Reds' RBI Senior Spotlight: Emma Pennisi

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing the cancelation of all high school spring sports, local high school seniors were forced to deal with the abrupt reality that their prep careers were over. A group of these student-athletes were members of the Cincinnati Reds RBI program, many of whom were also regulars at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy over the years. With our Senior Spotlight Series, the Reds want to recognize these players for their efforts and wish them well in their future endeavors, both on and off the field.

Mount Notre Dame graduate Emma Pennisi will take a lot away from her Reds Youth Academy experience.

As important as playing softball is for the soon-to-be Ohio Wesleyan University student-athlete, teaching others proved to be the most memorable part of the Cincinnati RBI experience. She was a part of the program for three years, which included fulfilling 15 annual service hours.

But Pennisi didn’t see this as part of a checklist -- she viewed it as the perfect reason to do something she already wanted to do.

“I have always enjoyed doing community service,” she said. “Doing community service at the Academy introduced me to a different kind of service where I could use my softball experience to help others. It was really great to see the kids grow their love of the game. My experience at the Academy really allowed for my love of community service to grow.”

For Pennisi, the most notable of these instances was with the Reds Rookie Success League (RRSL). The Reds Community Fund offers ample opportunities for community service, and for 17 years, the RRSL served as one of the Reds Community Fund’s core programs. The coed, character-building, introductory baseball/softball camp featured a character-based curriculum and fundamental instruction from volunteer coaches.

In 2019, in what turned out to be the program’s final season, Pennisi had the opportunity to run the softball portion of the camp.

“I was really nervous in the weeks leading up to the camp since the kids would be following a schedule I made,” she said. “I went in really nervous, but at the end, I realized I was nervous for nothing. It was great seeing all the kids learn and have fun doing something I love. I felt proud at the end that I was able to use my knowledge of softball to teach others.”

While the chance to help others at the Academy this summer ended as abruptly as her final high school and RBI seasons, Pennisi does not plan to stop with her community service as she moves on to Ohio Wesleyan.

“I definitely will be continuing with community service in college,” she said. “When I was looking at colleges, I would always ask about their community service programs. I don’t know how much I will be able to do, but I still want to do service when I can.”

As Pennisi references, she will have a full schedule come fall. Being a full-time college athlete and college student is no simple task. But the Academy has helped prepare her for the challenges ahead.

“The Academy taught me to plan that something will go longer than it says,” Pennisi said. “If I plan for a practice or a homework assignment to take longer than needed, I won’t run out of time but end up with free time. It also taught me that there is always traffic and I need to plan for that, too. The Academy has made me be more realistic with planning my day around all my commitments.”

The former MND Cougar is confident that she can handle the workload at the next level, and rightfully so. But don’t just take it from her -- Pennisi’s coaches have nothing but positive words to say about her as a softball player and person.

“I have coached Emma the past couple of years in the high school age winter practice,” said Steve Burger, head coach of Cincinnati RBI 18U. “Emma filled in on my team for a couple of tournaments last year and was a member of my fall team that dominantly won the Halloween Tournament. What I know about Emma, she is fundamentally sound and works hard for continual improvement. Emma wants and does her best in every practice and game. Because of this, she is reaping the rewards by going on to play college ball. Emma is a good role model for the younger kids.”