Lehigh University Athletics
Accounting for Sandonato's success
5/11/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
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Mike Sandonato values a good education. Always has. In fact, when looking at colleges and universities, he came across Lehigh’s
Locking up a job with a “Big Four” accounting firm prior to his senior year, and capturing All-Patriot League first team honors as a second baseman in 2006, it’s clear that Sandonato has made the most of his opportunities.
“Mike is a great student and a terrific individual,” said Dr. Ken Sinclair, the chair of Lehigh’s accounting department. “I’m particularly proud of him balancing his academic efforts and his role on the varsity baseball team. Those two commitments are major obligations, and Mike has excelled in both.”
Sandonato has always worked hard in the classroom, as evidenced by the 3.49 cumulative grade point average he has as an accounting major. The team’s scholar-athlete award winner in 2005, Sandonato has helped his teammates realize the importance of a good education.
With eight seniors on this year’s team, the squad did not elect captains; however, each has taken on his own responsibilities. For Mike Sandonato, it’s encouraging his teammates to step up their efforts in the classroom. He has worked hard with the younger players in study hall, pointing them in the right direction when the need for assistance would arise.
His efforts – and the team’s efforts – have paid off. In the fall, the Mountain Hawks baseball team posted a 2.9 grade point average, believed to be the highest in the program’s history.
“Getting good grades and a Lehigh education will pay dividends down the road,” Sandonato says. “Individually, it can lead to better jobs, and from a team standpoint, the better we do collectively [in the classroom], the more games we can play in the future.”
Lehigh’s College of Business and Economics was recently ranked 18th nationally in the first-ever undergraduate business school rankings by Business Week magazine. Sandonato credits people such as Sinclair for that prestigious accolade. “[Dr. Sinclair] is a big advocate for the program here,” Sandonato said. “He works hard in ensuring that we are a key school for [accounting firm] recruiters.”
Sandonato was able to land a hotly-contested internship in the summer of 2005 with PricewaterhouseCoopers in
The fact that Sandonato had a job lined up before his senior year even began is not unique. Sinclair estimates that almost 70% of Lehigh’s junior accounting majors get a paid summer internship like Sandonato’s that directly leads to employment.
But Sandonato’s path to success on the baseball diamond was one of perseverance and hard work. Sandonato, who wasn’t heavily recruited to play college ball, saw fewer than 60 total at-bats over his first two years at Lehigh, collecting only seven hits. “I made sure Coach [Leary] knew that I could play first [base] or third as well, so that I’d be much more valuable defensively,” Sandonato recalls. “I knew if I had the opportunity to play more, I could turn it around.”
And turn it around he did. By the onset of Patriot League play his junior season, Sandonato settled in as the team’s every day second baseman. He hit .333 against league opponents, and scored 17 runs on the season.
His work in the classroom remained steady, as he earned Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recognition in addition to the team scholar-athlete award.
Then came his senior season.
With the full-time job already secured, Sandonato has kept his focus on his grades as well as improving his efforts on the baseball diamond. He has saved his best campaign for last, earning All-Patriot League first team honors after starting 49 of the team’s 50 games at second base and leading the Patriot League defensively by turning 33 double plays during the regular season.
“Mike has been a major contributor to our team’s success,” said Lehigh head coach Sean Leary ’93, who was also an accounting major under Sinclair. “He is one of the most unselfish players you will find, and one of the hardest workers on the team.”
So Sandonato and the Mountain Hawks are in the Patriot League tournament for the fifth straight year – something never before accomplished in the program’s history. As co-regular season champions, Lehigh will play host to the tournament for the first time ever on May 13-14 at the baseball field on Goodman Campus.
With the top seed receiving a bye in the opening round, Lehigh will have the benefit of needing only two wins this weekend to capture the title – something else that a Lehigh team has yet to do. “We know what a huge advantage the format of this tournament is for the host team,” Sandonato points out. “We will come in a bit fresher and can rest our top pitcher, which gives us a distinct advantage.”
Regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s games, Sandonato and the other seven seniors will likely leave Lehigh as the class with more wins than any other four-year group in school history. “We have a good feeling about the state of this program,” he said. “Not only have we been able to better understand the value of the education we have received, but the baseball program has continually grown while we’ve been here.”
Oh, and one other thing…regardless of the outcome of this weekend’s games, Sandonato already has an excellent job waiting for him.
Sinclair has no doubt that Sandonato will be successful in his career path. “PricewaterhouseCoopers, like other firms, is looking for students with strong technical skills and interpersonal skills,” he explained. “Mike has both.”
Lehigh hosts Bucknell and Lafayette in the 2006 Patriot League baseball tournament on Saturday and Sunday at the baseball field on Goodman Campus. Bucknell and Lafayette play a single nine-inning elimination game at noon Saturday, with the winner then taking on the Mountain Hawks in a best-of-three series. Audio of all Lehigh games will be broadcast live on-line at Lehighsports.com, with streaming provided by Yahoo! Sports. Admission to all games is free.
