Northwest Alum Emerges as Towson's Top Tiger

If you saw Towson University senior pitcher Charlie Cononie walking around the campus, you'd likely assume he played for the school's basketball team. At 6-foot-7, the Germantown native looks like he should be shooting free throws, not throwing fast balls.

Lucky for Towson baseball coach Mike Gottlieb—and perhaps not so lucky for hitters in the Colonial Athletic Association—Cononie had chosen the latter. A two-sport star at Northwest High School, Cononie said his bigger passion back then was actually basketball. 

So, in 2007, when it came time for the All-County athlete to decide how he wanted to spend his four years in college, it wasn't necessarily an easy choice. He even entertained offers to play basketball on the Division II or III level. But in the end, Towson offered him the college experience he was looking for while at the same time allowed him to continue to play baseball. It was a perfect fit, Cononie said.

Cononie had spent his first three years at Towson inching his way up the ladder. He watched his playing time increase over those seasons and his pitch count steadily rose as he went from a relief pitcher his freshman and sophomore year to a part-time starter last year to one of the staff's most experienced pitchers this year.

Now, a senior at Towson, Cononie has emerged as one of the Tigers' top starters and someone who Gottlieb has called the team's "most reliable starting pitcher."

But it didn't come easy. A couple of years ago, while just "messing around during practice," Cononie began to tinker with his mechanics. The result? A complete overhaul of his pitching motion. He went from a traditional over-the-top style pitcher to more of a side-arm or "sub-marine" style pitcher.

"It was a challenge," Cononie said of the change. "The first year, I definitely struggled at first and had some issues with my control. But the more I threw it, the more comfortable and confident I became. It's definitely made me a better pitcher."

The hard work has paid off for Cononie. This past week he was named the CAA's co-pitcher of the week after a complete game shutout against Hofstra. It was the first complete game shutout for Towson in three years and the two hits allowed in the 5-0 win were the fewest allowed by any Tiger in a shutout since 2005.

"It was a big honor," Cononie said. "If you would have told me that day that I’d be throwing a two-hit shutout, there’s no way I would’ve believed you. I didn’t have my best stuff that day but I was able to do what I needed to do and am thankful for a great group of infielders behind me.”

So far on the season, Cononie has compiled a 3-2 record with wins over Wake Forest, UNC Wilmington and Hofstra, and has a 3.32 Earned Run Average—good for top 10 in the CAA.

Cononie has allowed only 30 hits in 38 innings with 46 strikeouts, which rank in the top 20 in all of NCAA Division I in total strikeouts and in the top 30 in strikeouts per-9-innings. Opponents are batting .216 against him.

But as the season begins to wind down over the next couple of months, Cononie is already starting to think about what he wants to do next. Whether it's getting a chance to play professionally or simply joining a competitive adult league, one thing is certain: baseball will always be a part of his life.

“I love playing baseball,"  said Cononie, whose younger brother Matt is a senior on this year's Northwest team while his father Steve is now managing the same American Legion team Charlie helped lead to a state championship in 2008.  (He went 8-1 with a 1.72 ERA for Post 295 en route to the title that season).

"It’s one thing I want to continue to do in the future no matter what. I love playing the game. It’s not something I’m going to stop doing just because I graduate."