A 19-year-old college baseball player died in a tragic car crash in Virginia just four days after making his NCAA debut.
Radford shortstop Joey Raccuia was involved in a single-car accident on Wednesday just miles from the school’s baseball stadium. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to multiple reports.
The circumstances surrounding the tragedy are not entirely clear. Radford police are asking for anyone with information about the crash on East Main Street to call Captain J.L. Slaughter at 540-267-3711.
A Radford native, Raccuia is the son and namesake of a former Highlanders baseball coach and player.
‘We are heartbroken to share news of the passing of Joey Raccuia,’ read a Thursday post on the Radford baseball Instagram account. ‘Joey’s impact on our team, this community and all the lives he touched went far beyond the playing field, and we miss him deeply.’
The Highlanders honored their fallen teammate with a walk-off comeback win over visiting Bryant on Friday – a victory current Radford coach Alex Guerra dedicated to Raccuia.
Radford shortstop Joey Raccuia was involved in a single-car accident on Wednesday just miles from the school’s baseball stadium. He was pronounced dead at the scene
Raccuia is the son and namesake of a former Highlanders baseball coach and player
‘[Raccuia] was clearly with us today,’ Guerra told Radford Athletics. ‘There’s absolutely no question about it. If you don’t believe in a higher power, you better start believing after that. It was fate.’
Trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth, Radford tied the game on a hit batsman before catcher Brady Whitacre ripped the game-winning RBI single for the 5-4 victory.
‘We knew before the game, no matter how it went, we were going to stick together,’ Whitacre told Radford Athletics. ‘We had the conversation too of “What would Joey want to do?” Joey would want to go out and play.’
The school has been in mourning since the young Raccuia’s death, with many students and local residents offering thoughts and prayers online.
‘Dear Highlander Family,’ read a message vice president of student affairs Susan Trageser to the Radford community. ‘It is with deep sadness that I share news of the death of Joey Raccuia, a first-year student at Radford. We are heartbroken by his passing yesterday and extend our condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.’
Trageser encouraged grieving students to reach out for counselling services.
Raccuia trained at Virginia’s PDG Academy and his father now works as a scout and player development staff member for the Kansas City Royals. The younger Raccuia appeared in two games for the Highlanders this season.
