Q&A with Heartland Hawk baseball player Sam Antonacci
NORMAL, Ill. — It was a season of superlatives for Sam Antonacci and the Heartland Community College baseball team.
The Hawks won the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national championship in May. Following an eye-popping season, Antonacci was named National Player of the Year.
He also was named Midwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year and a DII first-team All-American.
Antonacci, a sophomore from Springfield, Ill., led DII in batting average (.515), RBI (103), runs (105), hits (106), doubles (32) and on-base percentage (.618). He also finished sixth in slugging percentage (.903) to go along with 14 home runs and 33 stolen bases.
The Coastal Carolina commit was a first-time All-American as a freshman. He is one of the top-rated junior college prospects for the Major League Baseball draft.
Antonacci is the second Heartland player to be named Player of the Year, joining Colin Holderman, who is currently a relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Hawks defeated Southeastern Iowa Community College, 8-6, in the championship game for the program’s first national title.
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