Southern Miss Baseball Inks Fourth Recruit
6/1/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Southern Miss Baseball Inks Fourth Recruit
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss Baseball Coach Corky Palmer has announced the signing of Raymond Antonelli, a 5-9, 160-pound left-handed pitcher from Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla., to a national letter of intent for the 2002-03 academic year. This marks the sixth signee of the year for the Golden Eagles.
"Raymond was an outstanding junior college pitcher, who has a chance to make an immediate impact with our program," Palmer said. "He throws different pitches for strikes and is very good at changing speeds. He will have a chance to compete for a starting spot in the rotation right away. You can never have too many left handed pitchers on your staff."
Antonelli, who originally hails from Pittsburgh, Pa., finished 5-2 with a 1.84 ERA in 78.2 innings as a sophomore playing for Coach Darren Mazeroski in 2002. A first-team All-Florida Panhandle Conference selection, he struck out 56 batters, while walking 23.
As a three-year starter for Coach Joe Colella at Hopewell High School, Antonelli finished with a 28-8 record with a 3.35 ERA in 209.2 innings pitched. He gave up 78 runs on 186 hits, walked 90 and struck out 293. He helped lead Hopewell to two section titles, one western Pennsylvania title and one state tournament appearance. As a senior, he finished with a 12-1 record with a 0.61 ERA, striking out 140, the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League's strikeout leader, and walking only 27.
As a senior in 2000, he was selected first-team all-state by the Reading Eagle and Reading Times, Pittsburgh Tribune Review's Player of the Year, Beaver County Player of the Year, Pittsburgh Post Gazette's West Player of the Year and named to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette's All-Star Team. He was a three-year all-section selection and won every playoff game he pitched as a senior (4).
Antonelli played four years of American Legion baseball, helping his area team to two county titles, four division titles, one regional title and one state tournament appearance. He finished with a 10-1 record with a 1.19 ERA in 2000, striking out 106 batters and earning the county's most valuable player. In his four-year American Legion career, he finished with a 30-9 record and a 1.77 ERA, with 292 strikeouts.
Southern Miss finished 36-22 during the 2002 season and returns six position starters, two starting pitchers and 18 letterwinners.