DEMOLITION MANN

For a long time, in fact, Mann’s been nothing short of excellent, pacing the Crimson in several offensive categories from day one. He was designated second team All-Ivy as a DH last year, after scoring 31 runs and knocking in 29, both of which were good for second on the team. As a freshman, he ranked fourth on the squad in batting average and second in RBI as well.

But only this year is Mann getting the opportunity to be the full-time catcher, something he probably would have had for the past two seasons on any other, thinner Ivy team.

Not that he minds, of course.

“As a freshman, I accepted the role of getting to start some games and getting to DH the rest, and that was great for me,” he recalls. “Then, last year, I heard about this kid Brian Lentz who’s coming back, this great catcher, and so I was going to split. That was fine.”

But with Mann, there is no denying the difference in knowing that on any given day, the dish is his. To him, there’s absolutely nothing better than the pleasure which comes with managing a game from behind the plate—the joy of dropping two fingers and calling for the hammer on a 3-2 count.

It’s all evidenced by the smile stretching wide across his face.

“Oh, it’s the best,” he says. “All through high school I had a coach who believed that we should be able to call the games, and I love that Coach Walsh trusts us enough as catchers and pitchers to figure it out on our own.”

He sets his drink on the table and grows animated, reliving the strategy and mental sequence behind the situations he so relishes.

“When a guy gets in the box, I’m already looking, thinking about where he’s standing,” he says. “How close to the plate he is, where his hands are, what kind of stride he has, just taking mental notes. I try to pick him apart, and when a pitcher puts it where you want it—I mean, all you have to do is put it there, and I’m going to call a good game for you.”

He grins again, even bigger than before, and for a moment, the genuine, striking modesty of Schuyler Mann is seemingly washed away.

“All you have to do is put it there,” he repeats, smiling from ear to ear, “and I’m going to call a good game for you.”

MANN ALIVE

Finally getting to this point, however, was anything but easy.

After hitting an even .300 through 40 at-bats this past summer for the Alaska League’s Peninsula Oilers—finding his name at the top of the league standings in RBI, runs, and hits—the junior suffered a broken clavicle while catching a foul-tip, suddenly ending his summer season and keeping him out of virtually all of fall training.