PJ Moutzouridis making a leaping throw. Photo by Dennis Theoharidis (Mass. College of Art & Design).
Cotuit, Mass. – Traveling to the Cape Cod League is usually somewhat difficult due to the distance between the player's hometowns to the Cape. For PJ Moutzouridis (Cal Berkeley) it was especially difficult. 3,143 miles, two flights and a two-hour delay later, Moutzouridis finally arrived in Cotuit.
“My first flight from San Jose to St. Louis was at 7:30 AM, so I didn’t get into St. Louis until 1-2 PM,” said Moutzouridis. “I was with Jarren Advincula (Cal Berkeley) and our flight got delayed so we didn’t get into Cape Cod until midnight, so it was just a brutal experience.”
Fortunately for the shortstop, things would get a lot better from then on. He started in both preseason scrimmages and three of the four regular-season games. In that six-game span, he was one of the best players on the Kettleers. Currently tied for first on the team in hits and stolen bases, while playing tremendous defense in the middle infield.
For the true freshman, this was nothing new as he was a good ballplayer for the University of California all year long. Posting a slash line of .299/.389/.457 while clubbing six home runs and driving in 42 runs. That success got him put on the All-PAC 12 Team while making the Perfect Game Freshman All-American Team as well.
“It felt really good to find the success that I did based off of my hard work and my story,” says Moutzouridis. “But you can’t get satisfied now, I still have goals that I have to reach so I’ve got to continue working hard and push through.”
However, just like in a lot of cases, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for the middle infielder. He had his doubters just like everyone else, even the school he was committed to, Cal Poly, pulled his scholarship and told him that he wasn’t good enough.
From then on, he took it personally and worked as hard as he could and now, he finds himself as one of the best shortstops in college baseball.
“I use it as fuel, people not wanting me, people doubting me. I want to prove everyone wrong and prove everyone who believed in me right,” the shortstop says. “I do this for my dad as well as my lord and savior, Jesus Christ but it’s also about me too. Working as hard as I possibly can and just trying to be a better version of myself every day.”
While in Cotuit, Moutzouridis has been around an extremely passionate fanbase, Hall of Fame coach and has forged lifelong bonds with his teammates. He says, that even though it’s only been two weeks, they feel like family.
Just like everyone else, Cotuit head coach, Mike Roberts made a lasting impression with Moutzouridis and has been able to teach him things to elevate his game.
“I would say the main thing that I’ve learned from coach is the philosophy of base running,” Moutzouridis says. “You’ve got to have fun while playing baseball and that’s very important to me. Those are the two biggest takeaways that I’ve learned from him.”
Going forward, the shortstop says that there are obviously personal goals for himself but winning as a team and making the NCAA Regionals in 2025 is his biggest goal.
Mouzouridis is an ultra-talented player who could potentially elevate himself as a top player in the ACC, and the country. His upcoming season will be a fascinating one as he looks to succeed in a brand-new conference and hopefully, push his team to a postseason spot.
PJ Moutzouridis stealing second. Photo by Dennis Theoharidis (Mass. College of Art & Design).
