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ing other sports, but decided baseball was his game.“I tried to play basketball this year, but my love wasn’t for basketball,” Ricciuti said.“I don’t want to play a game not going full strength with everything. The day I quit that,I just walked right over to the weight room and hung out with the baseball guys.”Ricciuti credits Ellwood City’s entire baseball program for turning him into an outstanding person, as well as adominant pitcher.“This place is incredible,” he said. “The coaches are why we won the WPIAL and state titles. They push us to be the best we could be. They teach so more beyond baseball — how to carry ourselves off the field in everything. That really pushes us ahead of other teams.”Ricciuti, who plans to major in business, is eager to get to Akron for thePAGE 8off.Ricciuti used the time to build up strength.“I hit the weights and the stretch bands and did a lot of running to get my legs in shape,” he said. “I really concentrated on that more than the throwing, but I got all that stuff done, too. I didn’t rush anything and it all went well.”Ricciuti came back to pitch in the playoffs for Ellwood City. However, he wasn’t back to 100 percent and the Wolverines were ousted by Burrell.“A lot of colleges saw me earlier in my career, but it’s said that your junior year is your most important year for everyone to see you. Sitting out a whole season might have scared a lot of colleges off.After this season, they should know now.”r i i __FROMor throw batting practice:From hitting baseballs off a tee at his grandparents’ house as a toddler to celebrating a PIAA championship with his father, Joe — an Ellwood City Lincoln High assistant coach — last month.“My dad has brought me up in baseball,” Ricciuti said. “My mom and sisters go to all my games and are always there. It’s pretty nice to have a family bring me up like that. It means a lot to me.”It’s certainly paid off for Ricciuti, who established himself as one of the WPIALs most dominant pitchers throughout his career. As a result, the 6-' foot-3 right-hander earned a baseball scholarship to the University of Akron.His accomplishments have earned Ricciuti the title of Lawrence County’s Male Athlete of the Year for 2002-2003. The winner was selected by the New Castle News sports staff.“In 21 years of coaching, including some years in Florida, he is the best all-around high school pitcher that I have ever seen,” Ellwood City coach Jeff Fotia
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New Castle News Holiday
New Castle, Pennsylvania, US
Fri, Jul 04, 2003
Page 9
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USA 16 Oct 2020
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