Moon HS Baseball Standout Nick Machusko Commits to Virginia
The WPIAL has an earned reputation for being a solid breeding ground for D-1 football players, but another sport is slowly catching up to high school football.
The baseball talent that the WPIAL produces on a yearly basis is something that isn’t talked about enough. Considering baseball isn’t a sport that’s able to be played year-round and is slowed down so much because of the weather makes this even more impressive.
Major leaguers such as San Diego All-Star Mason Miller (2021/3rd round pick/Bethel Park), Seattle’s Cole Young (2022/1st round pick/North Allegheny), NY Yankees David Bednar (Mars HS) and San Francisco’s Will Bednar (2021/1st round pick/Mars HS).
This past year, Montour graduate RHP Dylan Mathiesen was drafted in the 13th round by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Upper St. Clair OF Jake Casey was selected in the 15th round by the Toronto Blue Jays.
I could continue to list names, but you get the point. WPIAL schools/travel organizations have done a tremendous job of both developing players to be in the position to be drafted and a lot of those players are eventually selected in the MLB Draft.
Another name can be added to this growing list as earlier this month, Moon High School junior Nick Machusko gave a verbal commitment to play for the Virginia Cavaliers in the ACC conference. The 6’3″, 220-pound third baseman selected Virginia over other offers from Pitt and Penn State.
Prep Baseball Pennsylvania currently ranks Machusko as the No. 10 junior in the state.
“It’s a pretty crazy feeling honestly but with all of the hard work I’ve put in over the years it feels good,” Machusko tells Pittsburgh Sports Now. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was six years old. This is something that I’ve worked really hard at to try to make happen.”
That’s certainly the case as despite playing other sports such as basketball and football, Machusko realized early on that baseball was what he wanted to concentrate on.
“I started playing at such a young age and started playing with all my friends around here. Baseball was always fun and was the sport that I was best at. As I kept playing, I kept getting better so it was fun to see the progress I was making and realizing that I had the potential to play at a high D-1 level.”
That turned out to be a pretty smart decision as he’ll be taking his talents to one of the top baseball conferences and public universities in the country. Machusko will fit in just fine academically as he currently carries a 4.2 GPA.
“I was really excited after initially receiving the offer from Virginia,” said Machusko. “When I made my first visit, the campus is just amazing and everything around the area is just so nice. The campus itself is amazing, and you can just feel the atmosphere there.”
“The Virginia coaches were easily the best coaches that I’ve talked to so far. They showed me their plan, were dedicated to recruiting me and also, they were young and related well to me. Really, it was an easy decision.”
Machusko tells PSN that the part of his game that the Virginia coaches like the most is his bat, how aggressive he is in the batter’s box and his power potential.
Hitting the ball far is something Nick has done since an early age, as he hit his first HR at just six years old playing with the Moon travel team.
He’s continued to hit the long ball as he won the HR Derby at Cooperstown in the King of Swat competition.
When talking about the support he’s received over the years which allowed him to get to this point, Machusko started with his parents, Karen and Phil.
“I’d definitely say my dad was the biggest guy,” said Machusko. “He’s been my hitting coach ever since I started baseball as a little kid. He’s definitely driven me the most and pushed me to work hard. My mom and dad have supported me so much through the years with both the time and the money. My goal is to continue working hard, get better and to hopefully be able to repay them one day for everything they’ve done for me.”
“Also, the coaches at BV Baseball, they helped me so much when I was a young kid. The coaches there drove me to be the best player that I could be. “Also, Coach Daly with the Dirt Bags. He kept me calm and was always explaining the recruiting process to me. He also helped me out with getting ahold of coaches. He was just really helpful and important to me through this.”
Machusko’s Baseball Teams Throughout the Years:
-Moon Area Tigers travel team at 6 years old, thru 9 years
-Beaver Valley Baseball U-9 to U12
-Team Elite U13-U14 (national travel team)
-Marucci Spikes U16 (national travel team)
-Dirtbags U16 Fall and will do U17
Being able to make this life-changing decision as a junior relieves some stress but if you think it’s going to change his work ethic and motivation, then you don’t know Nick Machusko.
“In a way, the decision has taken a lot off my shoulders but at the same time, it’s also given me reason to keep working really hard and to try and get even better now. I still have a lot to prove and to keep producing.”
Nick tells PSN that his goal now is to try and win a lot of games with his Moon High School teammates and hopefully win a WPIAL or PIAA championship.
Down the road, Machusko hopes to become the next player from Western Pennsylvania to hear his name called in the MLB Draft.
