With older brother Brian - Penn basketball's senior captain - about to suit up at the Palestra for the final time, you might think Tom Grandieri would have some substantial shoes to fill as the only sibling left wearing Red and Blue.
They're actually cleats.
After transferring from Villanova before his sophomore year last fall, the younger Grandieri hopes to make his own mark for the Quakers on the baseball diamond this spring.
Of course, having a semi-celebrity relative on campus has made the adjustment to West Philly more than manageable.
"It's been a little too easy," he said. "Brian helped me out early because I didn't know too many people."
Brian played a key role as a go-between for his brother and Penn baseball coach John Cole.
Cole said that he had heard "through the grapevine" that Grandieri was considering leaving Villanova, but, per NCAA rules, could not communicate with Tom directly.
Tom's coach from Malvern Prep in Media, Pa. - where the Grandieri brothers were once high-school basketball teammates - was also influential in communicating with Cole.
"I saw Tommy play in high school," Cole said. "We would have liked to recruit him, but he was getting some scholarship interest. He plays aggressively, plays with a lot of energy."
"Everybody was very fond of Tom here, but it was just one of those unfortunate things," Villanova coach Joe Godri said of Grandieri's transfer. He added that it was "no surprise" to see Grandieri go but declined to comment further.
While at Villanova, Tom was a threat as an outfielder and as a reliever in limited playing tine. He batted .290 in scant plate appearances and posted a solid 2.35 earned run average in 7.2 innings of relief.
"I thought Tom's future was as a pitcher," Godri said. "He's a classic left-hander. He's got a herky-jerky motion, good velocity, good breaking stuff."
Grandieri fills a pressing need in the Quakers' bullpen as the only lefty reliever. A southpaw like his brother, his swing is suited to the short right field fence at Meiklejohn Stadium.
After years of brotherly support for Brian at the Palestra, Tom expects to have at least one fan on hand to watch him aim for the Meiklejohn bleachers.
"I've been to all his games other than the Ivy League games on the road," he said. "He didn't come to any last year at Villanova, but now he shouldn't have any excuses."
Brian, for his part, seems willing to reciprocate.
"I love watching baseball," he said. "Especially once basketball's over with, it'll definitely give me something to do on the weekends."
