BY TIM MORRIS
TheJournalNJ.com | JUNE 2020 29
Losing his junior baseball season at
Red Bank Catholic was bad enough
for pitcher Shane Panzini. While he
was looking forward with his teammates
to bringing another championship back
to the Red Bank campus, he was all set
for a special summer that included a trip
to California at the end of June to play in
Major League Baseball’s Prospect Development
Pipeline (PDP) League.
Panzini, a tough right-handed
pitcher, was one of just 80 high school
players in the country (one of four from
New Jersey) invited to participate in the
three-week league. He was looking forward
to meeting and learning from Hall
of Famer players such as Cal Ripken Jr.
and Derek Jeter.
However, Panzini won’t be making
that trip. The PDP has been canceled because
of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It was pretty upsetting,” Panzini
said. “It was going to really be fun.”
The PDP is not a camp where players
pay to be participate. This was an
all-expense trip. MLB was paying for the
-
and classroom instructions from the
pros as well as playing games. It was
going to be an experience next to none
with a potential bonus. The top players
at the PDP would have the opportunity
to compete for USA Baseball’s U18 National
Team, and with representatives
of Major League teams in attendance at
the league, players could improve their
won’t be there now for these elite scholastic
players.
Although Panzini would be open
Red Bank Catholic’s Shane Panzini missed out on what he and teammates thought
would be another championship season. The junior was also invited to a Major League
development league this summer in California that has also been canceled. He was one of
to going professional after high school,
-
ond round, his plan is to continue his
education and baseball career at the University of Virginia.
just four high school players from the state to receive an invitation.
Missing out on his junior season was upsetting for Panzini, even though
he would have another year to suit up for the Caseys. Not only were the Caseys
expected to be a solid team, but they had established a special camaraderie
led by the seniors.
“I feel really bad for the seniors,”
said Panzini. “I really loved
my teammates. I really miss my
teammates, going to practice and
the bus rides to games with them.”
Panzini has stayed active despite
the school closure. He throws
every day, weight trains to get stronger
and runs twice a week on his
treadmill at home.
Panzini was an overpowering
-
seys. He went 7-2 pitching to a 0.66
ERA thanks to a fastball that topped
out at 90 mph. However, participating
around the country with his travel
team, the Niners, last summer and
playing against the best players in
the country, he discovered he needed
more than one pitch.
“I was living by the fastball in
high school,” he explained. “In the
summer, I learned I needed to get a
dominant slider and change-up.”
He was looking forward to confounding
Shore area hitters with his
new repertoire of pitches.
In developing these new pitchers,
Panzini has had an edge. His older
brother, Blaise, is a pitcher for Seton
Hall University, and he had been
home during the school closures.
“I’ve been throwing with him
and getting feedback,” said Panzini.
“He has helped me out.”
The Panzini brothers have left
their mark at RBC. Blaise was the
winning pitcher for the Caseys his
senior year when RBC captured the
Monmouth County Tournament
crown. Last year as a sophomore,
Shane, tossed a one-hitter in the
Shore Conference Tournament
championship game. Shane kids his
brother that the SCT is a bigger tournament. Either way, both have added
to the school’s trophy collection.
Panzini still holds out hope that he might be able to play in some
summer showcase events with his travel team.
“I just want to play baseball,” he simply said.
/TheJournalNJ.com