Jacksonville: Greg Nappo, LHP

[tjfla]

Discuss

5th Year Senior
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http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m...po_greg00.html

[emkayseven]

Carrying on with Baseball America's list of top ten Valley League prospects, we have arrived at #9, Greg Nappo, a lefthanded pitcher from Connecticut.

Greg pitched for Haymarket in 2010, and pitched very, very well. Here's what Jesse Burkhart has to say about his summer:

9. Greg Nappo, lhp, Haymarket (Sr., Connecticut)

Nappo, the league's ERA leader at 1.64, smothered his Valley competition, holding opposing hitters to a .191 batting average with 64 strikeouts and 18 walks in 49 innings...he operates primarily with his two-seam fastball and cutter that both sit in the high-80s, and he can also run a four-seamer into the low-90s....although he lacks the physical projection scouts look for in pitching prospects, his present feel for pitching and competitiveness are obvious strengths that give him a chance to have a sustained professional career. (To see the entire writeup, visit baseballamerica.com!)

Well, he may be 22 years old already, but he's lefthanded and can throw hard. That will equal a shot at pro ball in the future, I'm sure.

http://allthingsvalleyleague.typepad...haymarket.html
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CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — About this time last year, Connecticut baseball coach Jim Penders tried to talk recent graduate Greg Nappo into leaving. The Los Angeles Dodgers wanted to draft the Huskies’ left-hander.

“I said, ’Go,”’ Penders recalled. ’“You might never have this chance again. You’ve done about everything you can do here.”’

Not quite, said Nappo, who had redshirted in 2008 and still had another year of eligibility. He hadn’t won a championship at UConn. So he returned for another year.
Nappo got his second championship of the year Monday night as the Huskies rolled past Clemson 14-1 in the deciding game of the Clemson Regional. The Huskies (45-18-1), winners of the Big East Conference regular-season championship, will play at defending national champion South Carolina in the super regionals.

Nappo is another in-state player who has helped the UConn rise to national prominence. He’s from Madison and had pitched his high school ball at Daniel Hand.

It was an especially big night for UConn, playing in only its second regional since 1994. Outfielder George Springer and pitcher Matt Barnes were taken in the first round of the Major League draft.

Nappo (10-2) allowed only one run in 5 2/3 innings in his second start in three days.

“I was willing to do it as long as I had my arm attached,” Nappo said.

Nappo’s teammates floored the Tigers (43-20) with three runs in the first inning, five in the fifth and six more in the eighth. UConn’s first three batters got hits and the host Tigers looked rattled on defense.

“We played loose, with absolutely no fear,” Penders said. “There was no way we were going to lose tonight.”

Clemson starter Kevin Pohle (5-2) recorded only one out before he was knocked out.

“It was one of those games where it started going in one direction and it’s very hard to stop it,” Clemson coach Jack Leggett said.

The victory was UConn’s fourth straight since losing to Coastal Carolina in Friday’s opening game.

Ryan Fuller had three hits, including a three-run homer, with five RBIs for the Huskies.

Billy Ferriter had three hits, including two triples. Tim Martin had three hits and LJ Mazzilli scored three runs.

Richie Shaffer’s homer in the second produced Clemson’s only run.

http://blogs.thehour.com/huskyhour/?p=974
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[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjTlnAdkTcc[/ame]

[HUGG]

Pitching vs. South Carolina on ESPN2
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Struck out the side in the 1st

[LocoMarlinFan]

Signed

The Huskies continue to move on with their new careers. Pitcher Greg Nappo was in Florida to sign his contract with the Marlins on Wednesday and he will be assigned to Jamestown of the NY-Penn League. Good chance he'll be pitching some at Norwich when Jamestown comes in to play the Tigers in August.

http://blogs.courant.com/baseball/20...-keep-rol.html

Hand High Grad Makes The Big Leagues
Pitcher Greg Nappo drafted by Florida Marlins.

Madison stepped up to the big leagues last week when Greg Nappo, a Hand High graduate, was drafted by the Florida Marlins.

Nappo, who pitched for Hand and UConn, was selected in the 18th round on June 7, the second day of the draft, and is currently awaiting assignment to a minor league team. He thinks he’ll be sent to the Jamestown, NY Jammers and will meet with team officials this weekend.

Nappo graduated from UConn last year with a degree in English and stayed in school to pursue a second degree in political science. He pitched for the Huskies this season and recorded a 10-3 record with a 2.63 ERA. He pitched 95.2 innings and recorded 57 strike outs.

The Huskies had a great season, winning the Big East Tournament and recording a 45-20-1 record before losing to South Carolina in the NCAA championships. They lost two games to South Carolina with Nappo pitching the second game.

Nappo graduated from Hand in 2006 and pitched for the team his junior and senior years. He had a 7-1 record his senior year.

“Hand provided motivation for UConn,” he said. “I definitely came out of high school with confidence. I only played two years of varsity so I learned to work harder than everyone else. I wasn’t as talented as some people at the time, so my work ethic helped me succeed.”

The work ethic paid off at UConn and hopefully with the Marlins. “My goal is to play professional baseball and play at the minor league level this season,” he said. “The next step is to keep moving.”

http://madison-ct.patch.com/articles...he-big-leagues

[emkayseven]

If the remainder of his professional baseball career is as memorable as the first year, Madison’s Greg Nappo will be in for quite a ride.

Since signing with the Miami Marlins, who drafted him following a standout career at UConn last June, Nappo, a left-hander, has experienced quite a bit while posting impressive numbers. To wit:

♦ Assigned to Jamestown (N.Y.) of the rookie New York-Penn League after signing in June 2011, Nappo faced 15 batters in his first pro start. He struck out 10. He tossed five perfect innings in his next start. His 0.00 ERA over 14 innings (with 22 strikeouts) earned a quick promotion to Greensboro (N.C.) of the South Atlantic League.

♦ Nappo arrived in Greensboro in July and helped the Grasshoppers to their first South Atlantic League championship in 29 years.

♦ Reassigned to Greensboro out of spring training, Nappo has been a jack of all trades in helping his team win 30 of its first 40 games and clinching another playoff spot with a first-half title.

♦ On April 24, Nappo combined with Jose Fernandez and Kevin Cravey for a no-hitter, the first for Greensboro in eight years and only its second since 1991. Fernandez pitched the first six, Nappo the seventh and eighth before Cravey completed the effort with an inning. On July 21, Nappo again had a bid at history. He took over for Charlie Lowell, who left the game after tossing seven no-hit innings, but allowed a double to the first batter he faced.

Nappo has pitched in long relief, as a set-up man, a closer and a spot starter this season. No matter the role, he’s been consistent throwing strikes and getting outs. Although 1-4, his 2.59 ERA is impressive, and includes a streak of 10 scoreless innings over his last three appearances.

On Wednesday, he made his first start since June (and third of the season) and tossed five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and striking out eight. What does the final month of the season hold in store? Not even Nappo knows.

“It’s been an adventure, that’s the only way to describe it,” Nappo said Thursday from Savannah (Ga.), a day after taming the New York Mets affiliate. “I’m doing everything, and I’m happy they’re using me in a lot of different roles. That only benefits me for the future, and shows they trust me out of the bullpen and as a starter. I’m happy with the roles they’ve given me.”

Nappo had been a mainly a starter until this spring. At Daniel Hand High, he was 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA as a senior. At UConn, he rebounded from an injury that cost him his sophomore season to help the Huskies earn a home regional in the NCAA tournament — getting the nod to start the opener against Oregon at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, UConn’s first national tournament game in 16 years.

Although successful in his half season last summer, Nappo wasn’t informed by the Marlins what his role would be during spring training. Five months into the season, his role still hasn’t truly been defined.

“I threw 73 pitches (Wednesday), which is the most I’ve thrown in a game since I was at UConn,” Nappo said. “I can definitely feel it today with some soreness. But the preparation is the same. I pride myself on finding the strike zone and throwing with conviction.”

His impressive outing wasn’t the only thing to be excited about Wednesday. Shortly after the game ended, Nappo heard from friends that Branford’s Mike Olt had been called up to the major leagues.

Nappo and Olt were high school rivals in the Southern Connecticut Conference before becoming teammates at UConn.

“I’m so happy for him,” Nappo said. “He’s such a great kid and I know he’ll do a good job.”

http://shorelinetimes.com/articles/2...e566390337.prt