Tuesday's Acquisitions Bring Local Talent to Washington
WASHINGTON, Pa. (June 16) - The Washington Wild Things made two signings official yesterday prior to the series opener in Florence against the Y'alls. The team brought in outfielder Connor Perry, a Norwin High School product who finished his collegiate career with two strong years at the University of Pittsburgh, and right-handed pitcher Ben Vicini, a West Shamokin High School alum who played his college ball at Seton Hill University.
Perry made his Wild Things' debut inthe series opener Tuesday and helped to make an immediate impact. The former Norwin Knight was 2-4 with a run scored and three RBI on a bases-clearing triple in the ninth inning. He also walked once in the 13-5 Washington win.
"He had a lot of success while he was at Pitt. I want him to go out and play his game. I don't need him to be anything else than he was in college," said manager Tom Vaeth. "I need him to catch everything hit out his way and offensively, I need him to be a guy who is always on base... kind of like that gnat that always flying around your face just annoying you. That's what I need him to be for the other team."
Perry was a three-year letterwinner at Norwin and a two-time All-WPIAL honoree during his high school playing days before matriculating to Lackawanna County Community College, where he was a two-time All-Region player, tallying more than 100 hits and adding 35 stolen bases, 50 walks and 35 RBI to his line.
He'd spend the next two seasons at Pitt for the Panthers and had a coming out party in 2019, where he was an All-ACC honoree and named to the ABCA/Rawlings 2nd Team All Region squad. He started 53 of the 55 games he appeared in that season and hit .289 with 13 doubles, 15 home runs and 35 RBI. His .573 slugging percentage was second best on the team. Perry sported 10 multi-hit games, 10 multi-RBI games and multiple multi-HR games.
Following that season, Perry was picked in the 28th Round by the Detroit Tigers before playing for the GCL Tigers in Rookie ball. He had an OBP of .406 and stole 18 bases to go along with 15 RBI. In 2020, he founded the AAB Collegiate League, which gave local high school seniors getting ready to go to college and college players a local college league to play in. He'd then head to Lakeland for the start of this season and was 3-for-18 before he was released.
Vicini on the other hand lettered all four years of high school at West Shamokin. He tied the school's record of 98 strikeouts in a season as a junior, a record held by his brother. He ended up going to Seton Hill, where he enjoyed his best season this year, a season in which the Griffins made the D2 College World Series.
In 2021, Vicini was named 2nd Team D2CAA All-Atlantic Region, 2nd Team ABCA/Rawlings Division II All-Region and threw 58.1 innings throughout the year. He fanned 71 batters to just 10 walks in his time on the bump this year.
"He comes in with a reputation of being a strike thrower," said Vaeth. "I told him to just come in and throw strikes and be the guy he was in college and I'll have a lot more confidence in throwing him back out there."
The Wild Things' road trip continues with two more games, the first of which is tonight in Florence at 6:31 p.m. The team returns home for the start of a six-game homestand Friday, June 18. First pitch that night against the Crushers is slated for 7:05 p.m.
