2009: Started 49 of the team's 50 games ... Paced the squad with 11 home runs, 32 runs scored, 40 RBI and a .511 slugging percentage ... Ranked second on the team with 11 doubles ... First on the team with nine multi-RBI contests ... Hit safely in nine straight games from March 14-28 ... Had two hits, including a homer, and scored two runs in a win at UIC (3/13) ... Collected two hits with a homer, scored twice and drove in two at Michigan State (4/5) ... Posted three hits with two runs and two RBI in a win over Trinity International (4/14) ... Socked two home runs in the team's win over Notre Dame (4/15) at U.S. Cellular Field ... Homered twice one week later as part of a three-hit, three-run, five-RBI effort in a victory at Illinois State (4/22) ... Collected third multi-homer game of the season against Illinois (5/2), driving in a career-best six runs ... Scored three times and drove in three in a win over Michigan (5/16).
2008: Made 25 starts--15 at designated hitter and 10 at catcher--and 37 appearances overall ... Ranked third on the team with five home runs in just 90 at-bats ... Hit a game-tying, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning against Indiana (5/11) ... Also had a pinch-hit RBI single in the contest en route to a season-high three runs batted in ... Homered to get the team on the board in a 2-0 victory at No. 17 Michigan (5/16) ... Went 2-for-2 with a double and a home run to go along with two RBI and two runs scored vs. Michigan State (4/4) ... Hit home runs in consecutive games, vs. Milwaukee (4/30) and at Illinois (5/3).
2007: Appeared in 20 games, seeing time at five different positions throughout the season ... Went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored vs. New Mexico State (3/4) ... Went 1-for-2 with a home run vs. Michigan (4/1) ... Missed final half of season because of injury.
2006: KKey reserve off the bench ... Appeared in 37 games, including 13 starts ... Started eight games at catcher, three as the designated hitter and two in the outfield ... Hit first collegiate home run at Illinois-Chicago (5/9) ... Recorded first collegiate hit in first collegiate at-bat in first game of year at South Florida (2/10) ...Threw out three potential base-stealers from catcher's position.
High School: Three-year letterwinner in baseball and football ... Four-year letterwinner in wrestling ... Earned three first-team all-state honors in baseball... Also garnered all-conference and all-area as a sophomore, junior and senior ... Totaled 29 home runs, 157 RBI as a three-year starter on baseball team, which included batting averages of .509 as a sophomore, .430 as a junior and .533 as a senior ... Team won 2003 and 2005 Illinois state baseball titles, finished third as a junior ... Hit a three-run homer in 2003 state semifinal game ... Caught the final out of 2003 state championship game ... Team recorded a 104-10 three-year record, including nation's best 41 wins senior year ... Competed in Al Kaiser All-Star game ... Two-time Chicago Sun-Times all-state honoree in football ... Three-time all-conference and all-area player in football ... Team recorded 28-game regular season win streak ... Named All-American as a junior after winning Illinois state wrestling title at 215 pounds ... Three-time all-state recipient in wrestling ... Four-time all-conference and all-area ... Team won four consecutive regional championships and advanced to the final eight freshman season ... Four-year honor roll student ... National Honor Society member ... High school baseball coach was Kevin Feeney.
Personal: Born Antonio James Vercelli on 3/5/87 ... Son of Lodi and Lynn Vercelli ... Father played football at Northwestern ... Brother, Jake, was a two-time All-American wrestler at Purdue ... Major is communication studies.
Vercelli's Career Stats
Year Avg GP-GS AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB SLG% BB HBP SO GDP OB% SF SH SB-ATT PO A E FLD%2006.... .286 37-13 77 3 22 1 0 1 8 26 .338 2 2 18 2 .317 1 0 0-1 53 9 0 1.0002007.... .175 20-9 40 5 7 3 0 1 5 13 .325 2 1 15 0 .233 0 0 0-0 21 14 3 .9212008.... .256 37-25 90 18 23 4 1 5 17 44 .489 5 8 25 3 .343 2 0 1-1 53 8 1 .984TOTAL... .251 94-47 207 26 52 8 1 7 30 83 .401 9 11 58 5 .313 3 0 1-2 127 31 4 .975