Bishop Hendricken baseball standout and Cranston-native Andrew Ciacciarelli signed a National Letter of Intent last Wednesday to continue his baseball career at American International College in Springfield, Mass. 

He signed alongside his teammate John Toppa, who signed to play at the University of Connecticut and Northeastern University-bound Michael Potter, who will run for the Huskies’ cross country and track teams. 

Ciacciarelli, who plays first base and was a key contributor to the Hawks’ title run in June, is relieved that his decision is finally official and is excited for his future at AIC. 

Ciacciarelli knew that AIC was the right place for him following his first visit. The lanky first baseman was intrigued by the baseball program, which plays in the Northeast-10 Conference. The Yellow Jackets are a building program under head coach Nick Callini, who guided his squad to a 15-26 record this past spring. 

“I went up to the campus to meet with coach Callini and I really liked the school,” Ciacciarelli said. “He had me workout with the team and everyone on the team was just really nice. (Callini) is a great guy and he’s giving me the opportunity to play as a freshman. It’s a dream come true.”

Ciacciarelli and Toppa, who will be two of the team’s top returners this coming season, will look to give the Hawks’ baseball program another title in the spring. Hendricken will be looking for its fourth straight baseball title and its seventh in the last eight years. 

“The goal is always to win a state championship,” Ciacciarelli said. “We have a lot of talent going into next year and we’ll have a really good team. We’ll have the opportunity to win another state title.” 

Batastini School of Basketball offering preseason camp

For the first time this fall, Batastini School of Basketball (BSB) is offering the “Get Your Game Ready” Camp that directly precedes the start of the high school basketball season in Rhode Island. For three straight days after Thanksgiving, players will have the opportunity to get into the gym and sharpen their skills before upcoming try-outs.  

In three intense hours, players will work on all skill facets of the game: dribbling, shooting, passing, agility, conditioning and scrimmaging. Each day, the mini-camp will be structured like a try-out so players will go into their season prepared and ready to earn a spot on their team. Players have the option of attending three days of camp or pick and choose which days to attend. 

The camp runs Friday, Nov. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 30 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Tri-town Community Center located on 33 Maple Street in North Providence, RI. Price is $125 for all three days or $50 per day. It is open to boys and girls grads 6-12.  Players can sign-up at www.schoolofbuckets.com or by calling (401) 236-HOOP.