Locals Slemons, Nittoli helped Xavier qualify

May 30, 2014 at 12:09a.m.

As Youngstown State gets ready to make its first NCAA baseball tournament appearance in a decade, two players with Mahoning Valley roots are currently helping Xavier prepare for its first tournament foray since 2009.

While the fourth-seeded Penguins will take on top-seeded Indiana in the Bloomington Regional, Hubbard’s Bo Slemons and Vinny Nittoli, a native of Gibsonia, Pa., whose father, Mike, is a Struthers native and a YSU Hall of Famer, are helping to ready fourth-seeded Xavier for a Nashville Regional contest with top-seeded Vanderbilt (41-18).

“The last time we went to the NCAA tournament was in 2009. We played at Rice University so this is really an exciting time for everyone associated with our program,” Slemons, a red-shirt junior said. “It’s exciting because we are the underdogs in our regional and people don’t really know much about Xavier baseball. You dream of making it to the College World Series and hopefully this is the first step toward achieving that goal.”

The Musketeers (29-27) advanced to post-season play as Big East Tournament champions, defeating Creighton, 5-0 on May 25 for the title to earn the league’s automatic berth.

It was Slemons, however, who came off the bench to register a pinch-hit, bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the seventh inning that plated the go-ahead run in their semifinal game with Seton Hall.

“It was a 1-1 count and I was able to just lift the ball deep enough to get the run home,” Slemons said. “Their pitcher missed with a slider on his first pitch, came back with a fast ball that I fouled off and then threw the slider once again, which I was able to get a piece of.”

A first baseman and designated hitter, Slemons has started 17 of the 35 games in which he has played and is batting .275 with 12 runs batted.

No at-bat was more critical than his pinch-hitting assignment against the Pirates.

“Bo is the ultimate team player. His role has changed a few different times this year and he’s embraced it each and every time,” Xavier coach Scott Googins. “We wouldn’t be in this position without his contributions.”

Nittoli, a red-shirt senior, is 6-3 in 13 starts on the hill with a team-best 1.98 earned run average.

In 82 innings of work he’s allowed just 18 earned runs while opponents are batting just .230 against him.

“I’ve heard from my father about the great baseball that is played in Youngstown and how competitive it was during his playing days at both Struthers High School and YSU,” Nittoli said. “As for our run, we went to the regionals the year before I started here and were close the past couple of seasons so to finally qualify is an unbelievable feeling.”

An accounting major, Slemons has a half semester of school remaining in order to earn his degree while Nittoli has already earned his degree as a double major in management and entrepreneurship.

“As I look back this has been a great four years. I’ve enjoyed my time with the baseball team and have made friends that will last a lifetime,” Slemons said.

For Nittoli, the tournament is just a fitting end to his college career.

“Having already earned my degree, this is just icing on the cake as I have been able to just concentrate on just baseball for the last month of the season,” he said. “I’ve had a good year and couldn’t be happier with our season. When it’s all over I’d like to start my own business so I am really looking forward to entering the work force.”

The other two teams comprising the Nashville Regional are second-seeded Oregon (42-18) and third-seed Clemson (36-23).

The Musketeers’ game tonight with the Commodores will be broadcast on ESPN3 at 8 p.m.