Joe Velleggia is not your average high school catcher.
The Calvert Hall College High School senior stands 6-feet-6 and weighs 230 pounds. That towering height is not always synonymous with the position of catcher. But Lou Eckerl, the head coach for Calvert Hall?s baseball team, is grateful to have Velleggia behind the plate.
“It sounds kind of funny, but he does a good job of getting small,” Eckerl said.
Velleggia?s defensive skills and his powerful bat made him an attractive recruit for college scouts. Velleggia signed in the fall to play at Old Dominion University for the 2007 season.
“Old Dominion came and saw me play,” Velleggia said. “They (also) brought me over to the school and I loved it.”
Jerry Meyers, the second-year head coach at Old Dominion, said: “He moves well for as big as he is, and he has a lot of power.” Meyers was impressed that, as a junior, Velleggia batted .485, with 52 RBI, 13 doubles and 11 home runs.
Meyers was sold on Velleggia after seeing the catcher play for the Maryland Oriolanders in a Virginia Beach tournament last fall. Dean Albany, coach of the Oriolanders and a Baltimore Orioles? scout, has coached Velleggia for three years.
“I don?t know when he will grow out of catching, but he sure can swing the bat,” Albany said.
Meyers nor Velleggia could say if the catcher would see significant field time as a freshman with Old Dominion, a member of the top-flight Colonial Athletic Association. Velleggia said, simply: “I just want to earn my spot.”
THE VELLEGGIA FILE
Sport: Baseball
Position: Catcher
High School: Calvert Hall College High School
Future College: Old Dominion University
Did you know? Velleggia accounted for 17 percent of Calvert Hall?s 293 RBI in 2005. Velleggia had 11 of the team?s 31 home runs, in 32 games, last season … ODU is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association, which also includes Towson University. Towson hosts ODU the weekend of May 18-20.
