Prep baseball player of the year: Mike Esposito

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, June 3, 1999 | 11:46 a.m.

Coming into the 1999 prep baseball season, Mike Esposito had a very tough act to follow: his own.

As a junior last year, the Cimarron-Memorial right-hander made a name for himself as one of Las Vegas' top young pitchers, posting a sparkling 8-2 record and a solid 2.01 ERA.

Expected by every coach, scout and fan to be the state's top pitcher this spring, Esposito had the collective eyes of Nevada on him every time he took the mound.

The Cimarron senior didn't disappoint. Esposito's final high school campaign only solidified his standing as one of the state's top pitchers this decade and as the 1999 Sun State Baseball Player of the Year.

Esposito's season was a runaway success by anyone's standards. With a near-perfect 10-1 record, ridiculously low 0.71 ERA and a whopping 136 strikeouts in 78 innings, he was as close to a sure thing as this state has seen in recent years.

Even more telling, however, was the way opposing coaches tinkered with their pitching rotations and altered their batting orders when facing the right-hander with an accurate fastball clocked in the low 90s and a sharp curveball that left hitters shaking their heads.

"He's very mature," Cimarron coach Calvin Valvo said. "He's come to the point where he's learned the game, he's watched hitters and he's become very polished."

Esposito's 1999 season was more than a story of individual achievement. His success on the mound helped the Spartans win their first Sunset Division and Southern Zone titles and earn a berth in this year's 4A state title game.

"I just tried to pitch for my team more than for myself," Esposito said. "I just asked my team to give me a run, and I'll take care of the rest."

Esposito certainly did that, particularly against top opposition. In his three postseason starts, the senior allowed a total of two earned runs in complete-game victories against Chaparral and Green Valley at zone and versus Wooster at state.

Whether Esposito opts to attend Arizona State or go pro remains to be seen. But considering the way he improved on a great junior season with an even better showing as a senior, Valvo says there's no reason to think he can't continue to get better next year as well.

"He set goals for himself in the off-season and he worked hard to get there," Valvo said. "He was on a mission this year. I think he'll be able to step right in and contribute (next year)."