Andrew Painter's Path from CCA to the Major Leagues

Andrew Painter, CCA class of '21, made his MLB debut on March 31 with the Philadelphia Phillies! Andrew's story was featured on MLB.com in an article written by Todd Zolecki. Here's a brief excerpt:

Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is a baseball powerhouse. It played in national tournaments and competed for and won high school state championships throughout Painter’s four years. As a freshman, Painter pitched behind Christian Scott, who played at the University of Florida before the Mets selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 Draft; Skylar Gonzalez, who began his college career at West Virginia University; and Roberto Peña, who began his college career at Florida.

Everybody recognized Painter’s talent early.

Alex Norris was Calvary’s pitching coach all four years.

NORRIS: We’ve had a lot of big leaguers’ kids on our teams. I remember the very first time I saw Andy throw a baseball. He was 14 and pudgy. Joe Girardi was at our practices because his son, Dante, was on our team. I knew Andy was pretty good, and he had some success in middle school, but the ball just came out of his hand different. So, I watched him throw for the first time. I didn’t say a word. Joe was working with our catchers. He walked up to me afterward. I said, “Joe, that’s different.” Joe goes, “He’s going to throw 100 mph one day.” I could tell it was special, but when Joe came over and validated that to me, it was pretty exciting.

Everybody recognized Painter’s talent early.

Check out the full article to hear more about Andy's career highlights dating back to his time at CCA.