This kid has to be extremely athletic because in addition to Baseball and Football he also played Hockey.
Ginnetti’s Perfect Game Opens Door to a Bright Future
By
PJ Foti
Publication: Shore Publishing
Published April 22. 2013 4:00AM Updated April 23. 2013 3:20PM
Photo courtesy of Brandon Ginnetti
East Haven resident and Hamden Hall sophomore Brandon Ginnetti is already generating college interest for his baseball and football skills.
Often times, an athlete will attend a private high school looking for greater recognition in the sport they love playing in hopes that a college and/or professional coach will see them play. That is the case for East Haven's Brandon Ginnetti, a sophomore who currently attends Hamden Hall Country Day School and plays both football and baseball.
Brandon was actually recruited to Hamden Hall by the school's hockey coach, but upon his arrival, he decided hockey was no longer in his plans.
"I loved hockey, but I realized football and baseball are the two sports I could go somewhere in," says Brandon. "I realized it's not time to have fun anymore; it's time to work and train for the stuff that's actually going to be part of my life. Hockey is more of a fool around game for me while football and baseball are actually serious."
Since arriving at Hamden Hall, Brandon has flourished as a defensive end and tight end for the football team and on the mound for the baseball squad. Just a sophomore, he's one of the team's best pitchers and already has a perfect game under his belt. On April 2, Hamden Hall took on The Master's School of West Simsbury and Brandon brought his A-game.
Every batter that came to the plate Brandon sent back to the dugout, capping his first perfect game at the high school ranks. He throws a fastball, curveball, and changeup, but the heater was his most important pitch on this day. His fastball consistently touches 86 miles per hour and, with some extra adrenaline, he can dial it up to 90.
"I threw mostly my fastball," Brandon says. "They couldn't catch up to it."
Brandon works with pitching and summer ball Coach Dante Palazzo twice a week to improve his flexibility and mound mechanics to continue improving as a pitcher. Palazzo runs him through a series of drills to keep him sharp. Another way Palazzo helps Brandon is by spreading the word about the young pitcher. Palazzo knows many college coaches and has some set up to watch Brandon pitch this summer for the Connecticut Grind. He has also put together a YouTube video of the pitcher, showcasing his mechanics, pitch speed, and command. The video already has coaches excited about the sophomore.
"He's one of the top five pitching prospects in the state," Palazzo says. "At the end of the day, he's going to be recruited by some of the strongest baseball programs in the country. They're already showing interest. Everybody likes what they see. Now he has to go out and prove it."
Aside from baseball, Brandon is also gaining interest as a football player. For football season, he bulks up to about 235 pounds (from 215-220 during baseball season), and hits like a truck, according to Palazzo. He's also received recruiting letters from Atlantic Coast Conference schools for football, which will definitely make his decision that much tougher.
"I'm planning on doing both throughout high school and, when it comes time for college, I'll see what my best offers are and go by that," says Brandon. "I've been getting a lot of interest from bigger schools down south like Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, and Duke, so that's my main goal-to keep progressing through my last two-and-a-half years, getting bigger and stronger, work on my pitching, and hopefully going to one of those big schools."
