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http://litchfieldcountysports.com/st...em-ctsophomore26 Titans in 26 Days. # 17-Sean Donatello-RHP-University of New Haven (UConn/Avery Point)-Salem, CT-Sophomore
Sean Donatello- RHP- University of New Haven (UConn- Avery Point)- Salem, CT- Sophomore
Titans Outlook: The pitching on this team is really starting to stack up with a tremendous blend of lefty/righty, finesse and power.
Power would be a good way to describe Donatello; that and domination on the hill.
This red shirt sophomore has not lost the past two regular seasons at UConn/Avery Point with 18 straight wins.
He helped bring his team to within a win of the championship in the National Junior College Athletic Association finals last spring.
In 2010, Donatello posted a 10-1 overall record with a miniscule 2.18 ERA. The hard throwing righty pitched 70.3 innings, allowed just 47 hits and struck out 66.
He pitched in the New England Regional’s on the way to the finals and was named Player of the Tournament after his complete game clinched the trip to the finals.
Not to be outdone in 2011, Donatello has been even better so far this spring for his squad.
Titans fans would enjoy these kind of numbers.
8-0 with a... hold on, 0.663 ERA in 54.1 innings pitched. That’s just five earned runs.
He has allowed 25 hits while striking out 71.
UConn/Avery Point is currently ranked #4 in the nation with a 29-6 record.
Donatello is looking forward to what he thinks is going to be a great summer in Torrington.
“I’ve looked at the Titans web-site and have seen who is going to be on the roster,” Donatello said, “It really sounds like they know what they are doing and want to help develop players up there.”
Next season, a transfer to the University of New Haven will happen, so Donatello is looking to get himself noticed this summer.
“I have had a couple of scouts look at me so far,” Donatello said, “I really want to work this summer on improving my game.”
With a fastball that lands in the low 90’s and a change up and curve to boot, Donatello will be a top of the rotation candidate on a team that now has a few.
Last summer, he played in the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League and before that had played American Legion in Niantic.
In Legion action, he was named Pitcher of the Year during his senior year when he posted an 8-0 record with a 0.500 ERA.
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http://www.theday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...=2011305089909Pointers take it to the limit
East Lyme graduate Donatello throws a 3-hitter with 12 Ks
Warwick, R.I. — He's the pure definition of an ace.
When UConn-Avery Point sophomore right-hander Sean Donatello is on the mound, he's in complete control. It's as if he's hypnotized the opposing team.
Case in point: Saturday's NJCAA Region 21 baseball tournament game against host Community College of Rhode Island.
With Avery Point's season on the line trailing 1-0 in the best-of-three series, Donatello, an East Lyme High School graduate, delivered a superb complete-game effort in a 3-0 shutout win.
Donatello (10-0) allowed three hits — only one out of the infield — while striking out 12 without issuing a walk. He retired the first 14 batters and carried a one-hitter into the ninth inning.
"Dominant," Avery point manager Roger Bidwell said. "He hasn't had a bad outing (this season). That's a real good one."
Defending champion Avery Point (35-9) and CCRI (30-10) play a deciding game at noon today in Warwick. Freshman Nick Fessenden of Griswold will start for the Pointers.
Too bad Bidwell can't clone Donatello, who's headed to New Haven in the fall.
Donatello has improved significantly since high school, elevating his game to the point that he's considered a potential major league draft pick. He's increased his arm strength, throwing a lively fast ball in the low 90s and a sharp breaking curveball, and grown more confident.
He's gladly accepted the demanding role as staff ace, building on last season when he posted a 10-1 mark with a team-best 2.18 earned run average.
"I like it a lot," Donatello said. "I feel really comfortable out there. The coaches have helped develop my game immensely. I've gained a lot of confidence even from last year to this year. I feel good out there. I've gained some velocity and developed all my pitches."
From the very first inning, Donatello looked sharp, striking out two of the first three batters with relative ease.
That was good news for the Pointers, whose offense is not as potent as last year when they reached the NJCAA Division II World Series championship game. Avery Point manufactures runs for the most part. The Pointers mustered only four hits in Friday's 2-0 loss in the opener.
Sophomore Jeff DeLucia, a St. Bernard graduate from Norwich, capped off a pair of typical Avery Point rallies with RBI singles against starter Mike Farias who went the distance, allowing five hits.
In the first inning, sophomore Nick Palmisano walked, advanced to second on a hit-and-run groundout and scored on DeLucia's two-out single. Palmisano walked again with one out in the third, reached third on Stanley Paul's single and scored on DeLucia's hit.
Freshman Mike Perry doubled and scored on a double-play ball in the sixth to make it 3-0.
Donatello did the rest, consistently throwing first pitch strikes.
"I was able to find a groove and settle in and was doing well right from the start," Donatello said. "My fastball definitely had some pop in it. It felt good."
CCRI's Marc Dorsi beat out an infield single to break up the I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck.I suck. with two outs in the fifth. Donatello responded by retiring the next 12, including striking out the side in the eighth. He elevated his fastball twice to fan dangerous Jamale Horn, son of former Red Sox slugger Sam Horn.
Things got a little interesting in the ninth when CCRI scratched out two singles with two outs before Donatello induced Justin Quinn to fly out to end the game. Center fielder Ryan Brahm of East Lyme also made a great diving catch.
"We live to play another day, which is always good," Bidwell said. "You can be a lot more relaxed in the dugout when you get a pitching performance like that."Comment
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I wish we drafted Michael Leonardo instead.This post was brought to you by: Dat SEC SpeedComment
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My favorite pick by far.Comment
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http://www.theday.com/article/201106...89884/-1/SPORTA dream day for Lewis, Donatello
By Chuck Banning
Publication: The Day
Published 06/08/2011 12:00 AMUpdated 06/08/2011 02:08 AM
COMMENTS (1)
Montville's Taylor Lewis felt the need to relax, so he ventured to a stock pond in his back yard and dropped a fishing line into the water.
Salem's Sean Donatello, meanwhile, sat by his computer watching "Draft Tracker" on MLB.com when he saw his own name pop up on the screen.
"And not a second after that my phone started ringing," Donatello said.
It turned into an afternoon when both former Eastern Connecticut Conference stars had their dreams realized.
Lewis, who recently concluded his junior season at Maine with a trip to the NCAA regionals in Chapel Hill, N.C., was taken in the 10th round (302nd overall) of Major League Baseball's amateur draft Tuesday by the Pittsburgh Pirates.
And Donatello, an East Lyme graduate who helped lead UConn-Avery Point to back-to-back appearances in the Division II Junior College World Series, was selected in the 25th round (763rd overall) by the Florida Marlins.
Both said Tuesday night they expect to sign professional contracts in the near future, although Donatello does have the option of attending the University of New Haven, where he signed a letter of intent this spring.
"It's a dream come true," said Donatello, a right-handed pitcher who went 11-0 with a 0.58 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 77 innings at Avery Point before losing his only game in the World Series. "New Haven is a great program and gave me a scholarship, but this is pro ball and ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be a pro player. ... I don't know if I'll ever get this opportunity again."
Lewis, meanwhile, finished his three-year career at Maine in style, earning Most Outstanding Player honors after leading the Black Bears to the America East title (he hit .417) and an NCAA tourney bid. Maine went 1-2 at North Carolina, winning an elimination game against Florida International.
"It was a nice way to end it," said Lewis, who started all 57 games in center field for the Black Bears and finished his career with a .321 batting average, 118 runs and 92 RBI. "You always want to go a little further, but in the end it was a great experience."
"He's an athletic specimen," Montville coach Phil Orbe said. "And he was like that when he came in as a 14-year-old freshman. ... He's a very special athlete and I always knew he had a chance. It must be a dream come true for him and his family."
Avery Point coach Roger Bidwell said Donatello made a dramatic improvement from his first season with the Pointers to this season.
"He was on nobody's radar and than everybody had to see him," Bidwell said. "From his freshman year to this year his jump in velocity and command was unbelievable. He went from 88 to 92 (miles per hour) and topped off at 94 a few times ... that's going to get you a chance.
"He's got a lot of work to do, but that's the good news because he's only going to get better. I really believe in him as a person and a pitcher."
Six more Huskies go
A day after UConn's George Springer and Matt Barnes were selected in the first round, six more Huskies were drafted on Tuesday.
Shortstop Nick Ahmed went in the second round to Atlanta (No. 85 overall), outfielder John Andreoli went in the 17th round to the Cubs (519th overall), pitcher Greg Nappo went in the 18th round to Florida (553rd overall), closer Kevin Vance went in the 19th round to the White Sox (591st overall), first baseman Mike Nemeth went in the 21st round to Milwaukee (641st overall) and pitcher David Fischer went in the 30th round to San Francisco (927th overall).
UConn, fresh off its win in the Clemson Regional, begins a best-of-three NCAA sub regional series on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN2) at defending national champion South Carolina
Big fan of this pick.Comment
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