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Rankings Spotlight: Joe Rizzo, 3B, Oakton, 2016

January 28, 2015

Follow @PBRVirginiaDC

By Sammy Serrano
Director of Scouting

Joe rizzo:  ranked #5 in Virginia and #44 Nationally


High School: Oakton
Position: 3B
College Commitment: South Carolina

Get to know prospect Joe Rizzo...

PBR:  Tell us where you grew up, when did you start playing baseball, and who were your baseball influences and why?

Rizzo:  I was born in Hackensack, NJ, and my family moved to Northern Virginia when I was an infant, and it’s where I still live.   When I was two, my parents gave me a toy bat, ball and tee, and I was always in the front yard swinging away. But I started with T-ball with CYA (Chantilly Youth Association) when I was 5, and I’ve been at it since.  My parents are my biggest baseball influences. I’ve never looked to the outside for influence because I’ve tried to set goals and work to achieve them, and my parents have always helped me along the way.

PBR:  You have been receiving a lot of notoriety lately. How does it feel?

Rizzo:  Of course it feels good, but I know it means very little because it continually raises other people’s expectations. I like to think I set my own expectations and work towards meeting them, so it really doesn’t matter what others may think. It’s all about striving to hit my goals and my team’s goals.

PBR:  You are committed to South Carolina. Tell us who were in your top three, your best offers, and why you chose the school you did?

Rizzo:  This was the hardest choice I’ve had to make so far in my life. The final three choices were South Carolina, Clemson and Maryland, and all three schools not only have outstanding programs, but a tremendous coaching staff.  Ultimately I chose USC because I felt it gave me the greatest opportunity to grow as a student athlete. And with 9000 attendees screaming at each home game, who wouldn’t want to play in front of that Gamecock fan base! I can’t wait!

PBR:  We know you’re a very talented player. Tell us all about you.  What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Rizzo:  Thank you for the compliment!  My greatest strength is my work ethic. If I’m not on the field working on my skills, then I’m in the backyard or in the basement or in the garage getting work in. And if I’m not doing that, then I’m lifting or doing speed drills. But I know enough that rest is just as important as the work so that I can give full effort during my next workout. In baseball, weaknesses emerge every day, every week, every season. It could be a flaw that appears in my swing, or it could be my foot speed, or whatever. The key to overcome every weakness is to identify it, create a plan to overcome it, and execute on that plan.

PBR:  You’re ranked in Virginia and Nationally by Prep Baseball Report VA/DC (PBR). How does that feel considering the size and talent in the state?

Rizzo:  Frankly, it’s an honor. I personally know many of the top players in the Commonwealth, and they are tremendous players. And because I’m a member of the EvoShield Canes organization, as well as the many of the national events where I’ve participated, I’ve gotten to know many players from across the country. It really is humbling to think where I rank compared to their talent.

PBR:  What's your training look like this winter? Goals for the spring? 

Rizzo:  I’m in full training mode right now, lifting 4x a week, doing medicine ball and core work, speed drills, and of course hitting each day. I won’t start throwing until mid-January because I wanted to give my arm 10 weeks off.  Each year I reset my goals, and my 2015 goals for the year (not just the Spring) are around skill building (hitting, throwing, fielding), strength building, speed and schoolwork. I have measurements for each so that I know if I’m on the right path to hit my goals.

PBR:  How was your high school season last year?

Rizzo:  Our Oakton HS team did well with an excellent winning percentage as well as winning our District. We went fairly deep in the regionals, but just came up short going to the States. Personally, I received District and Regional honors and my stats were excellent, but I measure success based on how well the team did, and I think we left some wins on the table.

PBR:  Preview your high school season? How will your team be this year? Expectations?

Rizzo:  Our pitching is looking very strong, and if we can shore up the defense in a few spots, we should win more than our fair share of close games. Expectations? I always expect that we should get to the States, as every player on every HS team should expect.

PBR:  How are your academics? GPA? ACT? SAT? Any academic awards? 

Rizzo:  I’ll take the ACTs in April, and I’m working on a 3.5 GPA in current junior year. With a base of a 3.86 from my freshman and sophomore years, I think I’m in pretty good shape preparing for the life of a collegiate student athlete!

PBR:  Who is the best player you will see this spring? Best team? Best player?

Rizzo:  That’s tough! In the Virginia 6A Northern Region, there are so many excellent ballplayers such as Pete Nielson, Nick Neville, Jared DiCesare and so many, many more. Real quality ballplayers! As usual, Madison HS will be the team to beat. Coach Gjormand at Madison always puts together an excellent squad, and with Nielson, Jimmy Goldsmith, Carlo Alfano, Favero, Socher, McGuire and more, they will be tough to beat in our annual battle as well as in the Regionals.

PBR:  What is the most memorable moment in your baseball career to this point?

Rizzo:  It has to be winning the Districts as a freshman member of the Oakton HS squad. That team had so many excellent players, and to win in comeback fashion and participate in my first dogpile it is my #1 memorable moment. I fully expect to participate in more dogpiles in 2015.

PBR:  Tell us something about yourself others don't know but would like to know.

Rizzo:  Big SpongeBob fan. It’s the greatest cartoon known to mankind.

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