For Parucha, A Very Tough Road Ends In Paradise

Robert Parucha's path to college baseball has been long and windy, so it's fitting that he will continue his career far from home at the University of Hawaii.

"It took a while to figure everything out, but I'm very happy with the way things worked out," said Parucha, who went 7-1 with an ERA of 3.21 last season at Mira Costa High and earned All-CIF Division II second team honors.

Parucha anchored a staff that included college-bound teammates Lucas Whitehill (Brown) and Drew Van Orden (Duke), taking the ball in the Mustangs' key games down the stretch in the Bay League and into the playoffs.

"During the season I wasn't really thinking about the recruiting process," Parucha said. "I was focusing on our team's season and helping us go far in the playoffs."

Parucha, who battled a myriad injuries throughout his career at Mira Costa, credited his spot on a Division I baseball team to his offseason work and stellar senior games.

Hawaii pitching coach Chad Konishi had scouted Parucha following his junior season, which ended prematurely due to a torn latissimus dorsi muscle.  The injury was particularly difficult for Parucha, considering that he had also had lost his sophomore season to a ligament tear in his pitching elbow.

"The first time he saw me, I had not thrown in quite a while and I was really nervous," Parucha said. "I don't think I got up past 83 [miles per hour] or so."

Parucha worked out tirelessly with strength and conditioning coach Brian Bowles and regained not only his strength, but also his confidence.

With a healthy and successful senior season behind him, Parucha has spent this summer adding to his strength and pitching for the Red Birds of Ventura County, a Connie Mack club. And he has built upon his impressive senior campaign with a lights-out summer, in which he has not allowed an earned run in almost 30 innings.

"I have gotten a lot stronger this summer and just overall have really taken the steps to come from being a thrower to a pitcher," Parucha said.

Without a college commitment, Parucha participated in several summer tournaments and intrasquad games with Los Angeles Harbor College.

The coach there, Derek Nicholson, arranged games so that scouts and coaches would be able to attend and look at numerous prospects.

"The coaches at Harbor are amazing, and I am really fortunate they took the time to help me out and give me opportunities to work with them," Parucha said.

It was there that Konishi was able to see how far Parucha had come.

"[Konishi] told me that he noticed how much work I had put in and that I looked bigger and was definitely throwing with more velocity," Parucha said.

Hawaii then offered Parucha a spot on its roster, and the ability to compete and live near the ocean was too much for Parucha to pass up.

"I head out in a week and I'm just so excited," Parucha said. "The field is all turf and the team draws about 4,000 people for each game. I feel very comfortable with the coaching staff, and I think it will be a great fit."

Parucha qualified for the WUE program for out-of-state residents for his academic abilities. He is thrilled with the prospect of studying kinesiology.

"With all the rehab and injuries in my past, it has just been fascinating for me to learn more about the body," Parucha said.