Todd Macklin

Steve Virgen

Solitaire and meditation played key roles for Todd Macklin on May 23.

The Corona del Mar High junior right-handed pitcher took a short, yet

meaningful moment away from his teammates. He distanced himself to

find himself. He took deep breaths to become one with the game.

When he returned from his self-adjustment, he was totally ready to

take on visiting Hesperia in the first round of the CIF Southern

Section Division IV playoffs. Sometimes, it’s amazing to see the

results of mental preparation.

Macklin, the Daily Pilot Athlete of the Week, delivered a dominant

performance on the mound and at the plate. Against the 23 batters he

faced, Macklin recorded 17 first-pitch strikes, allowing just four

hits in five innings. He logged 53 pitches, 41 for strikes.

“I felt pretty good on the mound against Hesperia,” Macklin said.

“I felt like I had a lot of control. I had the first-pitch strike

working and that helped me a lot.”

At the plate, Macklin smacked a three-run home run, part of a

four-run fourth inning, helping lead the Sea Kings to a 19-3 win over

Hesperia. Macklin also scored two runs and took advantage of CdM’s

hitting on the mound. He allowed just one earned run and improved his

pitching record to 6-2 and lowered his ERA to 1.17.

In 45 innings this season, Macklin recorded 38 strikeouts and only

10 walks. Yet, that effort has hardly come as a surprise to CdM Coach

John Emme.

“Ever since after the Pride of the Coast Tournament, he has been

throwing that way every time out,” Emme said. “He has gotten to the

point that we now expect it and that’s what every pitcher wants.”

Macklin’s progression as a pitcher took dramatic strides when the

CdM junior started to calm his competitive spirit. He has always

wanted to win. He just needed to relax a bit.

“Todd has really developed as a pitcher,” Emme said. “I knew he

had great stuff, but there were just a few changes that he needed to

make. We also let him communicate with [catchers Danny Marin-Finn and

Wess Presson] and call pitches. That also helped him improve. He has

been a dominant pitcher the past month and a half.

“Todd has always had a great attitude,” Emme continued. “He tends

to wear his emotions on his sleeve. Sometimes, if he doesn’t like a

pitch, he’ll show it. The mechanics have been fine. He just had to

work on his tenacity and location. He has done a fantastic job and he

has been great.”

Macklin’s desire to win has also been helpful throughout his

playing days, which began with only moderate success in the Newport

Beach Little League.

“I wasn’t one of the better players in little league,” Macklin

said. “I didn’t come around until later. But, [Little League] was fun

and a learning experience.”

After Little League, Macklin competed for a few travel teams and

began to gain confidence. Last year, as a sophomore, he saw action on

the mound in only three innings, yet he continued to prepare for the

2003 season. This year, he has been coming into his own. He said a

lot of that had to do with his game preparation and his teammates.

“I’ve been keeping the ball down, just staying calm and not

getting too excited,” Macklin said. “If I get too excited, I’ll try

to muscle the ball. If I stay calm, my arm stays more relaxed.”

On the day when he starts a game, Macklin devotes significant time

to preparation.

“I try to stay focused on that game throughout the day,” Macklin

said. “It sort of hurts my grades, because I think about the game so

much. When I get on the field, I just try not to get too amped. Last

week, I just sat in the corner and took deep breaths.”