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Victories proved impossible to come by for Northwest's Dominique Vattuone last spring, but in 2009, they have been anything but.

As one of the team's top pitchers a year ago, the right-hander finished his first full varsity season with an 0-5 record and a 5.70 earned-run average. His losses came against some of the county's best squads, but he was roughed up in most of them. In starts against 4A state champion Sherwood, Wootton and Whitman, he was touched for 25 total runs.

What a difference a year makes.

Through last Friday's 6-4 win against Whitman and including last year's stint with Gaithersburg Post 295, the senior had produced a perfect 10-0 record, including a 4-0 mark this spring for the resurgent Jaguars. At 6-1, the Jags are very much in contention for one of the top four seeds in the upcoming 4A West Region tournament.

"It's been an evolution of a human being," Jaguars coach Matt Noble said.

The question is: What has changed? His mechanics? The addition of another pitch or several miles per hour gained on his fastball?

None of the above, actually. All that has changed is his attitude, according to Vattuone and those around him.

"Just my whole mental approach [has changed]," Vattuone said. "Last year, I was hotheaded. I just let my mind get ahead of me. Now I'm relaxed and take it pitch-by-pitch and try to be positive. I just get hotheaded because I'm really competitive."

While facing an ever-changing strike zone during Friday's win against Whitman (7-2), Vattuone displayed that new positive attitude, smiling and turning away after a couple of close pitches did not go his way. Despite nearly two weeks off the mound, Vattuone lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out four.

"I hold myself to a higher standard than everyone else," he said, "and I just beat myself up sometimes. It's good to let some emotion out, positive emotion, but you try to keep it to a minimum so you don't show it to the other team."

His best performance of the season came April 2 against Sherwood. After allowing 11 runs to the Warriors a year ago, Vattuone surrendered just one in a complete-game win. He struck out seven and scattered six hits.

Vattuone has also defeated Blake and Springbrook this spring. He allowed three combined runs in those games.

"Even in the classroom," Noble said. "He's still hard on himself sometimes. And we still have to talk to him a little bit. But he's done a terrific job."

Vattuone's maturation process began this past summer while playing for longtime Gaithersburg Post 295 manager Rick Price, whom Noble credits for putting his pitcher in a good position to succeed. Vattuone responded by posting a 6-0 record with a miniscule 0.33 ERA for Gaithersburg, before missing Post 295's Maryland State American Legion title run and trip to the Mid-Atlantic Region 2 tournament with an injury.

"He pitched great," Price said. "He had a great season for us … and he's going to a small college on scholarship. He should get a lot of innings for us this summer. He's tall and he's right over the top from a very tall angle and he gets his curveball over."

Added Post 295 teammate Nick Loftus: "He's great. Every time he just gives 100 percent. He's passionate. He's determined. He's a great pitcher. I think playing for 295 under Rick Price, I think he just learned a lot about how to keep his composure and he's matured a little bit as a pitcher."

Vattuone hopes to continue his development on the mound with Price this summer, and then with former Major League Baseball hurler Jay Witasick, the pitching coach at Harford Community College. Vattuone signed a partial scholarship with Harford last February.

"They've had a lot of interest in me and they were able to give me some scholarship money," said Vattuone, who was also batting .450 with eight runs batted in for Northwest this spring. "I can work with a professional pitcher and move on from there."