Observer-Reporter Athlete of the Week
Name: Dalton Simonelli
School: Avella
Sport: Baseball
Class: Senior
Simonelli’s week: Simonelli accomplished a feat last week thought to be almost impossible when the PIAA instituted a pitch count for baseball this season.
He won three games in a week as a starting pitcher.
The 100-pitch limit for games and one day off required rest between starts might seem a hurdle not easily overcome to do that. But Simonelli picked up a victory in Avella’s 7-3 win over Clairton Tuesday in the completion of a suspended game that started April 3.
Simonelli then threw 47 pitches in four innings in an 8-1 win in the regularly scheduled game that followed against the Bears. Simonelli then went seven innings Saturday in a 6-2 win over Sewickley Academy.
“I didn’t even realize I did that,” said Simonelli. “It was one of the better weeks for me baseball-wise.”
Simonelli struck out nine in the suspended game against Clairton, allowed just three hits and struck out four in completing the doubleheader sweep. He had five strikeouts and allowed five hits in a complete-game performance against Sewickley Academy.
“I didn’t think that could happen with the rule changes,” said Avella head coach Jason Fogg. “It was definitely a spark we needed.”
The three victories last week kept alive Avella’s chances of earning the fourth and final playoff spot in Section 3-A.
A lot of games: Avella will play eight games in an 11-day stretch that ends Friday and Simonelli will be at the heart of each. He leads the team with a .464 batting average and 15 RBI and has a 4-2 pitching record with a 3.62 ERA.
“He’s a good player, a three-year starter for us,” Fogg said. “He’s a talented kid. He also plays football and wrestles.”
Simonelli has pitched and played catcher and third base this season. He has been at just about every other position in his varsity career. His pitching repertoire includes fastball, which reaches about 82 mph, a cutter that he uses to keep batters off balance and a curve. Simonelli even has a knuckleball pitch that he uses infrequently.
“The coaching staff taught me how to throw it,” he said. “But I’ve only gone to it a couple times in games.”
Avella went into yesterday’s section game against Western Beaver with a 3-5 section record and 5-7 overall mark. The Eagles control their playoff destiny with a schedule that includes two games against 1-win Cornell.
“The last two years, we missed the playoffs by one game,” Simonelli said. “We’re in another playoff race again.”
Compiled by Joe Tuscano