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08/03/2017 12:00 AMBranford native Rob Petrillo recently completed an extremely successful tenure as a student-athlete at the University of New Haven (UNH). Shortly after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting, Rob helped the Chargers’ baseball team win the Northeast-10 (NE-10) Conference Tournament title this spring. The victory proved a fitting sendoff for Rob following his impressive performance in both the athletic and academic arenas at UNH.
“It was just an amazing experience to compete at such a high level and win a championship and help the program,” says Rob, who played both baseball and ice hockey at Branford High School. “To achieve something that the team and I always wanted to achieve and work super hard to get there was so rewarding.”
Rob, an outfielder, played in all 44 games during his final season at UNH, posting a .315 batting average with 33 runs scored, 29 RBI, and 11 stolen bases. He earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team for the second time in two years and also won the NE-10 Baseball Sports Excellence Award. As a junior last season, Rob was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-East Region Second Team. For his career at UNH, Rob finished with a .343 average, 94 runs, 66 RBI, and 28 stolen bases.
A lot of Rob’s success at the plate stems from his thorough preparation that includes going to school on opposing pitchers while they warm up.
“I don’t have pregame rituals. I just focus on the game. I’ll watch the other pitcher and try to get my timing off him warming up,” Rob says. “I want to see how guys are playing and pay attention to the little things.”
Rob’s studious approach also paid off in the classroom as he earned Academic All-Conference honors and a spot on the Academic All-American Third Team this year, in addition to being named the UNH Male Distinguished Scholar-Athlete. On top of that, Rob made the dean’s list and the NE-10 Conference commissioner’s honor roll in each of his four years at the school.
One of the main reasons Rob stayed so focused on his schoolwork is because he’s always enjoyed the subjects that he studied.
“It’s what interests me. Financial markets were my interest growing up, and accounting would help me get more of an understanding of financial markets,” he says. “It would help broaden my spectrum in the business world.”
Rob’s prowess at the plate boosted UNH to a 31-13 record and the No. 2 seed in the NE-10 Conference Tournament. After losing early in the double-elimination bracket, the Chargers had to travel a tough path and win out the rest of their contests in order to reach the final. Head Coach Chris Celano knew that his team was facing a challenging situation and felt that a consistent approach like Rob’s was needed from everyone in order for UNH to emerge victorious.
“I think if you get in that bracket, it’s hard not to think about all those games you have to win,” Celano says. “You have to go inning by inning and play the game that’s in front of you. Rob did that as our three hitter the entire year. He was the centerpiece of our entire lineup. I don’t know that there was a more consistent hitter that we saw all year.”
The Chargers needed to win both ends of a doubleheader against Franklin Pierce in the conference final to take the title. With the first game tied 3-3 in the seventh inning, Rob hit a bases-loaded double to put UNH up by two in a 7-3 victory. Rob felt grateful to be put in a clutch scenario and then deliver for the Chargers.
“It was a great feeling being able to come through in a big situation like that,” says Rob. “We had a couple of guys in front of me who worked some good at-bats to put us in that situation, and it was great to be able to come through in a big moment like that for our team.”
Riding that momentum, the Chargers dismantled the Ravens by a 12-1 final in the second game to win the NE-10 championship. Rob believes that his club prevailed because his teammates played for each other, worked hard, and never lost sight of their ultimate objective.
“I just think everyone this year had a goal, and we had a great group of guys. We all had motivations to be a championship-winning team,” says Rob. “Everyone got along great, and everyone had the same goal. Everyone was focused on that from the beginning of the season. In the preseason, when we were practicing, everyone could tell that we could accomplish great things this year if we worked really hard.”
Having recently completed a great run at a fine institution, Rob thanks his parents, Robert Petrillo, Sr., and Valerie Petrillo, for all the support that they’ve given him throughout his life.
“My parents, they always pushed me to work hard and achieve my goals. They were always there for me whenever I needed help with something and were always there to support me,” says Rob. “I wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything if it wasn’t for my parents pushing me and helping me. They always pushed me to be successful in anything I tried.”