SANFORD — To say that 2010 was not kind to Marlon Calbi would be an understatement.
For Calbi, an infielder for the Sanford Mainers from Villanova University, last year was downright awful.
An exceptional defensive player who has spent time at both shortstop and third base, Calbi struggled in his first two years at Villanova with his hitting. Last year, he hit .248 for the Wildcats, with a home run and 20 RBIs. Calbi then traveled to Sanford to play for the Mainers, expecting his hitting to improve with more at-bats through the summer.
But that didn’t happen.
Instead, Calbi struggled mightily. In 35 games, he hit .114 with three RBIs. If that weren’t enough, he had to be sent home early due to a medical emergency.
“I had a slight stomach ache one day,” Calbi said. “It didn’t go away, and the next day I still had it. I called my mom, and I told her I was probably going to the hospital to get it checked out. We got into an argument about going to the hospital, and I went just to (tick) her off. They did some blood tests and found something wrong with my pancreas.”
Calbi suffered from pancreatitis, an inflammation or infection in the pancreas, which is used in the body to help break down and digest food. The cause of the attack, as Calbi explained, was from taking too much protein powder, used by athletes and bodybuilders to help rebuild muscle after workouts. Calbi had to stay at Goodall Hospital in Sanford for eight days before being sent home to Montclair, N.J.
“They said pancreatitis is usually from heavy drinking,” Calbi said. “I don’t drink more than the average college kid does. I found out later on it was from stuff I was taking for lifting. My pancreas was having problems breaking down protein. The pancreas breaks down protein, and I was taking too much protein after lifting. I was just taking the wrong dosage. It’s laughable now, but I wasn’t that worried. I wasn’t in pain, just hanging out at the hospital.”
The attack threatened to affect making it back to school in time for football camp. Luckily for Calbi, he made it back on time. A backup quarterback for the Wildcats, Calbi is the holder for field goals and extra point attempts.
He fared much better overall in his junior year at Villanova. Starting with football, Calbi threw his first collegiate pass, a 17-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Norman White on a fake field goal attempt against Stephen F. Austin in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I playoffs. At the time, the Wildcats trailed by seven. After the play, Villanova turned the tide and won the game 54-24.
“All the time, as a joke, I’ll go to our special teams coordinator right before we kick a field goal and tell him to run the fake,” Calbi said. “That week, the coordinator was (in the press box) and it’s fourth and three. We hadn’t faked a field goal in seven years. I told (Villanova head coach Andy Talley) ”˜Let’s run the fake.’ He was like, ”˜Yeah, let’s run the fake.’ They end up calling it, and it worked to a tee. I dumped the ball like three yards, and (White) ran it for a touchdown, tied it up, and we ended up winning. It was awesome.”
But where Calbi truly flourished was on the baseball diamond. This spring, as the every day shortstop for the Wildcats, Calbi significantly improved his batting average, as he tied for the team lead, hitting .325.
“I didn’t live up to my expectations my first two years,” Calbi said. “A lot of credit goes to (Mainers head coach Aaron Izaryk), he helped me out a lot, not only physically but mentally. He encouraged me, even when my hitting was wretched. At the end of the summer (last year) he invited me back for this season. He put confidence in me, and that helped. I got sick of not doing well, and I just did better.”
Calbi, along with infielder Brett Mollenhauer, were the two players Mainers head coach Aaron Izaryk asked to rejoin the team this summer, and for Izaryk, the decision to ask Calbi back was easy.
“Calbi and Mollenhauer came back for a reason,” Izaryk said. “They’re character guys who do things right all the time, not some of the time.”
Calbi struggled at the beginning of the NECBL season, but has lifted his batting average to .214 as of Wednesday, still 98 points higher than this time last season. What has been his most impressive stat, however, is his on-base percentage of .405, which is third-best on the Mainers roster. Calbi is trying to work on his situational hitting in Sanford this summer, when he is given opportunities to drive runners in.
“I was a set up guy (at Villanova), I’d get on base and guys would drive me in,” Calbi said. “When it came time for me to drive guys in, I really didn’t do it. I know next year that’s something I need to do.”
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