When walking down the halls at RHS, students may see history teacher Michael Celenza as their average teacher. Little do many know, Celenza has made a name for himself through baseball and can now be found in his former high school and college’s Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Growing up, Celenza thought of baseball as just another sport. He had no idea this sport would become such a big part of his life to this day. 

Celenza teaches Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography and AP Government at RHS, but many are unaware of his recent induction into both the Quince Orchard High School (QO) and Salisbury University Athletic Halls of Fame.

At a young age, Celenza’s father decided to sign him up for baseball. Neither he nor his father knew what the future held for him. As Celenza began to play baseball, his passion for it increased.  

“Over time I started to enjoy it, and when I got older, I got better at it. After a while it wasn’t an activity, it was a hobby,” Celenza said.

During his time at QO, Celenza didn’t play varsity baseball until his junior and senior year. Despite joining the team later than most, he holds various single season records such as a batting average hitting of .533. Celenza is also first in hits with 40 hits, first in a run batted in at 43, first with 7 home runs and first in earned run average at .68. Celenza received multiple all county and all state awards according to his former coach Jason Gasaway. Not only did Celenza stand out on the field as a leader, but he performed just as well academically.

“Mike Celenza was exactly what a student athlete is supposed to be. He was a leader on the baseball field and in the classroom,” former coach Jason Gasaway said. “Teachers loved having him in class, because he was always on time, respectful and did his job in the classroom.”

Although he held several records, Celenza didn’t stand out to any colleges. That was until one of his high school coaches had a Salisbury coach attend a baseball match. The coach took notice of Celenza and offered him a spot on the team. 

Celenza played baseball for all four years he attended Salisbury.  He was named to the Coast to Coast All Academic Team (CAC), CAC player of the year, American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All American, and the ABCA south region division three player of the year. 

“Being involved in team sports creates a certain aspect and team camaraderie that continues to grow through play,” Celenza said. “Learning how to be part of a team has allowed me to return back to school; as a teacher you sort of understand people’s strengths and weaknesses, especially teaching kids.”