This is a piece I wrote during my time with the Citrus County Chronicle. It is about a brother and sister–Matt & Mettina Maggiore–who both excelled in the classroom and in multiple sports. I always enjoyed writing features better than game coverage because it was always more personal. I can say in all my year’s of covering sports, two of the better athletes I ever had the honor of interviewing.

Thomas Gemkow
Sports Correspondent

If you are a sports fan that has lived in Citrus County at any time within the past 10 years or so, the name Maggiore should ring a bell.

You see Matt and Mettina Maggiore have played sports for a long time, most of their lives in fact, and been successful too.  It was not until high school, however, that the brother and sister duo’s talent was truly noticed by the entire community.

While Mettina and Matt have both experienced considerable amounts of success athletically as well as academically in high school, their paths to get to where they are now in athletics, are very diverse.

After playing football, basketball, tennis, and of course baseball, Matt found his true calling in baseball.  Year after year he made the Citrus County All Star Teams, but when he reached the high school ranks it was a different story.  “We had a lot of talent on the varsity team my first two years in high school,” said Matt. Matt toiled away on Citrus’ JV baseball team his freshman and sophomore years honing his skills, before finally getting a shot on the Citrus varsity squad.
“As a kid, Matt had great hand eye coordination,” said Matt and Mettina’s father Pete Maggiore. “I think these past two years he has hit a growth spurt, and that, in addition to lifting weights, have moved him from the bottom 4th of talent on his team, to the top 4th. He has always wanted to play and worked hard. I used to play in a local softball league when Matt was about 6 and he used to always con me or one of the other guys on the team to stay and toss the ball to him after practice.”

Mettina’s story is a bit different, however, always tagging along with her dad and brother in the backyard; it wasn’t until Mettina was 9 that she showed a true interest in sports. Starting off as a swimmer, then adding tennis, volleyball and basketball, Mettina discovered that it was softball that she most wanted to play.

“I never gave much thought to girls playing sports,” said Pete. “But Mettina was a hard worker. Matt was about 12 when he decided he was done with me as his coach, and Mettina was 9 at the time, and she was so eager to learn. She is a hard worker, and in her first two years she learned a lot. Al LePage, Mike Rall and myself were her coaches and she had an incredible drive to learn and get better. Whenever my son and I would be headed to the backyard to play catch, Mettina would be right behind.”

“I was just lucky,” said Mettina of her making the varsity softball team as the starting shortstop her freshman year. “There was a spot open, and I just stepped up to fill it.”

Mettina enjoyed much success early, until an arrant throw to her face cut her season short, forcing her to miss 18 games last year.

Living under the same roof, and playing similar sports, one might figure that the Maggiore children would exchange several tips and secrets to their success with one another, but that is not the case.

“We used to play catch a lot, but not so much anymore,” said Matt. “They are two very different games, and to tell you the truth with our practice schedules we are rarely home at the same time anyways.”

This past summer, Mettina was on the Citrus County Little League All-Stars team that finished third in the nation. “By far that is my proudest achievement.” said Mettina

“I really admire my sister sometimes,” said Matt “She has played in a lot of high pressure games, especially this past summer, and she performed well.”

“I wish sometimes I had the skills that Matt has at the plate,” said Mettina “But to tell you the truth, I think I am the better fielder out of the two of us so, it is even.”

But the two siblings don’t always agree or get along.

“Of course I’m the better athlete than he is, no doubt about it,” said Mettina.

“She’s crazy, I’m the better athlete by far,” said Matt.

“I never really have sat down to watch her play, but I know there is no way she could hit my pitches,” boasts Matt, who has found himself as the most steady pitcher on Citrus’ team this season. Matt had to step into the ace role this year, because of nagging injuries to lefty Sam McLain, and has done a good job thus far, posting a 2-1 record, with 14 strikeouts and a minute 1.21 ERA.

“Things have gone well this season,” said Maggiore “If we play like we have been, we should make the state playoffs.”

“I could hit his pitches IF I played baseball, it a lot different seeing a softball and a baseball, but if I had been playing baseball all along, I could definitely hit his pitches.”

Mettina, who bats second for the Lady ‘Canes softball team, has 3 RBI’s, 4 stolen bases, 8 hits and 6 runs.

“I think Mettina has been a little bit hesitant fielding this season,” say Pete. “Maybe the shot she took to the face might have spooked her a little bit, but she has shown major strides of improvement, Mettina had an excellent fielding weekend at the tournament in Brooksville.”

With Matt being a senior, and Mettina in her sophomore year, one might fret that the Maggiore reign of athletic success may be over, but that is not the case at all. Natasha 13, and Marissa 10, are quite the athletes themselves, and it is said the younger children in the family are usually the best, because of constant lessons from the older siblings.

“Natasha plays tennis at Inverness Middle School, and she is doing a great job,” said Pete of his 5th seeded daughter. “But she has yet to realize her true ability level, and this was Marissa’s first year of organized sports. She played soccer, and just from playing in the back yard with her siblings, she picked up really good ball handling skills. She has a lot of natural ability.”

The question now is, will the two youngest Maggiore’s be able to follow in the footsteps of Matt and Mettina, and uphold the Maggiore name?

“They better, I wouldn’t want it any other way. I worked too hard to get it where it is now to see it fall.” said Matt.