Q&A with North Dakota State Commit Roman Trapani

Throughout his prep career, RHP Roman Trapani (Eau Claire Memorial, 2023; North Dakota State commit) has always been an intriguing name to our staff but over the course of 2022 he took it to a different level. Our first look at Trapani in 2022 came at the Madison Preseason ID where we started to see what was in store for Trapani later in the year. During his ‘pen in Madison, Trapani pounded the zone with his four-pitch mix, something he has always done in front of our staff, but the biggest takeaway from Trapani’s performance was the slight uptick in velocity as he topped at 87 mph on his hardest bullet to the plate. Then in the spring for his Old Abe squad, Trapani was a key piece on the mound and finished his junior season with a perfect 5-0 record with 65 strikeouts over his 45 ⅔ innings pitched, which earned him a spot on our PBR Wisconsin All-State: Honorable Mention list as a result. After this impressive spring, Trapani then took on the summer circuit and this is where he truly broke out as one of the states top pitching prospects. We got a look at Trapani at the 17U PBR at The Rock Summer Championships and there showed even more velocity, sitting 88-89 mph with his fastball, which added even more to his already impressive four pitch arsenal. After this eye-opening performance in front of our staff, Trapani jolted up our 2023 state rankings and is currently at No. 19 overall. 

To cap off his impressive 2022 campaign, Trapani announced his commitment to North Dakota State where he will be joining a handful of other high-end prospects from the Badger State. We recently had the opportunity to talk with the future Bison about his commitment process and many other baseball related topics.

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OUR Q&A

PBR: What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?What were your expectations about the recruiting process? What were you looking for out of a college program to continue your baseball career at?

Trapani: I was thankful to have a brother go through the process beforehand, and I had a lot of tips from him going into it. The biggest thing for me throughout the process too was going somewhere where I would develop as a person first and foremost. I don't want to imagine it, but baseball could end tomorrow, and I would want to be going somewhere where I would still want to be regardless if I was an athlete or not. NDSU had that perfect combo of baseball development, and people development, so it was everything I could've asked for and more.

P: Did location or distance from home play a factor in your decision?

T: In all honesty, it didn't play a huge role in my decision, but I'm very happy that NDSU ended up being close to home. It makes a lot easier for my friends and family to hopefully come to games and not have to worry too much about travel. Fargo is also an awesome city and definitely a hidden gem in America.

P: When did the recruiting process really start to heat up for you? Where did the school you committed to first see you play?

T: Things really got going for me after our second summer tournament, which was at Grand Park. There happened to be a lot of scouts there, and I'd pitched well and showed major strides in development since the previous summer. After I'd pitched well there, things started to heat up with NDSU too, and that was the first time they'd seen me.

P: What do you like most about the program you chose, and what were the key factors in making your decision?

T: I'm a big fan of the moves they've been making as a program recently. They made the NCAA tournament in 2021 and were close to doing it again this past season. You pair that with great facilities, great coaches, and great schooling, and you have everything you could ever want out of school. A big thing for me throughout the process too was going somewhere where I'd want to be, even if I wasn't playing baseball. NDSU is growing great human beings that play baseball, and that was the exact program I wanted to be apart of.

P: What other schools were on your short list before you made your final decision?

T: Eastern Illinois, Ball State, Oral Roberts, UMass, Holy Cross, John A Logan, St. Thomas, and Triton CC.

P: Who is the best player you have faced in your state? What about them makes for a tough opponent?

T: MIF Jack Counsell (Whitefish Bay, 2023; Michigan commit) is always a really tough and competitive at-bat. He is really good at putting his bat on the ball and he just refuses to strikeout. Like I said, one of the toughest outs in the state, but it makes for some of the most competitive at-bats as a pitcher.

P: At what point in your career did you realize you were a college-caliber player and became serious about taking your game to the next level?

T: Mine didn't come till a little later in the process. It felt like there was something always holding me back from fulfilling that dream of playing college baseball. After a good conversation with some of the coaches at GRB and a lot of work in the offseason, it felt like everything was finally starting to culminate during this last summer season.  

P: What advice would you give to young baseball players striving to get where you are?

T: Don't fall into the temptation of comparison. It was something I'd struggled with for a long time, but once you get over that hump and just try to take advantage of your own strengths and not someone else's, you'll get the best results for yourself.

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

T: Getting to pitch against our cross-town rival, Eau Claire North was pretty cool this last year. The environment for those games is unlike any other. It's like a mini championship for us. Although I hadn't pitched my best, the second time we'd played we beat them via walk off which was awesome.

P: Preview your high school team's season for us. How do you feel your team will be?

T: I think our team should be pretty good and have a good shot at competing. We lost a lot of seniors and will be asking a lot of younger guys to fulfill some big roles, but I'm confident they'll be able to do it. Hopefully we can continue to build on past success and make another fun all the way to the state title.

P: If you could steal any tool or quality from another player in the state, what would it be and who would it be from?

T: I've gotten the opportunity to play catch with RHP Cole Selvig (Regis, 2023; Texas commit) a whole lot. Can't say enough good things about him from the athletic standpoint or as a person too. Except every time I play catch with him, I get blown away by how good every pitch he throws is. I would have to pick Cole's arsenal if that was an option. If I couldn't pick the whole arsenal, I'd have to say RHP Dylan Questad's (Waterford, 2023; Arkansa commit) fastball. That pitch is the definition of electric.  

P: Who is the next talented young player to keep an eye on out of your high school or travel program?

T: CIF Leo Lauscher (Eau Claire Memorial, 2024). He stood out as one of our best hitters last year on a lineup that was full of seniors. He smokes the ball every time he hits it, and has really impressed athletically as well. He's absolutely a guy to look out for here in the near future, as he'll be doing big things this year and for years to come.

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