. He knows this will improve his game exponentially. He explained, “It’s the next step for me for that 95 (mph) that I want so badly.”
Anthony is beyond thrilled to get to work with the Palm Beach Snowbirds and be a big impact for the team starting in June! As a must-see player this year in the CLPB, Casciola is going to bring the heat and strike out plenty of batters. We wish him all the best the rest of the way at Bucknell and upcoming this summer with the Snowbirds!