Former Schaumburg catcher D'Agata transferring
Former Schaumburg catcher Dominick D'Agata loved his Purdue baseball teammates.
D'Agata also loved the academic direction he was headed as he was studying sign language in hopes of becoming a teacher or interpreter.
But D'Agata didn't like the signs he was seeing when it came to playing time. So the 2008 Daily Herald Cook All-Area honorary captain is transferring from Purdue to Heartland Community College in Normal.
"I'll go for a year and go from there and see what happens, whether it's the (MLB) draft or a Division I school," said D'Agata, who is getting a full scholarship to Heartland. "I've heard great things about the program so I figure I'll give it a shot for a year."
D'Agata said he'll get a opportunity to catch or be a designated hitter on a regular basis at Heartland, which has won 45, 42 and 37 games the last three seasons.
That was an opportunity he didn't get at Purdue as he redshirted as a freshman. This season he played in only eight games and was 5-for-11 with a homer and 6 RBI.
D'Agata suffered a stress fracture in his leg that set him back last fall, but he said he was 100 percent in the spring.
"I didn't want to waste my time and I could see that it was probably a better idea to leave," D'Agata said. "I never really got a chance in the spring to show what I could do."
D'Agata started talking to Tony Dawkins, his Top Tier coach, about his options. Division II Quincy was interested and so was a junior college in San Mateo, Calif., but D'Agata thought Heartland fit best.
Going to a junior college makes D'Agata draft eligible next June. He is playing this summer with the Lombard Orioles semipro team that includes former Schaumburg teammate Dave Compitello and ex-Fremd players Ryan Shober and Todd Dunham.