Baseball Signs Nine Recruits For 2012 Season
5/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University baseball team has announced the signing of nine recruits for the 2012 season. Eighth year head coach Rob Sheppard will welcome Sal Annunziatta, Tyler Boyd, Chris Carroll, Daniel Ditusa, Anthony Elia, Alex Falconi, Kyle Grimm, Connor Kraus, and D.J. Ruhlman to his squad when the Pirates prepare for their season in the Fall of 2011.
"Assistant Coach Phil Cundari did a great job of addressing our needs this offseason and working to get the type of players we were looking for," said Sheppard. "This group of young men are baseball players and very athletic. They love to compete, so they will be great additions to our program. We are very excited about their future at Seton Hall University."
Annunziatta will come to Seton Hall following a high school career with Fordham Prep and New York Nine where he played for Stan Latimer. Annunziatta posses power potential and run production abilities. In the field, he'll see most of his time at the first base or outfield positions, while on the offensive side he has the discipline to be a middle of the lineup hitter.
"We feel Sal will be a very good hitter in the future," noted Sheppard. "He is an athletic kid who can play first base and the corner outfield positions."
Boyd hails from Roxbury High School where he developed into one of the top left-handed hitters in New Jersey under head coach Greg Trotter. A four-year varsity catcher and utility player, Boyd has been a two-time All-Morris County Star-Ledger honoree while adding First and Second Team All-Area Daily Record honors and a First Team All-Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference honor. In addition to playing for Roxbury, Boyd has spent his fall and summer days coached by Bobby Jones of the South Bergen Mets. He posses power potential from the left side.
"Tyler is a left-handed hitter that can potentially have an immediate impact," said Sheppard. "He is a dedicated baseball player who can help us in the infield and behind the plate. He is athletic for his size and should be a force offensively for us in the next few years."
Carroll is a projectable left-handed pitcher who joins the Pirates having been coached by one of Bergen County's All-Time winningest coaches Joe Yurko at Westwood High School. Carroll competes with three pitches that have brought him early success. As a junior, he was named First Team All-Bergen County and Second Team All-State while being named the top pitcher in the Bergen County Tournament.
"Chris is a tall, projectable left-hander," added Sheppard. "He has a good arm and an above-average breaking ball that has the potential to be even better with added size and development in the weight room."
Ditusa is a left-handed pitcher from St. Charles East High School in Illinois, where he captained both the baseball and basketball teams. He will continue to improve the Pirates left-handed pitching as he has shown the athleticism and work ethic necessary to develop into a BIG EAST pitcher. Ditusa has been succeeding and developing well under coaches Dave Haskins and Marc Tortorice at St. Charles East.
"Dan's competitive nature, composure, and leadership will be a good addition to our team," said Sheppard.
Elia is a left-handed pitcher out of Mount Olive High School where he is coached by former Seton Hall assistant coach Jim McDermot. While pitching for Mount Olive, as well as the New Jersey Cardinals under the tutelage of Seton Hall University Hall of Famer Rico Bellini, Elia has developed his pitches and shown potential for above average movement on all his pitches. His swing-and-miss breaking ball can have an immediate impact on the bullpen next season.
"Anthony is a hard-working player and a great competitor on the field," said Sheppard. "He is continuing to develop all his pitches and has shown potential for above average stuff. His breaking ball may allow him to have an impact in the bullpen very quickly."
Falconi will be entering his fourth season as a catcher for St. Mary's High School in Long Island, NY. Throughout the past three seasons, he has earned such honors as the 2010 Long Island Player of the Year while being named to the IBC World Series All-Tournament Team and the USSSA State Championship All-Tournament Team. While playing for coach Lou Maetta of the Mizuno Titans, Falconi's fall and summer team, the six-foot backstop received team MVP honors in 2009.
"Alex is a very competitive player that has great baseball aptitude," noted Sheppard. "He is a strong kid with good defensive skills and a very strong arm. Alex is a very athletic catcher and runs exceptionally well."
Grimm will enter Seton Hall after playing for John Farley at Bergenfield High School and Charlie Giachetti and Jimmy Wladyka in the summer and fall for Wladyka Baseball. Considered one of the top prospects in Bergen County, he has seen varsity action in each of the past three years becoming a three-time First Team All-League and All-Bergen County Honorable Mention. He finished his freshmen season with a .508 batting average and will be entering his final season with 93 career hits. He adds athleticism and speed with power potential and has also contributed on the mound. In addition to baseball, Grimm has shown his athleticism having participated in two years of varsity cross country and one year of varsity football, winter track, and wrestling. The latter sport earned Grimm the Principal's award for dedication, enthusiasm, and sportsmanship.
"Kyle is a very energetic player that plays the game the right way," said Sheppard. "He will bring a lot of enthusiasm to the field and to our team. He has the ability to play anywhere in the infield and can play the outfield as well. Has a good approach to hitting and will succeed at this level."
Kraus will be a great addition of the pitching staff next season following a four-year career at Randolph High School Standing at 6'3", 190 pounds, he has a prototypical pitcher's frame that will allow him to throw with velocity. His power arm and pitches have shown the ability to get hitters out which contributed to three State Championships.
"Connor is athletic with strength and size that will allow him to throw hard," said Sheppard. He is a power arm who will be a factor on the mound early in his career, and is an outstanding competitor who will only continue to get better during his time at Seton Hall."
Ruhlman is considered one of the best hitters in Somerset County as he posses gap-to-gap power. A versatile middle infielder, Ruhlman played for Pete Mueller at Montgomery High School and was teammates with current Seton Hall pitchers Jon Prosinski and Josh Prevost. In addition to baseball, Ruhlman showed his strong arm and athletic ability competing as the quarterback for Montgomery's football team.
"D.J. has shown ability to become a very good hitter," Sheppard said. "He is competitive and very aggressive at the plate, and will be an excellent addition offensively to this class."
