Rottino Named to Italy World Baseball Classic Roster

For Immediate Release: Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009

La Crosse, Wis. – Former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball standout Vinny Rottino has been named one of 45 players to the Italy Provisional Roster for the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The final roster of 28 players, including a mandatory 13 pitchers, must be set by Feb. 24.

Rottino, currently on the Milwaukee Brewers' 40-man roster, is listed as one of four catchers on the Italian roster.

The first round of the World Baseball Classic opens in Tokyo, with defending champion Japan facing China. Mexico City, Toronto and San Juan, Puerto Rico, host the other three first-round brackets. Italy will face Venezuela in its first round game Saturday, March 7 in Toronto. The United States of America and Canada are also in the Toronto bracket.

The tournament will be run in a double-elimination format in the first two rounds, with the winners from Toronto meeting the winners from Puerto Rico in the second round at Miami's Dolphin Stadium. The winners from Tokyo will meet the winners from Mexico City in San Diego's PETCO Park.

The semifinals and final will be played March 21 and 23 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Rottino was named the 2002 Midwest Region Player of the Year by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America. A shortstop for the Eagles, Rottino was selected the 2002 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Position Player of the Year after setting single-season school records in at-bats (195), hits (80), runs (57), home runs (15) and doubles (19).

He was an All-Midwest Region First Team selection and All-America First Team pick in 2002. Rottino finished his career first in UW-L history in at-bats (587), hits (199), runs (129), doubles (50) and home runs (23). He also established WIAC career records in at-bats and doubles.