Denver, Colo. – Former Mercer County Community College (MCCC) pitcher Andrew DiPiazza announced he signed to play for the Colorado Rockies organization on Feb. 22.

The signing comes five months after DiPiazza struck a deal to play for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball League on Aug. 16.

"Blessed to say I have signed with the @Rockies. Thank you to everyone who helped me make this dream a reality," DiPiazza said on Twitter.

A native of Bayville, N.J., DiPiazza was selected by the San Francisco Giants in the 39th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, and attracted the interest of several four-year college programs, including Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

"I think being part of an organization like Colorado will give Andrew an opportunity to continue to develop and fine tune his skills," said MCCC Baseball Head Coach Fred Carella. "This will also provide him with more structure than he would receive with an unaffiliated or independent organization.  He now gets another opportunity to show people the type of winner and competitor he is."

DiPiazza left his mark at Mercer by leading the Vikings to back-to-back winning seasons. In 2016, he helped the Vikings to a 51-10 record, while in 2017 his efforts lead to a 48-14 finish.

“All he did for two years here was win, and he got better as the stage got bigger,” said Coach Carella. “DiPiazza would not have gotten to where he is today if it wasn’t for him showcasing his talents whenever he got the chance, and working extremely hard.”

Originally, DiPiazza committed to pitch at Alabama. After redshirting his freshman season, he enrolled at MCCC, where he quickly rose to pitching prominence.

DiPiazza’s freshman season consisted of a 12-1 record, 84 innings pitched, a 1.50 ERA and 109 strikeouts. He was later named The National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division II Baseball Pitcher of the Year.

His sophomore year was similarly successful. He, along with Dennis Brady and Nick Snyder, formed a trio of starting pitchers that are now all playing professionally. DiPiazza and Brady both earned spots on the 2017 All-Region 19 team during their sophomore year. That same year the team finished as the National Runner-up.

After leaving Mercer, DiPiazza transferred to Rowan University where he posted a 13-2 record, 2.26 ERA, and 163 strikeouts over 119 innings pitched for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. DiPiazza was on the 2019 Rowan pitching staff when he was drafted to play for the T-Bones.

“The best thing I can say about Andrew is that he is a winner and wants the ball in his hands," Carella added. "When he took the mound for the Vikings, he was a competitor and refused to lose."

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 Andrew DiPiazza pitches against Lackawanna on April 2017.