MERION STATION, Pa. – Nine student-athletes have joined the Saint Joseph's baseball program this fall, taking part in fall workouts as the Hawks prepared for the 2020 season.  The class includes freshmen Brandon Drapeau, Nick Embleton, Adam Fine, Peter Gallo, Alec Rodriguez, Patrick Shearer, Luca Trigiani, and Cam Walker, and junior transfer Noah Weber.
 
"The collective group of 2020 newcomers is very solid, with several players that could make an immediate impact, even with a veteran group returning," head coach Fritz Hamburg said.  "All nine student-athletes had a great deal of success throughout their high school/community college careers, and they will have the opportunity to compete for various and significant roles on this year's ballclub.  I am very proud of the job Coach Wheeler and Coach O'Hara did in identifying and recruiting this group of student-athletes that brings strong character, baseball knowledge, and playing ability to Hawk Hill.  We are certainly excited to see how these guys develop and contribute to our program over the next three to four years."
 
Drapeau was a three-year starter at Clearview Regional High School, earning Second Team All-South Jersey, Third Team All-State, and Perfect Game All-Region honors as a first baseman in 2018.  He is also a two-time All-Conference honoree as both a first baseman and a pitcher.  Drapeau hit .410 for his career with 14 home runs while posting an 8-3 mark with 109 career strikeouts on the mound and being an Honor Roll student in the classroom.
 
"Brandon is a guy that we believe has his best years ahead of him," Hamburg said.  "He had a very solid junior year at Clearview, as well as a strong 2018 summer with the Mid-Atlantic Show.  He will have the opportunity to be a two-way player for us.  He has shown some growth through the fall, which we were hoping to see.  With his frame and size, Brandon should be a guy who hits for power over the next few years, as well as contributes on mound."
 
Embleton comes to Hawk Hill from East Pennsboro, where he was named the PennLive.com and Sentinel Player of the Year as a senior.  A four-year All-Mid-Penn Capital Division First Team All-Star, he was a PennLive.com Second Team selection in 2018 and hit .479 for his career while posting a 2.27 earned run average and 217 strikeouts on the mound.  Embleton also qualified as a member of the National Honor Society.
 
"Nick is a talented player that had a very impressive career at East Pennsboro and with his travel team, Go Wags," Hamburg said.  "He had an outstanding senior year and was rewarded for it by being named the PennLive.com and Sentinel Player of the Year, which covers a large portion of central Pennsylvania.  We look for him to continue to develop and he should be a strong two-way player for us.  He had a small setback this summer, which has slowed his development this fall, but he is starting to make progress towards getting back to full speed.  Nick certainly possess the skillset to make an immediate impact and push for innings and playing time.  His getting back to full strength will give us a much clearer picture of how that may be.  He should have the opportunity to accomplish great things during his time here at SJU and help us toward our program goal of winning Atlantic 10 championships."
 
Fine led the Central League in stolen bases for three consecutive seasons, totaling 47 steals during that time for Harriton High School.  A First Team All-League and All-Main Line selection after hitting .443 as a senior, Fine also garnered Second Team All-Main Line laurels as a junior and was the recipient of Harriton's Scholar's Award.
 
"Adam too has his best years ahead of him," Hamburg said.  "He did some very good things during his time at Harriton in a very solid Central League and in the summer with US Elite.  He is very quick, which is a tool we were looking for in this class.  He has competed well at the plate this fall and should be a player that has the opportunity to steal bases and cover ground in the outfield.  We are very interested to see how quickly he develops and is able to make a solid contribution in our program."
 
Gallo earned First Team All-Conference recognition after hitting .384 at the plate and striking out 51 batters in 34.1 innings on the mound as a senior.  A three-year letter-winner who earned Second Team All-Conference honors as a junior at Immaculata High School, Gallo was the valedictorian of his graduating class and the president of the National Honor Society in addition to participating in various community service projects.
 
"Peter has really developed his skillset through his high school career and through the summer with the Morris County Cubs," Hamburg said.  "He is a very conscientious and hard-working young guy that should do some really good things during his time on Hawk Hill.  Although he has only been pitching for a year or so, he possesses a big arm and has shown that in his work this fall.  He will certainly have the opportunity to work into a role on our pitching staff.  He has the chance to surprise some folks with where he can go with his aptitude, strength, and raw talent.  We are very excited that Peter chose SJU."
 
Rodriguez was tabbed for the All-Group 4 Second Team as a senior, as well as the South Jersey Baseball Coaches Association, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Courier-Post All-South Jersey Teams.  He was also an All-Conference First Team selection, a Carpenter Cup Participant, and the recipient of Cherry Hill East's Baseball Big Stick and Student Character awards over the course of his high school career.
 
"Alec earned a spot with our program this fall," Hamburg said.  "He really impressed the staff with his ability to battle offensively as well as with his work ethic.  He had a very solid senior year at Cherry Hill East and we feel that Alec has a chance to help us off the bench.  We are excited for him in that he proved that he belonged in our program and completely earned this opportunity."
 
Shearer posted a 0.63 ERA with 71 strikeouts over 44.2 innings as a senior on the way to District MVP honors.  During his junior season at Highland Park, Shearer earned First Team All-District accolades as a third baseman.  He also earned All-America accolades from Perfect Game in both 2018 and 2019.
 
"We were really excited that Patrick chose Saint Joseph's," Hamburg said.  "Patrick actually is our first player during my time at SJU that hails from the great state of Texas.  He popped up on our radar late in the spring, but late is better than never!  He has had a good fall and we are excited that he is part of our pitching staff.  He will definitely have an opportunity to contribute this year.  He had a very solid high school career at Highland Park in Dallas and with his summer program, D-Bat.  His being recognized as the 2019 District 11-5A MVP is a strong honor, considering the level of competition he played against."
 
Trigiani hit .402 with 20 stolen bases in his senior season at Regis High School en route to First Team All-CHSAA honors.  He was also selected to play in both the Mayor's Cup and the Senior Classic, held at Yankee Stadium.  The team's captain and MVP as a senior, Trigiani excelled in the classroom as well and served as the president of the school weightlifting club while also working with the "Regis for Rikers" community service program.  He was also a two-year member of the basketball program.
 
"We are really excited that Luca chose Saint Joseph's; he is one of those players that is detail-oriented and his baseball IQ is very advanced," Hamburg said.  "He is strong and his work ethic is awesome!  He had a very strong career at Regis in a tough league as well as doing very good things for his travel team, TEAM BEAST.  He is definitely going to push for playing time in the infield immediately.  He has an infectious personality and plays the game with a lot of passion."
 
Walker earned All-Section First Team honors as a senior from both the WPIAL and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as well as TribLive All-Section honors as well.  In 2018, he was named to the WPIAL's All-Section Second Team.  Off the diamond, Walker also earned Distinguished Honors in the classroom all four of his years as Canon-McMillan High School, served on the National Honor Society Student Council, and played two years of varsity basketball.
 
"Cam is your typical grinder; he respects the game and plays it the right way," Hamburg said.  "He had a very good career with both his high school and travel team, the Pittsburgh Dawgs.  He was a table-setter on Canon-McMillian's 2018 PIAA State Championship team and was a big part of his teams that won the 2018 CABA World Series and a Perfect Game National Championship.  Cam is definitely pushing the bar for playing time in the middle infield for this year.  We are certainly excited he chose SJU and are looking forward to him being an instrumental part of our program over the next four years."
 
Weber is Northampton Community College's all-time leader in pitching victories with 16 and earned NJCAA Division III All-America honors in 2019.  A First Team All-Region selection as well, he turned in a strong campaign last season with a 1.61 ERA and 57 strikeouts against just seven walks in 78.1 innings of work.  In addition, Weber received regional and national academic recognition in both of his seasons at Northampton.
 
"Noah had an outstanding career for coach Adrian Yaguez and the Northampton Spartans and was a big part of the 2019 team that advanced to the NJCAA Division III World Series," Hamburg said.  "Noah should absolutely push to be a weekend starter for us.  He has some solid competition from the rest of the staff for that role, but he has the skillset to push the issue.  He has an ability to be very good.  He is very detailed with his work and I've been doing this long enough to know that those guys have a chance to win every time out.  We are very excited that Noah is a Hawk."
 
The new additions and the returning members of the squad will take the field for the first time in 2020 on February 14 in Port Charlotte, Florida.