Corona del Mar High School:

Steven Manning

It’s the head games in baseball that Corona del Mar senior and varsity pitcher Steven Manning enjoys.

“It’s a thinking sport really. There’s a lot of downtime when the ball isn’t coming at you,” he said.

Selected as most valuable player this year at Corona del Mar, Steven is more brain than brawn. He’s proud the team made it to the CIF Southern Section Division III semifinals this year.

“I try not to waste a lot of pitches. I try to get the pitch count down,” Manning said. “I’m not a strikeout pitcher. I’m a try-to-get-guys-out-as- quick-as-possible type of pitcher.”

Strategy is what Steven also had in mind when he applied to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., where he figures he’ll get a lot more playing time than if he tried to play baseball at a Division I school.

He also plans to major in business with an emphasis in entrepreneurship.

“I wanted to find a school where I would get to play and also go to a good business school. It was hard to find the perfect combo,” he said.

Playing college baseball in upstate New York’s chilly climate requires some creative use of an indoor gymnasium in the winter months.

“Toward the end of February and early March, it gets a little warmer — in the high 30s and low 40s, so they throw on some sleeves and get outside and deal with the cold,” Steven said.

— Brianna Bailey