While Saturday afternoons in November are typically reserved for hearty tailgaters and their favorite college football teams, one Mid-Penn Conference pitcher is grabbing the spotlight today in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Trinity southpaw Andrew Scarpelli, on campus at James Madison University, will sign his national letter of intent to join coach Spanky McFarland and the Dukes next fall.
“Well, it was just me and my dad evaluated the decision. Everything just felt right,” said Scarpelli, who steered Al Hobby's Shamrocks last season. “It's a beautiful campus, a school known for a great education first and foremost. It felt comfortable.”
After committing to the University of Pittsburgh in April, Scarpelli was forced to reevaluate his decision when the relationship with the Panthers “kind of broke down a little bit.”
“Looking back it was actually a blessing in disguise because I couldn't picture myself anywhere but JMU,” Scarpelli said.
While moving on to a quality Division I program wasn't a necessity, Scarpelli drew plenty of interest from high-level squads at Virginia Commonwealth, Rutgers and Kentucky, among others. JMU also was an interested party before Scarpelli gave his verbal nod to Pitt.
“I think everyone gets consumed with the label of being a Division I athlete, but I'm just concentrating on becoming the best athlete I can be,” he said. “I'm trying to better myself.”
Behind a three-pitch attack, Scarpelli's starts were usually reserved for Trinity's toughest competitors. And the 5-9 lefty still managed a 3-4 mark with 42 strikeouts in just 36 innings of work. Scarpelli handed out 20 hits all season for a sizzling 1.75 ERA during his junior campaign.
SCARPELLI THROWING SESSION VIDEO
Over the summer, Scarpelli drew a series-finale start for Team Pennsylvania in the Big 26 Classic, covering two innings with a pair of strikeouts and no hits allowed in PA's 4-0 victory over Maryland.
The southpaw also gained considerable strength through weight training and offseason conditioning at GoWags Baseball in Camp Hill. The work helped Scarpelli ramp up his fastball to that coveted 86-90 mph range.
“It's just been a lot of hard work and part of that was mental,” Scarpelli said. “I needed to motivate myself, work that much harder to compete at the next level.”
Epler on Twitter: @threejacker