by Catherine Taylor
Staff Writer
With baseball running in the family, Houston Cougars senior pitcher Tommy Marik seemed destined to play the sport. However, in spite of all of his talents on the mound, Marik credits his success in the game to good luck and being in the right place at the right time.
Growing up in Bellville, Texas, Marik was introduced to baseball at a young age. His father, a collegiate baseball player for St. Edward's University and later a high school coach, had Tommy and his brother Trey out on the field as soon as they were able to start throwing.
"As soon as I could walk," Marik said, "my brother and I were playing catch."
Marik made his playing debut in Little League, where he said he realized early on that the most powerful part of his game was his pitching.
"I guess I was always a pitcher," Marik said. "When I was younger, I dominated in Little League. I stuck with it because I had the most success with it."
While attending Bellville High School, Marik was coached by his father his first two years on the team, which he said was a difficult time for him. Catching criticism for everything, Marik said he was relieved his junior year when his father retired from coaching him and settled on being one of his biggest supporters. Still, Tommy credits his father with helping his game develop.
"He knew a lot about baseball," Marik said of his father. "He taught me how to respect the game and how to play."
Marik was an all-around athlete, lettering in football and golf, not to mention earning a spot on the all-district baseball team. His senior year at Bellville, Tommy helped lead the baseball team to the 3-A state championship game.
Marik went to Blinn Junior College in Brenham for a year, where he chose to take a break from baseball. After watching the team play, though, he realized what he was missing.
"I watched the guys at Blinn play," Marik said, "and I knew I could do what they were doing."
Marik was persuaded by his father to try out for the Galveston Junior College team, coached by the renowned Dick Smith.
"I really didn't want to go because I didn't think I was good enough," Marik said. "It turned out that Smith liked me and asked me to walk on."
In his first year at Galveston, Marik earned a win for the Whitecaps at the Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., helping his team win the National Championships. Marik said coach Smith probably helped him evolve as a player more than anyone else.
"I was young, and being a freshman I didn't know that much about the college game," Marik said. "(Smith) taught me the dos and don'ts of the game."
Marik said he chose to come to UH because he got a good offer and he saw a lot of potential with the way the Cougar athletic program was moving.
"They gave me a real good offer," Marik said of his decision to come to Houston. "I also liked the way things were going with the school and with the building of the stadium. I got to watch the field be built from the ground up."
While at UH, Marik has been a vital part of the Cougar pitching staff, establishing himself as a strong relief pitcher. Last year, he was second in saves and relief appearances, and was the best Houston pitcher for picking off runners.
This year, Marik has once again proven his importance to the team, posting a record of 4-0 and earning one save, helping the Cougars earn a ranking of 17th in the nation going into the final stretch of the season. In fact, in his last 11.1 innings, Marik has given up only one earned run.
In his free time, Marik likes to get away from the diamond and head for the greens on the golf courses. He also enjoys traveling and is planning a trek across the country after this season.
Marik is a sociology major, but has not decided on what he will do when he graduates. Right now he is concentrating on baseball and school, and said that is about all he has time for during the season.
"So far, things have sort of happened for the best," Marik said. "Whatever the future brings, I hope I'm ready for it."