He attended Cardinal Mooney High School where he earned three varsity letters in both baseball and basketball, earned All-Steel Valley honors in both sports, and was later inducted into the school's athletic Hall of Fame.

He would later be inducted into the New England Collegiate Baseball League Hall of Fame in 2010 as part of its inaugural class and have his number retired by the Westerners in 2014.

In the spring of 2000, Malaska was developed into a relief pitcher at the University of Akron because of the team's need for a closer.

He finished the 2000 NCAA season with a .326 batting average and a 1.13 ERA earning him All Mid-American Conference First Team honors.

A year after being drafted, he tied for the organizational lead in strikeouts, and in 2002 led the organization in complete games.