Joseph Mortillaro, a junior at Christ the King Regional High School whose pitches routinely hit 86 miles per hour on the radar gun, is now playing ball in Vienna, Austria this summer, with veteran Yankee pitcher Jeff Nelson as his coach.
“He’s a pitcher. I’m a pitcher. He could teach me things I never even heard of yet,” Mortillaro said. “It’s really, really exciting.”
Mortillaro was accepted into the People-to-People Ambassador Program’s USA Baseball Team. From July 5 to the 15, he will compete with baseball players from around the world while exploring Austria’s rich culture and heritage.
“Since it’s abroad it makes it seem so much more exciting, playing other teams and other countries.” Mortillaro said.
Although the USA Baseball team is comprised of student athletes from all over the country, Pete Serra, Mortillaro’s coach for the past six years, is confident he will be one of the better players in the team.
“He has all the ability in the world. He can go as far as he wants to go.” Serra said.
Serra described Mortillaro as outgoing, funny and helpful to the team outside of just playing the game, so he was not surprised Mortillaro was accepted.
In addition to playing baseball, Mortillaro will take part in activities that explore the different sights, sounds and cultures of Austria. For Mortillaro, who is part Austrian, this is also exciting.
“We’re going to be seeing the history of WWII,” Mortillaro. “My grandpa was in love with WWII. He taught me so much about it. And going there and seeing some of the things he was talking about… it’s pretty cool.”
Nancy Walker, his mother, said she knew that Mortillaro had talent since he was six and she saw him catch a line drive to first base. To pay for the program’s tuition, she used money she saved for just such an occasion but also organized a party to get more funds. Family members also contributed.
“I just want him to live out his dream and go as far as he can,” Walker said. “He has a lot of support.”
According to his mother, Mortillaro has been able to balance homework, studying and baseball. After school he goes home to finish his homework and practices his pitching even when it rains.
“I would love to [be a professional baseball player]. Right now I’m focusing on the rest two years of high school and then I’ll have to get through college,” Mortillaro said.
