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NJIT BOLSTERS PITCHING WITH TRIO OF SIGNEES

June 2, 2005

Courtesy of Mark Mentone NJIT Sports Information

Melody, Molfetas, Parenti Ink Letters of Intent

NEWARK, N.J. ? Matt Melody of Union, Spiro Molfetas of Waldwick, and Christopher Parenti of Elizabeth have signed national letters of intent to continue their baseball careers at New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJIT head coach Brian Callahan announced today. The trio, all pitchers, has a combined won-lost record of 22-1 in their senior seasons of high school.

?Pitching was the backbone of our team this season, and we have continued that with our recruiting,? said Callahan, who completed his fifth season with the Highlanders. ?For these guys to put up the records they have in high school is not an accident; they obviously know how to win, whether they have their best stuff on a particular day or not. They fit in with what we?re trying to build here as we move to Division I.?

Melody, a 6-foot-3 left-hander, is 6-1 with a 2.37 earned-run average for Union High. He has 44 strikeouts in 41 innings. He was a third-team All-Union County quarterback in football, completing 74 of 125 passes for 1,160 yards and eight touchdowns. Melody was accepted into NJIT?s School of Management. His father, John, was a standout pitcher at Seton Hall University before being drafted by the Kansas City Royals. ?Matt will make great strides in his development by playing baseball full-time and working with our coaching staff,? Callahan said. ?We?re excited to have someone of his ability.?

Molfetas is 7-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 58 innings for Don Bosco Prep. On May 16, he defeated No. 1-ranked St. Joseph?s of Montvale, 4-2. Opponents are hitting .209 off him this season. As a junior, the 6-foot-1 righty was a first-team all-league and first-team all-North Jersey Parochial selection. He also plays U-18 premier soccer for the Waldwick Warriors club team. He was admitted to the School of Management. ?Spiro is probably the hardest thrower we?ve brought in during my time here,? Callahan said. ?But he?s not just a thrower. He can put the ball where he wants to, and he knows how to use his other pitches. He has the ability to come in and challenge to be a front-line starter.?

After missing his junior season with a broken thumb, 6-foot-2 right-hander Parenti has rebounded to post a 9-0 record and 2.16 ERA for St. Joseph?s of Metuchen. He has 68 strikeouts and a .236 opponent batting average in 68 innings. He has won three games in the Greater Middlesex County Tournament, and is slated to start the championship game on June 1. He also won a state championship at the junior American legion level in 2003. Parenti was accepted into NJIT?s College of Science and Liberal Arts. He rejoins former high-school teammate Robert Pietrocola with the Highlanders. ?Chris has pitched all the big games for his high school team,? Callahan said. ?That experience in pressure situations will help his adjustment to college. With his arsenal of pitches, he gives us a lot of flexibility in how we?ll use him.?

The trio joins pitcher/first-baseman P.J. Saporito, a 2004 first-team all-state selection out of New Milford High, in NJIT?s Class of 2009.

The Highlanders won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular-season championship in 2005, and with a 22-20 overall record, posted their best winning percentage since 1996. NJIT also earned its second consecutive ECAC playoff berth. The university has applied to the NCAA to reclassify its entire athletic program from Division II to Division I.