In his first season on the Ohio baseball team, pitcher John Angelicchi has experienced the many ups and downs that come with being a college baseball player.
He started the season rehabbing from off-season shoulder surgery and then got a few starts before his shoulder started bothering him again at the end of the season.
Angelicchi said he was not expecting to get any starts at all this year after undergoing shoulder surgery in June 2004.
I thought it was all just rehab
he said. I made a quick comeback and then I got in there and pitched well.
Ohio coach Joe Carbone said he was impressed with Angelicchi's outings and put the freshman into the weekend rotation for the Western Michigan series, April 29-May 1, after pitcher Rob Harmon went down with an injury.
He deserved to go in because he has thrown better than everyone else so it's kind of a merit reward system Carbone said. You throw well
you get a chance to go out
if you don't throw well
you go to the back of the line.
Associate coach Bill Toadvine said he was not sure whether Angelicchi was going to have the opportunity to pitch this year after the surgery, but said that he worked hard to get back into shape.
I think the biggest thing about him is that he is just an outstanding competitor once he gets there on the mound and he works very hard
Toadvine said. He's got three pretty good pitches and good control. He's not going to lose the game for us because of poor control.
Angelicchi made his first collegiate start against James Madison on March 22, where he allowed two runs on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.
A week later, he picked up his first career win against Cleveland State pitching 3 1/3 innings in relief allowing one run on four hits while striking out two. He would later add two more wins, making his season record 3-0.
His longest outing of the year came in the Bobcats' 5-1 victory against Otterbein on April 12, when he pitched six shutout innings, allowing two hits and striking out six.
Angelicchi said most of the adjustments he has had to make going from high school to college baseball were concerned with his approach to the hitters.
In high school
its only one or two hitters that you have to worry about and then in college
it's one through nine
he said. You just have to make sure you don't make a mistake or they'll make you pay. High school you can get around it
college it's a lot harder.
During his freshman season, Angelicchi led the Bobcat pitching staff with a 2.66 earned run average in 23 2/3 innings of work in eight appearances.
Toadvine said he was pleased with Angelicchi's progress in his first season even though he has not fully recovered from surgery and is looking forward to what he will bring to the team in the years to come.
In the future
