Mike Lucarelli has had quite a few great birthdays, ripping open presents, surrounded by family.
But he’s always going to remember his 16th birthday for something he delivered.
Lucarelli, a sophomore shortstop for Paul VI High School’s baseball team, transformed his birthday from sweet to grand after bashing a grand slam in the Eagles’ opening round playoff win over rival Camden Catholic on June 1. It was his first high school home run and he picked a great time to hit it. It broke a scoreless tie, and Paul VI prevailed with a 12-2 victory and continued its postseason run.
“It was unbelievable,” Lucarelli said. “It was a really cool experience, especially on my birthday.”
Lucarelli was once again surrounded by family on his birthday as his parents and grandparents were in attendance to see his big moment. It wasn’t too much of a surprise as he comes from a tight family that has a love for baseball.
“I’m really thankful that they came,” Lucarelli said. “They’ve been watching me since I was 7 years old. It was a great experience to hit a home run for them.”
It was also in response to a teammate. Leadoff hitter John Orsmby had bragging rights up until then.
“The first game of the season, it was John Ormsby’s birthday and he hit a home run in his first at-bat,” Lucarelli said. “So he was getting on me today after my first at-bat.”
Lucarelli’s first at-bat was a double, high off the outfield fence. The second one, he didn’t miss, placing it into the woods beyond the chain-link fence. Lucarelli ended up 3-for-3 with 5 runs batted in on his special day.
“It’s funny, (Ormsby) said I needed to hit the gym after the double,” Lucarelli said with a laugh. “But I got him.”
Lucarelli has since passed the pressure to his younger brother Anthony, another ballplayer who had a birthday coming a few days later.
“My dad will probably get on him now,” Mike said. “He’s going to have to hit a home run now.”
Lucarelli enjoys being a role model for Anthony, 13, and youngest brother Sal, 8. He showed maturity at a young age by committing to play baseball at Tulane University in Louisiana in February. He visited Boston College and Richmond but fell in love with Tulane at first sight.
“I knew right away,” Lucarelli said. “I went down there and the thing that clicked for me was the coaching staff. They are great guys. The moment I stepped on (campus), I knew it was where I wanted to go.”
He also knows what he wants to do. Lucarelli is interested in anatomy and physiology and hopes to pursue something in physical therapy. He got the idea after studying his own injuries, which included a bulging disc in his back which he says was causing sciatica. He missed a few at-bats earlier this season because of it.
“I was interested in physical therapy from all the injuries in baseball,” he said. “When I’m hurt, I don’t have anything to do but study what’s hurt. I find it really interesting learning about the human body and trying to speed up my recovery.”
The attention to detail certainly helped. Lucarelli’s season turned on a dime and he became a key cog in Paul VI’s powerful lineup.
“He’s a young kid but he came into our program with big expectations,” Paul VI baseball coach Gary Sarno said. “He struggled really early in our season and now he’s finding his groove. His future is so bright. He hits, he fields and he’s a great team player. I’m just happy to have him around for a couple more years after this.”
“He’s all baseball,” Sarno said. “Even on off days, he’ll say, ‘Coach can I come hit?’ And he works a ton in the offseason, so the sky’s the limit for him.”
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