Bruno shines at Stonehill
As Angelo Bruno Jr. was about to step up to the plate in New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association All-Star game at Fenway Park on Sunday afternoon, the rains that had threatened the area all weekend finally turned into a downpour.
Stonehill College's star first baseman will still have the honor of being named an all-star, but he will have to hope to earn the same honor next year if he hopes to get an official at-bat.
"As soon as I got on deck it just started pouring," said Bruno, the son of Norwalk High School coach Angelo Bruno.
Still it was quite the year for Bruno, a 2007 graduate of Norwalk High School. He hit .286 in the regular season while starting all 49 games for the Skyhawks. He drove in 45 runs, hit a team leading 10 homers, nine doubles, had a .506 slugging percentage, scored 32 runs and stole 11 bases.
His numbers were improvements in every category from his 2009 campaign except for doubles, which he matched from the previous year.
Bruno was also a consensus All-Region selection, being named to
the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and
Daktronics squads.
In the Northeast-10 tournament, Bruno delivered the winning hit in the championship game, and he was named MVP of the tournament for his efforts.
His coach at Stonehill, Pat Boen, said that with Bruno, it's more than just natural ability.
"I think it's really hard work that's paid off. He's a good baseball player, but sometimes players think talent is enough to succeed. He had two good years prior to this, batting sixth or seventh in the lineup, but after last year he set his mind to it that he didn't just want to be an average player, but a great player," Boen said. "He came back and lost about 20 pounds, and he wasn't a huge guy to begin with, maybe he was around 220. But he put on more muscle and strength."
And as just a junior, he still has another year to improve even more.
"It's been a lot of hard work, especially during the last offseason, and it's great that it's paying off now," said Bruno, who attends one of the few colleges that use wooden bats as opposed to aluminum. "(To keep it up) I'm going to have to do the same thing this offseason and keep working hard. My dream is still to play professionally."
As impressive as Bruno's statistics are, Boen said it's more about how Bruno is off the field that makes him a special player.
"I think it's really his leadership. He stays late, he works extra
on off days, he's in the weight room, the batting cage, the guys on
the team follow him," Boen said. "I think a big part of our success
this year was guys looking to emulate him and following his lead.
It always helps when your best players are your hardest working
players, and the guys want to emulate that and get the big hits
like he does."
Bruno also serves as an example for other players that come through the city. "If you want to play you have to work for it," he said.
With the Major League Baseball first-year player draft taking place this week, Bruno can't help but hope that one day his name will be called.
"It's something I absolutely think about. I think I have a pretty good shot as long as I keep putting in the work," Bruno said. "All you need is one guy to like you. I saw a lot of scouts in the playoffs."
Boen is hopeful that Bruno will get a chance to showcase his skills on the next level as well.
"I would hope he has the opportunity because of a team gets to see all the things he can do for a team he'll stick with someone," Boen said.
Still, he wishes he had the chance to at least get an at-bat at the famed stadium in Boston on Sunday, a stadium where his dad played in the exact game more than 25 years earlier.
"It would have been awesome if I could have gotten up to bat, :said Bruno, who was due to enter the game in the third inning before the rains came. "Hopefully I'll get back here next year and get that chance."
