MCLA Beacon Online

By Amelia Cahillane

Sports Writer

The North Adams SteepleCats: a premier colligate summer baseball league at its finest. But why are the SteepleCats relevant to our school right now, when they don’t even begin convening for another two and a half months?

That’s because one of MCLA’s very own student athletes has been honored with an invitation to play for the team this summer. Junior third baseman Paul Procopio has been an asset to the MCLA baseball program since his freshman year, where he began his career as a shortstop. However, while playing in only his third college game during the Trailblazer’s annual southern trip, Procopio dislocated his shoulder and was left seeing minimal time on the playing field. Not about to let an injury get in his way, Procopio made the most of the off-season to return even stronger.

“I worked the hardest I have in my life,” said Procopio regarding his post-injury workouts.When the Trailblazer’s regular season rolled around, Procopio’s efforts definitely paid off. The recovered sophomore was moved to third base, where he played in all 31 games, starting 29 of them.In his two years at MCLA, Procopio has been a stalwart of the Trailblazer lineup both offensively and defensively. Coming off a 2009 campaign where he batted .365 with 12 doubles and 24 RBIs, it’s no wonder Procopio sought out to find an established summer league to play for at the end of his junior year. Enlisting the help of his MCLA coach, Jeff Puleri, a meeting was set up with the general manager of the North Adams SteepleCats who is responsible for the signing of new players. And the rest? History.

Growing up in Pittsfield, Procopio knew exactly who the SteepleCats were, and what they were about.“I’d heard a lot about them, and knew they were a really good organization, but I never thought I’d have the opportunity to play for them,” explained Procopio after finding out he had been signed with the team. He also reveals that he is the only individual coming to the team from a Division III school, since most of his other future teammates have backgrounds in Division I programs.

“I don’t know a single person I will be playing with this summer,” said Procopio, who will be competing alongside players from Miami, Villanova, Rutgers, UCF, Oklahoma State, St. Johns, and URI, just to name a few. With 43 scheduled games, Procopio is anticipating one of the busiest summers of his life.

So, with a huge commitment like playing for the SteepleCats taking up a good portion of the months usually utilized for money making, how’s a college kid supposed to earn any of his much needed cash?“The program provides its players with the opportunity to be a counselor at the YMCA working with kids from 8:30 in the morning until 12:30 in the afternoon, Monday through Friday,” said Procopio. Paul Procopio really has it made with his upcoming summer full of traveling, meeting new people, making money, and of course exercising his passion everyday: playing baseball.