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As a curious 6-year-old, Tyler Vivacqua stepped onto Liverpool High School’s (New York) baseball diamond and glanced around.

He saw the bleachers lined up along the cage, picturing fans waiting for him to take a swing. He saw the row of trees in center field, imagining what it would feel like to hit a home run over them. Before Vivacqua etched his cleats into a batter’s box, these visualizations provided a glimpse of how prominent baseball would be in his life.

Now 18 years old, Vivacqua is a switch-hitting infielder amid his senior year at Liverpool and is committed to playing collegiately at Niagara University. As a junior, Vivacqua represented Liverpool on the 2023 All-Central New York Team and the 2023 All-League First Team. This season, he is batting over .370 with 19 hits and 18 runs batted in. Vivacqua developed his skills under the guidance of his father, C.J. Vivacqua, who has served on Liverpool’s varsity coaching staff since 2005.

When Vivacqua pondered sports to play as a kid, nothing initially stood out, until C.J. brought him to Liverpool baseball practices.

“I remember there being this energy when I watched them step on the field,” Vivacqua said, reflecting on the first practice he watched. “The energy they always had painted a bigger picture for me about what baseball is all about.”

The first practice Vivacqua watched from the bleachers, he was amazed at how the team swung their bats, got to ground balls and ran in the outfield to track fly balls. Toward the middle of the practice, Liverpool head coach Fred Terzini called Vivacqua onto the field. Terzini wanted him to participate with the juniors and seniors. Despite his nerves, Vivacqua trotted onto the field to help the team in any way he could.

“He was watching these giants in front of him, and being on the field and in the dugout with them, you can tell it meant the world to him,” Terzini said.

From there, Vivacqua contributed in ways you wouldn’t expect a 6-year-old to. He helped hit ground balls to the players so they could work on their fielding skills and assisted in bringing out equipment.

As an assistant coach, C.J. witnessed how much fun his son was having. From there, he knew baseball would be the sport Vivacqua wanted to pursue.

@NiagaraBASE commit @TylerVivacqua21 hits the first pitch he sees for a 2-Run blast today. pic.twitter.com/5ogAglW0Xu

— CoachV (@Cjvivacqua) May 1, 2024

Every day after school, C.J. picked Vivacqua up and drove him to Liverpool, where Vivacqua became a regular participant in the practices. Vivacqua was on the field five days a week helping the team prepare for upcoming games.

Later in the season, as the team prepared to go to Myrtle Beach for a tournament, Vivacqua was invited to join them as their honorary batboy. Vivacqua said he felt like the “coolest kid in the world” traveling with the team and that the trip solidified his love for baseball.

Shortly after the tournament, Vivacqua played organized baseball for the first time. Thanks to what he learned with Liverpool, Vivacqua was a natural. In middle school, he said his coaches were impressed with how well he understood the game.

After he dominated throughout his middle school career, Vivacqua had his eyes set on playing for Liverpool. Once he excelled at his freshman year tryout, his dream became a reality.

“Him growing up with the program, he has always looked up to our guys as his older brothers,” C.J. said. “He’s always wanted to wear the same uniform. You kind of just felt that it was a match made in heaven at that point.”

When he put his uniform on for the first time, Vivacqua said it was a moment that he would cherish for the rest of his life. Then, it was time for him to make a name for himself on the diamond.

Vivacqua has made his presence known. With a career average of nearly .340, Vivacqua was a prolific hitter. He also earned himself all-state honors in each of his first three seasons at Liverpool. This year in his senior campaign, he leads Liverpool in total hits and RBIs and even has a home run, something only one other person on the team has accomplished.

Following his stellar junior campaign, Vivacqua announced his commitment to Niagara.

“He’s a ballplayer, the kid knows how to play,” said Rob McCoy, Niagara’s head baseball coach. “He has a few things to work on, but I have no doubt that he’ll be successful here.”

As his college baseball career rapidly approaches, Vivacqua says he still feels like the 6-year-old who went to watch Liverpool’s baseball practice. Without that first practice, he would have never fallen in love with the sport and become the player he is today.

“All those years of teams and watching players come and go, it was worth it,” Vivacqua said. “…I owe it all to Liverpool.”

Published on May 9, 2024 at 12:44 am