Former Heartland Community College baseball player Sam Antonacci will compete in the World Baseball Classic, an international tournament featuring 20 national baseball teams.
“Playing in the WBC will be a huge honor,” Antonacci said.
Antonacci will play for Team Italy alongside major leaguers Vinnie Pasquantino of the Kansas City Royals, Thomas Saggese of the St. Louis Cardinals, Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies and Sam Aldegheri of the Los Angeles Angels.
Team Italy’s roster includes both MLB veterans and rising talent. Players are eligible to represent a country based on citizenship, birthplace or ancestry, allowing Italian-American and diaspora players like Antonacci to participate.
“Competing against some of the best players in the world will show me what it takes to perform at the highest level,” Antonacci said.
Antonacci helped lead the Heartland Hawks to the 2023 NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series national championship. He earned numerous honors at Heartland, including 2022-23 NJCAA DII National Player of the Year, National Alliance of Two-Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year, two first-team All-American selections and multiple divisional and regional awards.
After graduating in 2023, Antonacci transferred to Coastal Carolina, a Division I program. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox and will attend spring training with the team ahead of the WBC.
