University of Richmond Athletics
Photo by: Spiders Athletics
Baseball Names Balducci, Blakely, Miller, Rinaldi and Toso Team Captains
11/17/2020 | Baseball
RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond baseball has named its five team captains for the upcoming spring season. Antonio Balducci (Mechanicsville, Va.), Drew Blakely (Gull Lake, Mich.), Tim Miller (Wayne, Pa.), Chris Rinaldi (Westfield, N.J.) and Dominic Toso (Philadelphia, Pa.) were voted team captains by their peers.
This will be Balducci's first time being named a team captain. Balducci, a three-year letterwinner on the mound, has led the Spiders in appearances in all three years. He's appeared in 23 games in his freshman and sophomore years before leading the team with nine appearances in last year's shortened season. Balducci is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Executive Board where he serves as the Atlantic 10 representative.
Blakely will begin his second season with the Spiders this season. Last year, Blakely made an immediate impact, playing in 16 games, making 15 starts, 12 behind the plate. He was second on the team with 16 RBI, hitting for a .296 average. Behind the plate, he threw out three runners trying to steal, recorded a .970 fielding percentage.
Miller has been a Spider mainstay, starting three consecutive seasons on opening night. He's made 34 career starts, earning a 13-6 record with a 3.81 career ERA. This is Miller's third season being voted a team captain by his peers. After starting his career as a two-way player, Miller made the switch to being the team's ace in 2018.
A grad-transfer from Holy Cross, Rinaldi's leadership has translated immediately; An infielder, Rinaldi is a three-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, First Team All-Patriot League in 2018, and earned the 2020 Holy Cross Robert T. Curran Leadership Award. Rinaldi is a career .273 hitter with 37 extra-base hits and 29 stolen bases.
Toso started 15 games at third base last season, hitting in the heart of the Spider lineup. The Bucknell-transfer led the team with five home runs and 17 RBI in the shortened season. He helped the Spiders win back-to-back games to end the season, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, three RBI and stole a base in the opening game of a two-game series with Charleston Southern.
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This will be Balducci's first time being named a team captain. Balducci, a three-year letterwinner on the mound, has led the Spiders in appearances in all three years. He's appeared in 23 games in his freshman and sophomore years before leading the team with nine appearances in last year's shortened season. Balducci is also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Executive Board where he serves as the Atlantic 10 representative.
Blakely will begin his second season with the Spiders this season. Last year, Blakely made an immediate impact, playing in 16 games, making 15 starts, 12 behind the plate. He was second on the team with 16 RBI, hitting for a .296 average. Behind the plate, he threw out three runners trying to steal, recorded a .970 fielding percentage.
Miller has been a Spider mainstay, starting three consecutive seasons on opening night. He's made 34 career starts, earning a 13-6 record with a 3.81 career ERA. This is Miller's third season being voted a team captain by his peers. After starting his career as a two-way player, Miller made the switch to being the team's ace in 2018.
A grad-transfer from Holy Cross, Rinaldi's leadership has translated immediately; An infielder, Rinaldi is a three-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, First Team All-Patriot League in 2018, and earned the 2020 Holy Cross Robert T. Curran Leadership Award. Rinaldi is a career .273 hitter with 37 extra-base hits and 29 stolen bases.
Toso started 15 games at third base last season, hitting in the heart of the Spider lineup. The Bucknell-transfer led the team with five home runs and 17 RBI in the shortened season. He helped the Spiders win back-to-back games to end the season, going 3-for-4 with a pair of home runs, three RBI and stole a base in the opening game of a two-game series with Charleston Southern.
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