Bryan Cole / Collegian File Photo

Fresno State̢۪s superstar third baseman had humble beginnings in the Valley

The confetti has been cleared off Beiden Field and a new season has commenced. One star that is back on the diamond this season is last year̢۪s College World Series MVP Tom Mendonca.

Mendonca gained so much recognition after the championship that he was invited to participate in summer competition with the U.S. national team, and has garnered attention from all 30 Major League teams.

The Collegian sat down with Mendonca to talk about his background, baseball, and to find out what life is like in the limelight as one of the most famous students on campus.

QUESTION: Your uncle played for the Philadelphia Phillies, and your dad is a coach. Is that why you got into baseball?

ANSWER: My family has been in baseball since even before I was born. Baseball is in the family.

Q: How long have you been playing?

A: Since I was 7.

Q: Do you remember your first home run?

A: I think it was when I was 10. When I was 9 it was just a triple. Yeah it was when I was 10.

Q: You were hitting it over the fence at 10 years old?

A: Yeah, it was in an all-star game, I remember that.

Q: You grew up on a dairy farm in Turlock. What were your duties on the farm?

A: Mainly I would sit back and watch because I was younger. I was a farmhand, helped clean up, miscellaneous stuff. I have done it all. I̢۪ve dehorned cows, I̢۪ve moved cows from cast stalls and helped sick cows and stuff.

Q: Would you attribute your personality to growing up on the dairy farm?

A: Yeah, I had two great parents and a brother. They layed the rules down and I followed them. Made me who I am today.

Q: Did any of that work help with baseball?

A: The only thing is weird strength techniques from picking up hay bails. You have to be strong for that. I would always practice hitting. I would pick up dead fruit and hit it.

Q: With all the stats and records last year, one stood out: 97 strikeouts.

A: Yeah, I think it̢۪s 99. Everyone says 97, but I was sure I had 99.

Q: OK, 99, what happened? Were you being too aggressive?

A: Early in the season, I didn’t have a good plan so I had a lot of strikeouts. I heard a story once that helped. One time at a batting practice, Bobby Bonds consistently hit great singles and doubles. The players asked him why he didn’t hit like that in the game. He pointed to the outfield and said, “There’s gold in those trees.â€Â Bobby Bonds set the record for strikeouts too. If you’re going to hit home runs, you’re going to get strikeouts. I’d love to cut down on the strikeouts, but it really doesn’t bother me anymore.

Q: The right frame of mind is key in baseball. Coach Batesole says that you are always very calm, even in slumps. What keeps you focused?

A: When you̢۪re in a slump, not much can get worse. You̢۪re just looking for that one positive thing. You think about it, but the more you think about it the more of a slump you̢۪re going to be in. You take every at-bat one pitch at a time. If you hit it, good, if not, you̢۪re back in the same spot. It̢۪s tough but everyone goes through it. Robin Ventura was an All-American in college, but he started 0-for-40 in his first major league season. I talked to him; he said it happens in baseball. It̢۪s a good game, but you hate it too.

Q: Has life gone back to normal this semester?

A: At the beginning of last semester it was pretty cool, people still remembered, but it̢۪s long gone.

Q: What was it like when you got back from Omaha?

A: I actually went away for a month to play baseball so by the time I got back it had died down [in Fresno] and back home so I didn̢۪t get to live it up, which is probably the best thing that happened so I didn̢۪t get caught up in it.

Q: You have to miss a lot of class. Does that affect your grades?

A: Yeah, I mean I got a 3.75 last semester, but it’s tough. I mean, for example, I missed some class last week and now I’m going to miss more class this week. People are always like, ‘oh cool you get to miss class,’ but it’s not cool. I want to get good grades and it can be difficult. It’s easy to get behind.

Q: Any thoughts on what you̢۪re doing next year?

A: Really, I try to not be caught up in all of that. As I said, it̢۪s preseason stuff, I don̢۪t even know; I am not worried about it. I̢۪m here to play baseball for Fresno State. If I̢۪m so lucky to have a chance to play professional baseball, I̢۪ll take a look then.