Marion, IL (January 25, 2021) – The Southern Illinois Miners announce that they have signed infielder and Illinois native Luke Mangieri for the upcoming 2021 season.
Hailing from Peoria, Illinois originally, the 6’3” infielder spent two seasons in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, batting .256 with nine doubles, seven homers and 32 RBIs in 64 games between Single-A Greensboro and Short-season Single-A West Virginia in 2019. In 44 games at the latter level in 2018, he hit .247 with eight doubles, two home runs, 16 RBIs, 23 runs scored and nine stolen bases in 10 attempts.
Mangieri, who has played primarily first base but has also seen time at third base and in the outfield as a professional, was a 25th-round selection by the Pirates in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Bradley University, where he batted .322 with 15 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 34 RBIs, 65 hits, 41 runs scored, and more walks (31) than strikeouts (29) across 51 games as a junior for the Braves in 2018.
For his career at Bradley, the left-handed swinger hit .314, with 31 doubles, nine triples, nine homers, 84 RBIs, 174 hits, and 104 runs scored in 145 games. He was also at his best in the biggest games, as Mangieri batted .385 with a pair of home runs, seven RBIs, and 10 runs scored in 10 career Missouri Valley Conference tournament contests.
“Luke comes with some great recommendations as a hitter who brings a lot of quality at-bats to the game,” Miners manager Mike Pinto said. “He has some power in his bat, and is very athletic around the bag at first base. We are glad to have him with us.”
