On Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012, Plymouth Whitemarsh senior Austin DiBonaventure signed a letter of intent to play baseball at Chestnut Hill College.
Cardinal Camera sponsors all SOL college signings on SuburbanOneSports.com. For additional information about purchasing a commemorative keepsake of the signing, please write to SuburbanOneSports@comcast.net.
Austin DiBonaventure – Chestnut Hill College (Baseball)
Major: Business
Final list of colleges: Chestnut Hill, Felician
Reasons for choosing Chestnut Hill: “Chestnut Hill is an excellent academic school and has a beautiful campus. I had a great time with the guys on the team during my visit and feel that it is a perfect fit for me all the way around. It is also very close to home so my family will be able to watch me play.”
What was the progression that led you to playing collegiate baseball? “It has always been my goal to play baseball at the collegiate level. I have been playing baseball since the age of four, and I never get tired of it. With playing in high school for Plymouth Whitemarsh under Coach Slagle and Coach Manero and in the summer for the Whiz Kids under Coach Angeloni, I really felt that I had a great chance to take my talent to the next level. I am excited to be playing for Chestnut Hill under Coach Spratt.”
Coach Bob Slagle says: “Austin has been a varsity starter for the Plymouth Whitemarsh High School baseball team since his freshman year. He has been a leadoff hitter and shortstop. Last year as a junior in a 19-game season, Austin led the team in hits with 25, including five triples, batting .368 and stealing six bases. Austin has been a definite catalyst for the team. He is very competitive knowing that it’s not enough to want to win, you have to know how to win! He is tremendously goal driven and demands a great deal of himself.”
Coach Chris Manero says: “He’s one of those kids you refer to as a ‘baseball kid.’ He played basketball and he played football, but over the past couple of years, he’s really dedicated himself to getting better and playing hard. He’s definitely the type of kid who gives everything he has. He takes it very seriously. If he has one bad game, he’s a kid that’s out there the next day or in the cage the next day trying to figure out how to get better. In our fall league this year, there were some games where he didn’t feel comfortable, and he was the first one to come and say, ‘Can we hit this week? Can we do something this week?’ He was always looking for that constant improvement as a player.
“I actually knew him when he was a little kid. He was at the summer camp where I worked, and I remember seeing his dad and him going to Perky League games when he was a little kid. When I started coaching at PW, we did community nights, and he was always there. He came to Sunday night hitting leagues as he got a little bit older, and it seemed like before you knew it, he was in high school. He actually played varsity as a freshman. He’s always had that same level of intensity, and when I think of him, I think of a baseball player.”
About Austin:
Favorite food: Aunt Linda’s spaghetti and meatballs
Favorite movie: Moneyball
Favorite music: Country, Rap
- Log in to post comments
