ENDWELL, N.Y. (WIVT) – Maine-Endwell baseball standout Michael Mancini has signed to play baseball at James Madison University next year.

Mancini signs with JMU after having one of the most successful baseball careers that the area has seen. In 2016, Mancini was an instrumental part of the Little League World Series Championship team. The championship team became the first champion from the United States since 2011 and most notably the first winners from New York since 1964.

In high school, Mancini continued to shine, helping the Spartans to multiple Section IV titles in 2019 and 2021 and a 2019 Regional title. Through all of the success Mancini has had so far, he emphasized that the family, teammates, and coaches he has had along the way are a big part of his success.

“It’s all of the behind the scenes, the parents, coaches, and teammates, said Mancini. “I am forever grateful for them and I want to continue to make them proud.”

For the third ranked prospect by PBR, finding the right place to play at the next level was crucial and a lengthy process. In the college search, Mancini found that James Madison made him feel the most at home.

“After looking around town and talking to the coaches, Mancini said. “It just felt like home, it felt like Maine-Endwell.”

This season the James Madison Dukes are currently 14-10 on the season and have a tough three-game set against Elon ahead, but for Mancini his time with the Spartans is not over and his goal is a state championship.