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Menangas lauded by coaches & awards
By Michael Iacuessa
BANNER CORRESPONDENT
PROVINCETOWN — Saying he would like to have nine Derek Menangases on his team, Provincetown High’s baseball coach John White said the catcher’s sportsmanship award from the Cape Cod Umpires Association was well deserved.
“He’s the kind of kid you like to have. He’s coachable and really likes the game of baseball,” said White.
Menangas, who just graduated from Provincetown High School, actually received two honors last month. In addition to being granted the Ron Scudder Award from baseball umpires, he also was named Player of the Year for the Lighthouse Conference, an honor voted on by the league’s athletic directors.
The latter was for his achievements as point guard for the basketball team and as defenseman and goalie for the soccer team.
Being a catcher, Menangas may have had an inside advantage on the umpires’ award.
“I usually talk to at least one of the umpires constantly throughout the game. Plus you want to get on their good side,” he said.
“Basically, he’s that kind of kid who gets along with everybody, and I think the umpires saw that,” said White.
While Menangas says baseball is by far his favorite sport, he was named MVP of the Lighthouse Conference all-star basketball game and received a sportsmanship award in a Christmas hoop tournament.
Provincetown basketball coach Ned Oliver has described Menangas as the type of player always leading the pack when running wind sprints at the end of practice.
“I’ve been coaching for 30 years. In all that time I don’t think I could name more than two or three people that were more enjoyable to coach than Derek Menangas,” said Oliver. “He is always positive, always with a smile.”
White said that hard work ethic paid off for Menangas in baseball.
“In the last couple years he became probably one of the best defensive catchers on all of the Cape. There were not many balls that got by Derek. And he took control of the pitchers,” the coach said.
Menangas plans to attend Bridgewater State College in fall and plans to try out for the baseball team in the spring.
Currently, he is catching for the Senior Lower Cape Babe Ruth squad. Last week, he broke up a no-hitter in the sixth inning.
Looking back on his high school career, he is both proud and yet left hungry for more success in the state tournament.
“I wish we could have gone further, but we accomplished a lot for a small school,” he said.
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PHS Sports
Nauset Sports |
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Jul 7th, 2005