After run to ACHA nationals, Latrobe grad Vinny Amatucci transitions quickly to Saint Vincent baseball season

Latrobe is the one place Vinny Amatucci would rather be. He’s a local fella, and he usually doesn’t stray.

“I live in the Third Ward. We call it ‘The Hill,’ up on St. Clair Street,” said the 20-year-old sophomore at nearby Saint Vincent, where he’s been a busy guy, majoring in education while playing first and third base for the baseball team and goaltender for the hockey club.

“I’ve never really had a desire to get away.”

Whether he liked it or not, the Latrobe grad suddenly found himself cruising around the countryside, chasing the schedules of his two beloved college teams.

Saint Vincent’s Division III baseball program was about to open its schedule in Florida at the same time the school’s club hockey team was preparing for an appearance in the American Collegiate Hockey Association’s national tournament in Missouri after claiming its first College Hockey East playoff championship.

“It was a little crazy, but I didn’t want to miss any games,” he said, knowing full well it was unavoidable.

“I was only planning on being there one or two days,” he said of the baseball team’s scheduled trip March 3-9 for eight games in the Sunshine State.

It was a dilemma baseball coach Rick Janosko understood. He sought to ease Amatucci’s concerns.

“I told him anytime you get a chance to compete at the national level, you need to take advantage of it,” Janosko said. “You never know if you’ll get that chance again.”

So Amatucci did just that, taking the team bus to central Florida, hoping to participate in a doubleheader against Anna Maria (Mass.) on March 3 in Auburndale.

It was a futile trek.

The games were rained out and rescheduled as a single contest five days later following Saint Vincent’s regularly scheduled game March 8 against then-No. 16 Rowan in nearby Davenport.

The journey continues

Amatucci left Florida without putting on his baseball spikes.

He needed to take a flight back home to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in time to catch another marathon bus ride — this time to St. Louis, where the hockey team was making its third appearance in the ACHA nationals.

Nevertheless, Saint Vincent’s Florida trip in baseball served as a useful tune-up for Presidents’ Athletic Conference play, Amatucci said. The Bearcats won just once before heading home and were 5-7 in the PAC at the start of last week.

Amatucci rejoined the baseball team following the midwestern hockey tournament and was batting .392 (20 for 51), while taking over for injured starter Connor Bannias (Penn-Trafford), who tore an ACL during Saint Vincent’s fall schedule.

“He’s starting to find his stroke a little bit,” Janosko said of Amatucci. “The biggest adjustment at this level for a lot of guys is they’ll see better pitching than they’ve seen in the past. He’s working on it daily. He’s a terrific young man. He’s prepares himself well, and he’s an outstanding athlete. Anytime you can play two sports in college, that’s impressive.”

Amatucci was one of Saint Vincent’s hockey stars during its three games in the Division 3 pool at the ACHA national tournament and was named to the ACHA national second team.

“At first, I really didn’t know what to think,” he said. “It was kind of crazy that somebody from little, old Saint Vincent would get thought about.”

The Bearcats, known officially in hockey as the Polar Bearcats, won one of three games in the tournament, falling short of the next round. But Amatucci said the experience should prepare the team for another run at a CHE title and a trip to the national tournament.

“The experience we got, and even winning a game, is really a building block for this program,” said Amatucci, who faced a whopping 164 shots in Saint Vincent’s three games.

A ‘learning experience’

The Polar Bearcats, making their third national club hockey tournament appearance, played through jitters in their opening game, a 10-1 loss to eventual Division 3 champion Lawrence Tech, which scored five third-period goals to turn the outcome into a rout.

Saint Vincent followed with a 6-1 loss to Arkansas, falling behind early and never recovering. Amatucci was bombarded with 65 shots.

“They scored four goals in a 3-minute stretch early,” Saint Vincent coach Brett Martz said of the Razorbacks.

The trip ended on a high note with Saint Vincent scoring a 9-5 victory over Colby (Maine), ending the Polar Bearcats’ season at 16-5, as Amatucci faced 59 shots.

“It was a good learning experience,” Martz said. “We were able to go and measure ourselves against the national champion. We got them the first game, and it was an eye-opening experience.

“When you look in the stands and see just as many players dressed in street clothes as are on the bench, you realize the magnitude of it.”

Martz said the exposure should help him assemble a stronger schedule for next season.

“It’ll be much better, nationally,” he said.

And Amatucci is expected back in the Saint Vincent net.

Home, sweet home

He became a traveling man for a brief stretch of time, but Amatucci knows where his place is — Latrobe and, for now, “little, old Saint Vincent.”

Upon returning from St. Louis, where the hockey team took in sights and mingled with players from other schools, Amatucci’s focus has reverted to the Saint Vincent baseball team.

“I like to play both sports,” he said. “I have a lot of great memories.”

In baseball, Amatucci was named a WPIAL all-section selection twice, and Latrobe won a section title in his senior season in 2022. He also is a five-time all-district selection in American Legion Baseball while playing for the Latrobe Jethawks.

When he was a high school sophomore goaltender at Latrobe, his Wildcats raced to a 16-1-1 record. It was a thrilling event, but Amatucci lamented he didn’t fare as well in his final two seasons.

“He’s humble,” Martz said. “Trust me, he’s always been a very good goalie.”