Bunnell 2B-P Dan Paolini will be taking a rare next step in his career. He’ll be playing Division I baseball, as both a position player and a pitcher. That’s how highly Siena thinks of the right handed thrower and hitter.
As you’ll see in the following video, Paulini isn’t going to the next level just because of his high school stats. Siena saw Paulini play in summer leagues and showcases, which helped him earn a scholarship to the New York school.
And when other Division I prospects turned their backs because Paulino needed shoulder surgery, Siena made its way to the picture in July.
Paulino’s advice to ballplayers who want to play college ball:
“You’ve got to go to a lot of showcases. You’ve got to play summer ball,” Paulino said after Bunnell’s win over Immaculate in Stratford on Friday. “That’s how they all noticed me. In high school ball, the [college] coaches are all in their season, but they do look at your high school stats. So you have to do well in high school and then carry that over to the summer.”
Paulino isn’t the only member of the defending SWC champs playing Division I ball. Tyler Casterta committed to Central Connecticut yesterday, and Eric Camacho is weighing his Division I options, according to Bulldogs head coach Scott Szturma.
Paulino pitched 2/3 of an inning in relief Friday, his first appearance on the mound since surgery. But Szturma says he’s hoping the 8-1 Bulldogs can continue to keep him off the mound for a while. Especially if that means he could become a secret weapon for Bunnell come playoff time.
“I don’t want to put him in a pressure situation right now. We just want to get his arm strength back, get him thinking like a pitcher again,” Szturma said. “He wants to do what’s best for the team, but my fear is he’ll do something that will get him hurt. It’s been kind of nice that we haven’t had to use him.”
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