| Tony Vercelli |
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2007: Appeared in 20 games, seeing time at five different positions throughout the season ... Went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored vs. New Mexico State (3/4) ... Went 1-for-2 with a home run vs. Michigan (4/1) ... Missed final half of season because of injury.
2006: Key reserve off the bench ... Appeared in 37 games, including 13 starts ... Started eight games at catcher, three as the designated hitter and two in the outfield ... Hit first collegiate home run at Illinois-Chicago (5/9) ... Recorded first collegiate hit in first collegiate at-bat in first game of year at South Florida (2/10) ...Threw out three potential base-stealers from catcher's position.
High School: Three-year letterwinner in baseball and football ... Four-year letterwinner in wrestling ... Earned three first-team all-state honors in baseball... Also garnered all-conference and all-area as a sophomore, junior and senior ... Totaled 29 home runs, 157 RBI as a three-year starter on baseball team, which included batting averages of .509 as a sophomore, .430 as a junior and .533 as a senior ... Team won 2003 and 2005 Illinois state baseball titles, finished third as a junior ... Hit a three-run homer to spark five-run inning in 2003 state semifinal game, propelling team to final game ... Caught the final out of 2003 state championship game ... Team recorded a 104-10 three-year record, including nation's best 41 wins senior year ... Competed in Al Kaiser All-Star game ... Two-time Chicago Sun-Times All-State honoree in football ... Three-time all-conference and all-area player in football ... Team recorded 28-game regular season win streak ... Named All-America as a junior after winning Illinois state wrestling title at 215 pounds as a junior ... Three-time all-state recipient in wrestling ... Four-time all-conference, all-area ... Team won four consecutive regional championships and advanced to the final eight freshman season ... Four-year honor roll student ... National Honor Society member junior and senior year ... High school baseball coach was Kevin Feeney.
Personal: Born Antonio James Vercelli on March 5, 1987 ... Son of Lodi and Lynn Vercelli ... Father played football at Northwestern ... Brother (Jake) was a two-time All-American wrestler at Purdue ... Major is communication studies.
Vercelli's Career Stats
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%
2006.... .286 37-13 77 3 22 1 0 1 8 26 .338 2 2 18 2 .317 1 0 0-1 53 9 0 1.000
2007.... .175 20-9 40 5 7 3 0 1 5 13 .325 2 1 15 0 .233 0 0 0-0 21 14 3 .921
TOTAL... .248 57-22 117 8 29 4 0 2 13 39 .333 4 3 33 2 .288 1 0 0-1 74 23 3 .970
