One day, Mick Fennell is going to have to make a difficult decision.

Is he a hitter or a pitcher?

“I love both,” said the Butler High graduate who just finished his freshman season on the California (Pa.) University baseball team. “I can't even decide. My college coach said, 'Right now you can be both, but by the time you are a senior, you're going to have to choose.'”

Fennell has a few years to sort that out.

What the opposition can't sort out these days is how to keep him off base in the Eagle County League.

The infielder for Saxonburg began the season 15-for-16 at the plate. He reached base in 19 of his first 20 plate appearances.

Through 10 games, he is batting .727 with four doubles, five triples, a home run and 13 RBIs. In 39 plate appearances, he has yet to strike out.

That scintillating start has people around the league, which started in 1932, buzzing.

“I haven't seen anyone like this,” said Saxonburg manager Dan Cunningham, who has written about the Eagle County history on the league's website. “We've had some good ones — Mike Sikorski, Brendan Malone, Justin Woodrow, Mike Sheehy. No one has gotten off to a better start than Mick this year.”

Fennell played in the league last year, but came this season with a different approach, Cunningham said.

At Cal, Fennell batted .322 with 21 RBIs. He only struck out eight times in 118 at-bats.

“I don't want to say it's a world of difference, but it's a huge difference between last year and this year,” Cunningham said. “He's always gone at about 190 percent. I can't say enough about him.”

Fennell has further honed his patience at the plate. It has shown in his approach at Cal and so far with Saxonburg.

“I'm waiting for my pitch, being more selective,” Fennell said. “I'm trying not to chase anything out of the zone.”

That led to his nearly flawless start.

Fennell said he didn't think he could maintain that pace after the first three games.

“I started 9-of-10 and I broke the bat I was using,” Fennell said. “People were joking that, well, it's over now because I broke that bat.”

All he did after that was go 6-for-6 to put a cap on his amazing start.

What made it even more impressive for Fennell was the quality pitching he faced every game.

“I knew the level of competition of this league from playing last year,” Fennell said. “I knew this wasn't easy baseball. I just have never been locked in like I am now.”

Fennell made one major change not long after he joined the Vulcans: He gave up on being a switch hitter. He only swings from the left side now.

“In my second practice up at college, the coach told me that being a position player, pitcher and a switch hitter was too much to worry about,” Fennell said. “I hit pretty well left-handed against left-handed pitchers.”

Coming out of the box from the left side also gives the speedy Fennell a couple of extra steps to beat out infield hits.

“That's what I was known for my junior year in high school,” Fennell said.

He has developed into much more. Fennell hopes to continue his evolution from a slap hitter to an all-around threat at the plate.

Fennell is working out this summer, trying to add 5 to 10 pounds to his 5-foot-10 frame. He's also getting a chance to play with his older brother, Ryan, with Saxonburg this summer.

“This is more like a training summer for me,” Fennell said. “A lot of lifting. A lot of putting on weight, getting explosive. Plus, this year is one of the last years I will get a chance to play with my brother. That's the biggest reason.”

Fennell also has made an impact at Cal and with Saxonburg as a pitcher. He posted a 2.64 ERA and was second on the team with 61 1-3 innings pitched as a freshman for the Vulcans.

That further adds to Fennell's impending conundrum. The question pops up again.

Hitter or Pitcher? No answer, even when pressed to choose.

“I can't,” Fennell said. “It's definitely a good problem. That's what I'm trying for.”