Rox add three more for summer of 2012

MICHAEL ROMANO
N.C. Central University Eagles

BROCKTON, Massachusetts --With the 2012 season less than a week away, the Brockton Rox of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) made some final additions to their roster with the signings of Jones County Junior College sophomore pitcher Vito Perna (Laurel, MS), North Carolina Central University junior pitcher Michael Romano (Spotsylvania, VA), and University of Maryland freshman outfielder A.J. Lardo (Baldwin, MD).

Perna, who is expected to be selected in the 2012 MLB Draft, joins the Rox for the summer of 2012 after spending two seasons at Jones County Junior College in Ellisville, Miss. This past season, the towering right-handerwent 10-1 for the Bobcats with one save and a 2.03 ERA, while striking out 68 batters in 75.1 innings of work. The Laurel, Miss. native excelled as an infielder as well, hitting .358 (68-for-190) at the dish with 10 doubles, seven homers, 52 RBI, 18 walks, three stolen bases, and 32 runs scored. His success helped the Bobcats clinch their third straight Mississippi Association of Community & Junior College (MACJC) South Division title.

As a freshman in 2011, Perna earned First Team All-MACJC and First Team All-Region honors, while helping Jones County Junior College clinch the 2011 MACJC State Championship, as well as its first-ever Region 23 Championship. The Bobcats eventually finished as the runner-up in the 2011 NJCAA Division II College World Series after falling to Western Oklahoma State University in the title game.

Romano appeared in 15 games for the Division I Eagles of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as junior in 2012. He made seven starts for North Carolina Central University, finishing with a 3-3 record to go along with one save and a 5.24 ERA through 56.2 innings of work. The southpaw fanned 31 batters while walking just 15. A native of Spotsylvania, Va., Romano transferred from Essex Junior College where he finished with a 3.60 ERA and 10 strikeouts through 20 innings pitched in 2011. Prior to that, Romano attended Riverbend High School, where he helped his team reach the Regional Semifinals in 2007 and was named Second Team All-Region along the way.

Lardo redshirted for the Division I Terrapins of the Atlantic Coast Conference as a freshman in 2012. Before his time with the University of Maryland, the Baldwin, Md. native attended high school at Loyola Blakefield in Towson, MD, where he hit .495 as a senior. Lardo was named Baltimore Sun All-Met team in 2011, while also being named to First Team All-Region in 2011 as an outfielder. He earned Louisville Slugger All-American honors and was also named to the Preseason All-State team in 2010.

COURTESY BROCKTONROX.COM