Rovinelli Will Bring Competitiveness To Columbia

Brandon Rovinelli RHP / OF / St Joseph, CT / 2025

SHELTON, Ct. - Going to an Ivy League college has been the goal for Brandon Rovinelli.

Mission accomplished for the St. Joseph High School junior after making a commitment to Columbia University.

“It’s a great opportunity to go to a good school,” Rovinelli said. “If baseball doesn’t work out there’s an amazing Plan B.”

But Plan A is the intention for the 19th-rated 2025 right-handed pitcher in New England, who has high hopes of making an impact at the university located in New York City.

“Columbia has been good in the Ivy League, they’ve won it five of the last nine years,” Rovinelli noted. “That’s something I want to experience, pitching in a tournament game and winning a conference championship.”

It was last winter that Rovinelli and Columbia began communicating.

“The first time they saw me pitch was when they came to one of my high school games,” the 17-year-old related. “It was my second start of the season. They also saw me in the summer and at the Future Games. They asked me to come to a camp and the pitching coach liked me. They saw me again in Florida and offered after that. In between the camp and Florida I went on a visit.

“I liked the facilities,” Rovinelli added. “The field is amazing. There’s also a new sports center off campus and I like that. Obviously it’s a great school and there’s a lot to do in New York City.”

Columbia found the 5-10 180-pounder to be a good fit.

“They like my breaking ball and my release height,” Rovinelli said. “The high spin and high vertical break and how I can command my breaking ball in any count.”

Admittedly, the prospects of being a student-athlete at an Ivy League school will not be easy.

“That will be the hardest part,” the 39th-ranked junior in New England said. “I have to keep my grades up, I can’t slack on any work. But it’s something I’m very capable of doing. There are a lot of resources at Columbia to help. It’s going to be a challenge, but I can do it.”

The recruiting process was also a challenge but very fun to go through according to the 14th-rated 2025 in Connecticut.

“I liked talking to the schools and schools showing an interest,” noted Rovinelli, who also visited George Washington during his recruitment. “The Future Games helped me so much and PBR helped so much. It was great pitching in front of hundreds of schools.

“Come Aug. 1 there were so many that reached out which was good to see. I had 28 phone calls in total from Aug. 1 and after. I reached back to everyone by text and was open to all schools. But from the beginning I wanted to go to a high-academic school.”

A 4.0 student with aspirations to major in economics as of now, attending college not far from home is an additional plus.

“The distance is another thing I like,” Rovinelli pointed out. “It’s a one-hour train ride from where I live so my family can come and watch.”

Getting better as a player was important in making a college commitment become a reality.

“I try to do something every day to get better,” the sixth-ranked junior RHP in Connecticut related. “Mobility, lifting, I throw pretty much every day. The more I throw the healthier I am. This winter I’m honing in on mechanics and trying to fix my inefficiencies. I hope to be in the low-90s, that’s something I’d like to do to get better.”

Rovinelli pointed to his travel organization as benefitting the cause in his baseball journey.

“Everyone at Clubhouse was a big help to me as a player helping get my name out there just like PBR did,” Rovinelli noted.

Competitiveness is one aspect he will be bringing to Columbia.

“I don’t like to lose,” Rovinelli said. “I’ll do everything I can to help us win while always trying to get better.”

That is not all that Rovinelli sees in his future at college.

“I’m looking forward to having a good bond with teammates and making lifelong friends,” Rovinelli noted. “I’m excited to be around Division I players that want to win and have the same goals as me. I want to be the best player I can be and hopefully play in the pros.”

As far as his commitment, it was a day to remember.

“I was so happy,” Rovinelli concluded. “It’s been a goal of mine since Little League to play Division I baseball and I’m so happy to commit to a school to play Division I baseball. It was one of the best days of my life.”