Gulls Sign Three from Vanderbilt
May 19, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - The Newport Gulls and Vanderbilt University continue to strengthen their relationship this summer with a trio of signings for the 2015 squad. Shipping up to Newport for the summer season - which is just 16 days away - are right-handed pitchers Matt Ruppenthal and Brendan Spagnuolo, along with shortstop Liam Sabino.
Ruppenthal is a rising sophomore who Vanderbilt has had their eye on since Ruppenthal's freshman year in high school. The 6'4", 230-pound Bloomfield Hills, Michigan native was spotted by the Commodores coaching staff while pitching at Brother Rice High School. His career earned him Perfect Game All-American status.
"We found Matt in our winter camp during his ninth grade year," Vanderbilt skipper Tim Corbin said via vucommodores.com. "He has great size, strength and athleticism that will allow him to flourish as a pitcher on our staff at some point."
While at Brother Rice, Ruppenthal was a three-year team captain and earned All-State and All-League honors in four years of varsity. This spring for Vanderbilt, Ruppenthal has appeared in eight games, all out of the bullpen. In 10 innings of work, he has an ERA of 2.70, amassing 10 strikeouts and a .152 batting average against.
"He is similar to another Gull from Vanderbilt, Tyler Ferguson, who pitched for us in 2013," said Gulls General Manager Chuck Paiva. "I think he will have a chance to be special, and he will be hungry to get some innings here this summer."
Spagnuolo is a high-profile power pitcher out of Long Island, New York. The 6'2" flame thrower has a fastball that reaches the mid-90s.
"Spags has pitching tools that you can't teach," said Corbin. "There is a tremendous amount of potential in his arm and body. There are close similarities to what Adam Ravenelle looked like in his freshman year."
Ravenelle, of course, was a member of the 2012 Gulls championship squad that was named the No. 1 summer team in the country by Perfect Game USA.
Attending Chaminade High School, Spagnuolo was a Perfect Game All-American with a career that included tossing a no-hitter in his senior year, the 7th no-no in school history. Spagnuolo won two titles with Chaminade (2011-12), and captained the squad his senior year. A multi-sport letterman, he also played two varsity years in basketball and one in golf. He captained the 2012 basketball league champions and was named the MVP. For the Commodores in 2015, Spagnuolo has only made one appearance out of the bullpen. The two-inning relief outing came on Feb. 24 against UT-Martin.
"Brendan has an electric arm and an athletic frame that projects to be special," said Paiva. "I am looking forward to watching his development here this summer." He said that the Gulls could use the power pitcher as a starter, or he could anchor the bullpen as a potential closer.
Sabino is Vanderbilt's 6'1" freshman shortstop and a first-generation American, son of a Dominican father and Brazilian mother. According to Coach Corbin, Sabino takes his abilities both academically and athletically very seriously, and has both speed around the base paths and versatility on the infield.
"Liam is a very directed young man," said Corbin. "He is very serious about everything that he does academically and on the field. His bat speed and base running abilities will allow him to compete early in his career."
The East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania native was another Perfect Game All-American. While playing at Blair Academy, Sabino was a four-year letterman, two-year captain and a three-time state champion, winning three consecutive Prep-A state titles from 2012-2014.
With the Commodores this season, Sabino has seen time in 14 games, starting three. In 23 at-bats, Sabino has notched a .217 average with five hits, two doubles and three RBI. He is also 2-for-2 in stolen bases for Vanderbilt on the spring.
Paiva is very high on Sabino's abilities and what he can bring to Cardines in 2015, and he believes the young shortstop has the potential to be a stand-out player in the NECBL.
"He is a very good hitter now, but projects to be even better with power as he gains strength and experience," said Paiva. "He brings another tool to his game - speed - and has good base-running instincts."
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from May 19, 2015
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