When Mike Nittoli's stellar four years as a catcher on the Youngstown State baseball team ended following the 1982 season, no one in Penguins baseball history had hit more home runs of had more RBI then he did.
Nittoli finished his stellar four year career with 12 homers and 80 runs batted in setting school career marks. He helped lead the Penguins to a 68-55 four year mark including 20 plus win seasons in 1980 and 1982. Today he still ranks in the top 10 in career dingers and RBI. His senior season he hit .346 playing in all 37 games as a team captain. He had 44 hits in 127 at bats, scored 18 runs and had a then single season record 41 RBI.
He showed his knack for coming through in the clutch with eight game winning RBI. He posted a .598 slugging percentage, seven doubles, two triples and seven homers with three stolen bases to be selected team MVP. YSU was 23-14 overall.
As a junior, he played in all 29 games hitting .292 with 28 hits in 96 at bats. He scored nine runs, had 12 RBI, a double, three triples and a stolen base.
As a sophomore he played in 30 games and finished with a .362 batting average to be named the team's MVP for the first time. He had 38 hits in 105 at bats, scored 16 runs and had 18 RBI while finishing with 10 doubles, a triple, four home runs and four stolen bases.
As a freshman he played in 21 games and had 20 hits in 60 at bats for a .333 batting average. He scored nine runs, hit two doubles, a triple, a home run, stole seven bases and had nine RBI as the Penguins finished with a 21-5 record.
He earned his degree from Youngstown State in Finance and minored in accounting, economics and management.
A four year letter winner, he signed with the Chicago White Sox in 1982 and helped lead their Class A affiliate (Niagara Falls) to the batting title in the 1982 New York Penn League. Later, he was a Player-Coach of the San José Bees Independent Class A Major League Farm Team in 1986.
After his professional baseball career, he was hired by the Eaton Corporation in 1990 to work for their Power Distribution and Control Division of Cutler-Hammer as a Sales Engineer. Working for Cutler-Hammer as a Sales Engineer, he was the top sales person in the company in 1992, 1997 and 1998. He set an all time record in high sales ($11 million) for the company.
Currently he is the West Coast major Products Sales Manager for Eaton Corporation, Cutler-Hammer Division.
A graduate of Struthers High School in Struthers, OH, he was selected All Steel Valley as a catcher in 1977 and 1978 while being named team MVP and Mr. Clutch in 1978. He was elected to his high school Hall of Fame as a baseball player in 2000.
Mike and his wife Rene have two children, Vinny (10) and Alexis (8). The family resides in Livermore, Calif.
