In his days at Shaler Area High School, Justin Alessio was a power hitter. But once he moved into the collegiate ranks at La Roche College, he quickly realized his long swing and penchant for "trying to hit the ball out of the park every at-bat" just didn't work against much more talented pitchers.

Three years later, Alessio's swing is as short as ever, as his talent continues to grow.

A 2005 Shaler graduate, Alessio is coming off quite a junior season at La Roche. In 39 games, he hit .380 with 36 RBI, earning him first-team Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference honors. In his first year as a starter, Alessio may have been flying a little under the radar entering the season, but his standout production emphatically proved he belonged.

"From a numbers standpoint, it was a little bit of a surprise," La Roche coach Chase Rowe said. "We had high expectations for him, but being it was his first year as a starter, you never really know how it's going to pan out. He worked hard and came to play every single day, and it paid off."

A first baseman, Alessio blossomed after starting on only a part-time basis his first two seasons. Having not started at Shaler until midway through his senior year, Alessio was used to splitting time and waited patiently for his shot.

"I knew if I was given the opportunity to get a starting role I would succeed," he said. "I just wanted to work as hard as I could and represent myself as best as I could."

He did a good job of that this season, and his newfound hitting technique was a big reason why. Rowe said the reason Alessio was not recruited heavily out of high school was likely because of his long swing. Making the proper adjustments to make it more compact took some time.

This year, however, things began to click. Alessio's average shot up, and instead of hitting home runs -- he hit just four -- he was among the conference leaders in doubles and learned to hit the ball to all fields.

"It took him a while, with him being a big strong kid, to get that home run mentality out of him," Rowe said. "He shortened up his swing and started to use the whole field. He really matured and kind of started to just let things happen."

In addition to his outstanding offensive play, Alessio has developed into one of the best defensive players on the team. Rowe credited him with "saving" a few games this year with his stellar play.

Alessio may have worked diligently on taking a less powerful approach, but his fondness for lifting and working out may have recently reached its peak with an opportunity he has taken advantage of -- modeling for a bodybuilding magazine.

His roommate is a bodybuilder whose trainer does it professionally. The trainer offered four college athletes from Western Pennsylvania, including Alessio, the chance to be part of a "before and after" program for Muscle and Body Magazine which provides them with supplements and tracks their progress for a year. Alessio has dropped 25 pounds and now weighs in at a more defined 200 pounds.

"I was always into lifting but never anything like this," Alessio said. "I want to work as hard as I can to get better and that's why I chose to do it."

In addition to his magazine work, Alessio is playing in the Beaver County semipro league. Alessio and about a dozen of his La Roche teammates play for Ellwood City, which Alessio said has made it to the league championship the past three seasons.

Alessio is hoping to put up even better numbers his senior season, and his dream of playing professionally remains in play.

Said Alessio, "I know how hard it is to go from the Division III level and get drafted, but I know it's possible. Even if I don't get drafted, I just want to put a uniform on and play baseball. I'm going to get better and have an even better season next year."