Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, Texas – First baseman Joseph Impeduglia, who played for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) baseball team in 2021, is set to play the 2022 season with the Staten Island FerryHawks of the Atlantic League.
Impeduglia is the fourth player from the 2021 team to sign a professional contract, along with catcher Conrado Diaz (2019-21), who is set to play for the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol this season, Andy Atwood (2019-21), who played with the Great Falls Voyagers (Pioneer League) last season, and Christian Sepulveda (2019-21), who played for the Billings Mustangs (Pioneer League) last season.
A preseason All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) selection, Impeduglia went on to hit .297/.427/.406, going 19-for-64 in 27 games (19 starts) with seven doubles, 10 RBI and nine runs scored. He had a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, with 15 strikeouts compared to 15 walks.
Impeduglia had a huge final month to help UTRGV reach the WAC Tournament Championship Series, going 13-for-27 (.481) with five doubles, six walks, seven RBI and four runs scored in nine games leading up to the finale.
Originally from Staten Island, Impeduglia was a graduate transfer from Concordia College, where, as a senior, he hit .435 (20-for-46) with a .559 on-base percentage, a .587 slugging percentage, five doubles, one triple, 12 RBI and nine runs scored in 13 games.
As a junior in 2019, Impeduglia hit .308 (49-for-159) with a .443 on-base percentage, a .522 slugging percentage, seven home runs, 11 doubles, one triple, 40 RBI, 39 runs scored and six stolen bases in 47 games. On the mound, he struck out 13 in 15 innings across 10 appearances (one start).
Impeduglia graduated from UTRGV with a Master of Business Administration in August.
When the FerryHawks’ season begins on April 21, Impeduglia will become one of three alumni known to be actively competing in professional baseball, along with Diaz, whose season starts on April 22, and Dusten Knight (2013-13), who is playing with the Durham Bulls, the Triple-A East affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Knight made his Major League debut with the Baltimore Orioles last September, striking out 11 in 8.2 innings across seven appearances. This season he has struck out five and walked three in 4.0 hitless innings across three outings while earning one save.
Last season for Great Falls, Atwood hit .296/.360/.421, going 26-for-88 with three doubles, four triples, 12 RBI, 15 runs scored, and two stolen bases in 27 games.
Last season for Billings, Sepulveda hit .317/.392/.547, going 51-for-161 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, two triples, 42 RBI, 47 runs scored, and 16 stolen bases in 44 games.
