Penn Hills grad Tucci continues collegiate baseball journey

A year ago when Anthony Tucci was trying to make his college decision, he decided to attend CCAC-Boyce to have more time to consider his academic and athletic paths.

After a year there, the Penn Hills grad announced May 17 his intentions to play baseball at Clarion for the final three years of eligibility.

“It started when the Clarion coach, coach Williams, he came to watch me throw against Finger Lakes. It was a really snowy game and an interesting game to say the least. He still liked my stuff,” Tucci said. “We stayed in contact after that, and I could really tell he was a great guy and great coach. He really influenced my decision to play for him for the next three years.”

Aside from Clarion, Tucci, a pitcher, was looking at the possibility of playing at Slippery Rock, but nothing materialized.

“I didn’t care for it because coach Williams showed a different type of love for it,” Tucci said. “I’ve never experienced a coach with that type of love before. He really wanted me, and I really felt at home when I was there. I think that’s what is really important.”

As a freshman at CCAC-Boyce, Tucci went 3-3 with a 4.60 ERA with 44 strikeouts and 15 walks. CCAC-Boyce went 21-12 with an 8-1 conference record.

Their season came to a close after losing to Prince George’s, 5-2, in the third and deciding game of the series in the NJCAA Region XX championship May 14.

“After high school, I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do. I didn’t know what I wanted my major to be, and I didn’t know if I wanted to still play ball. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until coach Long came in, and he brought a new life into me. He gave me the year to figure out what I wanted to do,” Tucci said.

“I got my feet wet in a college environment, and he really made it a good experience for me. It was nice putting CCAC on the map. CCAC used to be the team that everyone would look at as a joke. I think we finally made a new name for ourselves.”

During his senior season at Penn Hills, Tucci received Section 2-6A first-team honors after leading the Indians with a .442 batting average, seven doubles, one home run, 15 RBIs and 18 runs scored.

Clarion, a NCAA Division II program in the PSAC, finished 19-29 overall record, including a 9-19 conference record under coach Anthony Williams.

Tucci is eager to see how he will be utilized in Williams’ pitching staff. The former Indian prefers to start but doesn’t mind coming out of the bullpen.

“I love to compete. I’m a competitor, and that’s just how I am. I see the top guy, and I tell myself I want to be better than him so I work twice as hard to achieve that goal,” Tucci said.

With a refreshed outlook, Tucci looks to capitalize on his opportunity at Clarion.

“I looked at CCAC as a second opportunity to really start getting after it,” he said. “You only have two years there at max, so you have to put the work in and make a name for yourself so you can move on to a four-year university. I dedicated myself to it, and I accomplished it.”