Outfielder Jamie Palumbo was the first YSU baseball player to be earn two first-team all-conference honors in the program’s history. He is just one of five players in Penguins baseball history to earn the honor in consecutive years.
Palumbo was a first-team All-Mid-Continent Conference honoree in 1995 and 1996. Only five players before Palumbo had earned first-team all-conference accolades, let alone in consecutive years. The only other Penguins to be named first-team all-league in consecutive seasons are Kendall Schlabach (2001-02), Brandon Caipen (2005-06), Jacke Healey (2009-10) and Drew Dosch (2012-13).
In his YSU career from 1993-96, he posted a .298 batting average with 144 hits in 484 at bats. He had 92 runs scored, 81 RBI, 28 doubles, 21 stolen bases, nine home runs and eight triples for a .444 slugging percentage. The eight career triples are just one shy of the school record.
As a senior in 1996, he batted .302 with 48 hits on the season. He had 33 runs scored, 27 RBI, seven doubles, two triples and a career-best .503 slugging percentage. Palumbo had a power surge at the plate belting seven home runs during the season. He had nine during his YSU career. Impressively, three of his seven dingers hit during the season were grand slams. He hit grand slams against VMI (March 18), Ashland (April 25) and CW Post (May 5).
As a junior in 1995, Palumbo had his highest batting average of his career hitting at a .340 clip. He had career highs in hits (64), doubles (17), RBI (36), runs scored (40), total bases (93), walks (31) and steals (11) in 54 games. He hit two home runs on the season, which came on consecutive days against Pace. In the second game of a doubleheader on April 22, he had five hits, scored four runs, had four RBI and hit for the cycle.
The 17 doubles he hit in 1995 were a school record and still rank tied for sixth in school history. That year YSU won a school-record 37 games.
In 1994, he appeared in seven games and had six hits and scored five runs in seven contests before his season ended.
As a freshman in 1993, he had 26 hits, 14 runs, 14 RBI, three doubles and a team-high three triples in 34 games.
Palumbo graduated from YSU with a degree in Criminal Justice. He currently works as a Pharmaceutical Rep and is a Territory Manager for ARBOR Pharmaceuticals.
A native of nearby Hubbard, he was a standout baseball and football player for the Eagles. As a junior, he was a second-team all-state honoree as well as an all-league, all-county, All-Northeast Ohio in football while earning all-league, all-county and All-NEO laurels in baseball. As a senior he was an all-league and all-district recipient on the diamond.
He was recently inducted into the Curbstone Coaches Hall of Fame and was a 2014 inductee into the National Semi-Pro Baseball Hall of Fame.
Jamie, who currently resides in Howland, is the father of three sons, Zachary, Brenton and Anthony.
