Hawk alumnus Antonacci to play in World Baseball Classic

A former Heartland Community College student athlete will take the field in the world’s top international baseball tournament. 

Sam Antonacci (’23) has been selected to join Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. 

Team Italy features a mix of Major League Baseball veterans alongside rising talent. A player is eligible to play for a country in the WBC based on citizenship, birth, or ancestry. This allows many Italian-American and diaspora players, such as Antonacci, to join the team. 

Antonacci will join other payers on the team, including Vinnie Pasquantino (Royals), Thomas Saggese (Cardinals), Aaron Nola (Phillies), and Sam Aldegheri (Angels) as they compete in Pool A in Houston, TX. Team Italy will face Brazil on March 7 and Team USA on March 10.

“Playing in the WBC will be a huge honor,” said Antonacci. “Competing against some of the best players in the world will show me what it takes to perform at the highest level. I’m looking forward to learning from teammates and coaches in different ways to continue to get better.” 

The Sacred Heart Griffin High School (Springfield) grad helped lead the Heartland Hawks to the 2023 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series championship. Antonacci’s community college athletic career drew a number of awards, including 2022-23 NJCAA DII National Player of the Year, National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year, twice being named a first team All-American, and numerous Divisional and Regional honors. 

After graduating from Heartland in the Spring of ’23, Antonacci transferred to Division I Coastal Carolina.  Antonacci was selected in the fifth round (140th overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. Following the World Baseball Classic, he will attend White Sox spring training.