CHECKING IN WITH ... GIOVANNI VALENTINE
(Editor's note: The Day will be publishing a profile of a spring athlete for each day the high school athletic season is suspended.) School: Fitch High School Class: Senior Sport: Baseball Position: Shortstop College choice: University of Miami (Fla.) Chosen major: Business Athlete you grew up admiring: Derek Jeter Best moment of your baseball career: Playing at Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford during my freshman year in the state semifinals Checking in with Giovanni: "During the years playing ball I've met a lot of great kids from other schools and (I was looking forward to) being able to see them on the field one last time . ... It's been a great ride. Thanks for the memories." What you need to know about Giovanni: Valentine missed the majority of last baseball season because of a knee injury sus tained playing soccer for the Falcons. “Not being able to play this year after missing last year, along with it being my senior year, really sucks (sorry, don't have a better word for it),” he said. It took about five months for him to get back from the injury. He then had a productive summer season for the CT Crush. "I had a great doctor and physical therapist," he said. "I was back 100% . ... I've been playing baseball since I could walk.” Valentine, an All-Eastern Connecticut Conference defender, was part of Fitch's best soccer season in years this past fall, when the Falcons won the ECC Division II title and made the league's Division I championship game. “(Soccer coach Jay) Wolfradt is a good coach and we had a bunch of guys that would leave everything on the field,” Valentine said. “We had good chemistry, which made us successful.” Valentine says he'll choose the business major because “I like numbers and money.” Valentine will graduate from Fitch as a high honors student, having completed several AP honors courses. He was an All-ECC and All-Area selection in baseball as a sophomore.