JACKSON TWP — He doesn't look like a pitcher who could throw a baseball that hard and with such precision.

He stands barely 6-feet tall, he weighs about as much as a bucket full of rosin bags and carries himself in a way that doesn't inspire fear.

But put a baseball in his hand and his feet on a pitching rubber, and Cory Mazzoni morphs into something special.

"You look at his stature physically — he doesn't look overpowering," said Seneca Valley baseball coach Eric Semega.

Mazzoni has been nothing but overpowering. The junior right-hander routinely tops 90 mph, mixes in a hard-biting curveball and a revamped changeup that freezes hitters.

His numbers this season would make Roger Clemens envious: Mazzoni has posted a 4-0 record and has surrendered only one earned run in 26 innings.

That puts his ERA at a microscopic 0.27.

He has surrendered just 18 hits and has struck out 40 batters while walking 12.

"It's a little bit shocking," Mazzoni said. "My pitches have developed a little bit more. I've been working on my changeup, and that's been working a little bit better for me. I have better command of my pitches and I feel pretty good out there."

Mazzoni also has been working on strengthening his legs. Two years ago, he was hitting 80 mph on the gun. Since he began working on his lower body, his velocity has increased every season.

But perhaps the biggest change has come between his ears, Semega said.

Usually quiet and reserved,Mazzoni has flashed some competitive fire this season.

"I honestly think he just broke out of his shell," Semega said. "We've never really seen fire physically from him, but in a game against North Hills, he broke out with some enthusiasm. His confidence is really showing now. I think he's just matured."

Seneca Valley has needed his strong pitching. The Raiders' offense has struggled at times, but their pitching has helped them to an 8-1 overall record and a spotless 5-0 mark in the section.

"It's nice to have a guy like (Mazzoni) because we have struggled hitting," Semega said. "To have him be strong while we struggled a little bit offensively was perfect."

What's more amazing about Mazzoni's numbers is the majority of his work has come at his home park, which has some of the shortest home run porches in the WPIAL — a mere 300 feet to the power alley in right and 357 feet to center field.

That doesn't seem to faze Mazzoni one bit.

"You just have to keep the pitches low, and if they hit it, they hit it," Mazzoni said.