Busti always gives 100 percent
Whether he is diving for a ball to turn a double play or driving in the winning run, Shayne Busti is always providing excitement. Busti has played at an entertaining level his whole career and it started to come together when he was a member of the Carmichaels baseball team under coach Dave Bates. He was also one of the top 10 hitters in the WPIAL for two years.
“During my junior year, we won the WPIAL title and I started to think I could play well at the next level,” Busti said. “At the time, Penn State and WVU started to recruit me.”
Busti was a member of the Allegheny Pirates, a traveling showcase team, and the Pittsburgh Diamond Dogs, an 18-and-under team that won the NABF national championship in 2004.
“That was one of my most memorable memories,” Busti said. “We made the World Series and played in Mississippi, and I scored the winning run.”
During his run as a member of the Diamond Dogs, Busti benefited from tutelage under a very demanding coach by the name of Mike Kosko.
After graduating from Carmichaels in 2004, Busti enrolled at Penn State University, but an injury to his arm slowed his progress and he transferred to Indiana University of Pa. and coach Jeff Ditch.
While finding his niche playing college ball, Busti entered play in the Fayette County Baseball League three years ago and starred in his rookie year, taking home many honors including rookie of the year for position players. He has also won the award as the co-MVP of the league, the leader in RBIs, and home run leader. He is regarded as one of the better shortstops in the league.
“I was asked by Scott Van Sickle, who was my assistant coach in high school, to play for the team,” Busti said. “Lou Pasquale also asked me to play for the team. The league has a lot of talent on the field. I want to thank both of them for getting me into the league.”
Pasquale is the manager for Busti’s team, High Strung Racing, and Van Sickle is one of his teammates.
“Everyone on our High Strung Racing team is really close,” Busti said. “We are all good friends and we don’t have any negative feelings. It is also nice to have the same core guys playing on our team.”
Busti got his chance this season at IUP after hitting .385 last year in PSAC action. He was chosen as one of the captains and has played at third base.
“Playing third base is different from playing short,” Busti said.
“I was kind of stressed out my first couple of years, but I had a good bunch of guys to play with this year.
“My confidence was sky high entering this year and I also had a chance to show off with my glove when I had a bad at-bat.”
Busti had an outstanding senior campaign for the Crimson Hawks, starting in all 55 games in 2008, batting .320 with 66 hits while adding nine doubles, four triples, 46 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
He led the team with a .563 slugging percentage, 61 RBIs, 11 home runs and 116 total bases. In addition, Busti broke team records with his aforementioned 61 RBIs and 116 total bases along with 206 at-bats.
His 11 home runs were one shy of the all-time IUP record and his team made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years with a record of 36-19 while he served as one of the team captains.
For his efforts, Busti was selected to the NCAA Division II All-North Atlantic region second team. The region’s sports information directors conducted voting.
“I really believe that this team changed the program around at IUP,” Busti said. “We were able to qualify for the playoffs after not having won many games when I started.”
Busti has been nicknamed by the university as “Hardcore” for his intensity, aggressive style of play and hustle.
The journalism major graduated this past May and has made the dean’s list once again at IUP proving that he believes in the concept of student-athlete.
As for baseball, Busti sees no end in sight as it pertains to the near future.
“I will keep on playing until I can’t physically do it anymore,” Busti said.