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Player to Watch: Tony Romanelli, Beacon
Ed Diller
Follow baseball in the Hudson Valley on Twitter: @MSGVarsityKDJ
Tony Romanelli is Section 1’s brightest baseball star. In his first two varsity seasons, the 6-foot-2 left-hander has not only established himself as the Hudson Valley’s top player, but his verbal commitment to pitch at Wake Forest confirms he’s among the elite on the East Coast.
Romanelli, who’ll be a junior at Beacon this fall, should solidify his place among the premier multi-sport athletes in the Hudson Valley. He plays small forward in basketball and pitcher/first baseman in baseball, and was supposed to be the starting quarterback in football this fall but opted not to go out for the team.
Baseball is Romanelli’s primary sport. He was arguably Section 1’s best pitcher as a sophomore last season, finishing with a 6-3 record and posting a miniscule 0.41 ERA while striking out 75 batters in just 51 innings.
Most impressive is the fact Romanelli allowed all three of his earned runs for the season in Beacon’s opener against Spackenkill.
At the plate, Romanelli batted .343 with three home runs, 16 RBI and 16 runs. He’s also a terrific defensive player in the infield.
Romanelli was selected as the Section 1 large-school pitcher of the year, an MSG Varsity first-team all-star and a first-team all-state selection. It was his second all-state selection. He was Section 1’s only freshman to make the list the previous season.
During the basketball season, Romanelli started as a sophomore on a 10-win Beacon squad. He averaged just under 6.0 points per game but rose the occasion in several big games.
Romanelli’s best game was in late January when he scored a season-high 18 points as Beacon pulled out a 45-42 victory Poughkeepsie, a team that went on to reach the Section 1 Class A title game.
Visit MSGVarsity.com each weekday this summer as we unveil the next athlete on our Players to Watch list. Click here for the complete list.
Email Kevin Devaney Jr. at kdevaney@cablevision.com
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