Sr. | #25 | RHP John Damozonio
Photo by: Saint Mary's Athletics / Tod Fierner
Kroner's Corner Baseball Edition: JD, The Thinking Man’s Pitcher
5/13/2026 9:42:00 AM | Baseball
MORAGA, Calif. - Chemistry major John Damozonio might be called the Thinking Man's Pitcher. And the senior right-hander likely would acknowledge that being the Thinking Man's Pitcher can be both a blessing and a curse.
"Thinking is very good for me in chemistry," Damozonio said in a lengthy interview before the Gaels' home game against Seattle on May 3. "I'm very, very analytical. I think through my problems – and I think that hurts me on the mound."
As Damozonio has been able to think less on the mound this season, his ERA has plunged from 6.20 in 2025 to 2.94. He's 7-2, has struck out 74 in 70-1/3 innings and has worked at least five innings in each start after a three-inning stint against Creighton in SMC's opener Feb. 13.
After he gave up four runs (three earned) and took the loss against the Bluejays, Damozonio realized he needed to be a little less self-critical.
Four years ago, it would have seemed far-fetched to think Damozonio's stuff would be good enough to set down almost any college hitter.
He had spent most of his career at San Jose's Bellarmine High as a third baseman and merely had "dabbled" on the mound. But once Damozonio got benched after struggling at the plate as a senior, he took a shot at full-time pitching.
"It just worked," Damozonio said, "and all of a sudden, I was throwing hard."
So, Damozonio scrapped his plans of going to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to become an environmental engineer and opted to head to Moraga as a chemistry major/pitcher.
He thrived as a reliever in his freshman season with a 3.26 ERA and four saves with 23 strikeouts in 19-1/3 innings.
Because he was relatively new to pitching in 2023, "I had a lot of success without thinking through anything," Damozonio said. "And then once I (had success), I was like, 'OK, I've done this before. Now, let me think through how I'm going to get better.'
"I think that I managed to think myself out of being good at pitching."
A nerve injury combined with that lack of confidence contributed to a rough sophomore season: 20 earned runs in 16-2/3 innings for a 10.80 ERA.
In efforts to improve his physical and mental approach to the game over the past two years, Damozonio has learned "box breathing" (which helps him stay calm on the mound), has talked with a sports psychiatrist and has spent time at KPI (Kinetic Performance Institute) in Morgan Hill.
Damozonio owns a five-pitch repertoire: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider and changeup. The cutter has become his out pitch.
"I feel if I'm behind in the count, I can land that for a strike," Damozonio said. "And it's a good enough pitch that nobody's making really hard contact off it if it's not down the middle."
Though Damozonio's ERA was north of 6 last year, he did enjoy some big moments, none bigger than in the WCC tournament championship game against top-seed San Diego on May 24.
A day earlier, Damozonio gave up five runs and got only five outs in the Gaels' 18-11 win over LMU. Against the Toreros, he worked the final four innings, allowing one earned run.
USD scored three unearned runs off him in the ninth to trim the Gaels' lead to 9-8. Then with two outs and runners at the corners, Damozonio struck out Rex Watson swinging to end the game and send the Gaels to an NCAA regional.
Damozonio respects and appreciates Valenzuela, not only for his pitching knowledge. Damozonio did relate a story about a conversation he and Valenzuela had this season at the end of a start in which Damozonio had thrived. He wanted to work at least another inning.
Damozonio said Valenzuela "was like, 'You're at this many pitches. We've got this person in the 'pen. You're done.' And I was like, 'No, the last three innings have been my best stuff.'
"And I kind of pushed him on it. I was fighting to go back in the game."
Damozonio "wasn't rude in how he said it," Valenzuela recalled.
A conscientious young man, Damozonio later met with Valenzuela. Damozonio was ready to apologize to the head coach.
Said Damozonio: "And he goes, 'Are you kidding? I loved that.' He was basically (saying), 'It's good that you pushed me on that. I want you to want to pitch.' "
Damozonio's time pitching for the Gaels will come to an end soon.
Damozonio is particularly tight with senior infielders Cody Kashimoto and Jared Mettam. The three are roommates and all have spent four years with the Gaels.
Kashimoto and Mettam, though, aren't the only teammates about whom Damozonio was talking when he said, "There are a lot of brothers here."
He added that leaving Moraga "is going to be tough because playing for them has been probably more fun than all the success that I've had individually."
That's an especially thoughtful perspective from the Thinking Man's Pitcher.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has worked as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+ the past two seasons.
"Thinking is very good for me in chemistry," Damozonio said in a lengthy interview before the Gaels' home game against Seattle on May 3. "I'm very, very analytical. I think through my problems – and I think that hurts me on the mound."
As Damozonio has been able to think less on the mound this season, his ERA has plunged from 6.20 in 2025 to 2.94. He's 7-2, has struck out 74 in 70-1/3 innings and has worked at least five innings in each start after a three-inning stint against Creighton in SMC's opener Feb. 13.
After he gave up four runs (three earned) and took the loss against the Bluejays, Damozonio realized he needed to be a little less self-critical.
I struggled in that game," Damozonio said. "There was a lot of searching through what I know about myself to get to the point where it was like, 'I'm allowed to have fun on the mound. I know that my stuff is good enough to get outs at this level.'
Four years ago, it would have seemed far-fetched to think Damozonio's stuff would be good enough to set down almost any college hitter.
He had spent most of his career at San Jose's Bellarmine High as a third baseman and merely had "dabbled" on the mound. But once Damozonio got benched after struggling at the plate as a senior, he took a shot at full-time pitching.
"It just worked," Damozonio said, "and all of a sudden, I was throwing hard."
So, Damozonio scrapped his plans of going to Worcester Polytechnic Institute to become an environmental engineer and opted to head to Moraga as a chemistry major/pitcher.
He thrived as a reliever in his freshman season with a 3.26 ERA and four saves with 23 strikeouts in 19-1/3 innings.
Because he was relatively new to pitching in 2023, "I had a lot of success without thinking through anything," Damozonio said. "And then once I (had success), I was like, 'OK, I've done this before. Now, let me think through how I'm going to get better.'
"I think that I managed to think myself out of being good at pitching."
A nerve injury combined with that lack of confidence contributed to a rough sophomore season: 20 earned runs in 16-2/3 innings for a 10.80 ERA.
In efforts to improve his physical and mental approach to the game over the past two years, Damozonio has learned "box breathing" (which helps him stay calm on the mound), has talked with a sports psychiatrist and has spent time at KPI (Kinetic Performance Institute) in Morgan Hill.
I know what I've struggled with in the past," Damozonio said. "I know what I'm really good at. I have a much better sense of who I am as a pitcher and as a person.
Damozonio owns a five-pitch repertoire: four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, slider and changeup. The cutter has become his out pitch.
"I feel if I'm behind in the count, I can land that for a strike," Damozonio said. "And it's a good enough pitch that nobody's making really hard contact off it if it's not down the middle."
Though Damozonio's ERA was north of 6 last year, he did enjoy some big moments, none bigger than in the WCC tournament championship game against top-seed San Diego on May 24.
A day earlier, Damozonio gave up five runs and got only five outs in the Gaels' 18-11 win over LMU. Against the Toreros, he worked the final four innings, allowing one earned run.
USD scored three unearned runs off him in the ninth to trim the Gaels' lead to 9-8. Then with two outs and runners at the corners, Damozonio struck out Rex Watson swinging to end the game and send the Gaels to an NCAA regional.
To make that big pitch in the championship game to get to the regionals last year," SMC head coach Eric Valenzuela said, "it's such a great story that it happened with John because I feel like he deserved that.
The type of guy he is, the person he is and the work ethic he has and being a great teammate, he deserved making that pitch when it really mattered.
Damozonio respects and appreciates Valenzuela, not only for his pitching knowledge. Damozonio did relate a story about a conversation he and Valenzuela had this season at the end of a start in which Damozonio had thrived. He wanted to work at least another inning.
Damozonio said Valenzuela "was like, 'You're at this many pitches. We've got this person in the 'pen. You're done.' And I was like, 'No, the last three innings have been my best stuff.'
"And I kind of pushed him on it. I was fighting to go back in the game."
Damozonio "wasn't rude in how he said it," Valenzuela recalled.
A conscientious young man, Damozonio later met with Valenzuela. Damozonio was ready to apologize to the head coach.
Said Damozonio: "And he goes, 'Are you kidding? I loved that.' He was basically (saying), 'It's good that you pushed me on that. I want you to want to pitch.' "
Damozonio's time pitching for the Gaels will come to an end soon.
We're going to miss him. We definitely are," Valenzuela said. "He embraces what Saint Mary's has to offer. He really does. … He takes his academics seriously. He's such a hard worker when it comes to the baseball side of things as well. He's such a great example for our guys (who) are coming up.
Damozonio is particularly tight with senior infielders Cody Kashimoto and Jared Mettam. The three are roommates and all have spent four years with the Gaels.
Kashimoto and Mettam, though, aren't the only teammates about whom Damozonio was talking when he said, "There are a lot of brothers here."
He added that leaving Moraga "is going to be tough because playing for them has been probably more fun than all the success that I've had individually."
That's an especially thoughtful perspective from the Thinking Man's Pitcher.
Steve Kroner has covered Bay Area sports for more than four decades, mainly at KPIX-TV (Channel 5) and the San Francisco Chronicle. He has worked as an analyst alongside Brian Brownfield on SMC men's basketball telecasts on ESPN+ the past two seasons.
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