He has the name, now Quinnipiac University will see if Mariano Rivera, Jr. has the arm.
The son of the future Hall-of-Fame Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has told Quinnipiac he will attend the Hamden school, according to the Quinnipiac Chronicle.
"My parents were supporting me 100 percent. They want me to go here," Rivera, Jr. told the campus paper.
The high school senior visited Quinnipiac in December and immediately fell in love with the school. "My mind was already set then," Rivera, Jr. said.
Being the son of what some consider the greatest relief pitcher in baseball history, Rivera, Jr. won't be attending classes at Quinnipiac only. He'll be trying out for the baseball team as well, as a walk-on. "I'm going to go there and put my best foot forward and play 100 percent not matter what," Rivera, Jr. told the paper. "I hope I can impress the coaches and that they can see I'm working hard, and hopefully it'll pay off."
Of course, having Mariano Rivera as a father can't hurt your game. "I'm already working out every day and I'm training with my dad, the younger Rivera said. "I'm going to work on my mechanics and get my speed up a little bit."
But he also understands he has to make it on his own. "He is a pro and I'm his son, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to be just as good as him," Rivera, Jr. told the Chronicle. "I'm working on being the best that I can be, so we'll see how far that takes me."
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And his father will be his biggest fan. "My dad just wants be to be the best I can be, Rivera, Jr said. "If I don't make it, then he won't be disappointed."
Rivera, Jr. graduates from Iona Preparatory School later this spring. This summer he plans on playing for Diamond Buddies, an under-18 team in New York, and Hank's Yanks, a club team owned by Yankees co-owner Hank Steinbrenner, according to the Chronicle.
