Oct. 28, 2011

Ciancola of Rhode Island passes away

Rhode Island right-hander Joe Ciancola died on Thursday afternoon after a medical emergency during a team conditioning workout earlier in the week. The cause of death has not been determined.

According to Rhode Island, Ciancola, 20, was stricken during a workout on Monday, Oct. 24. He was taken to South County Hospital in South Kingstown, R.I. Ciancola was later moved to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, where he passed away.

According to reports, Ciancola played baseball and hockey at Amity High School in Connecticut, graduating in 2010. He originally signed with Winthrop, but transferred to URI and sat out his freshman year.

Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn released the following statement:

"It is a tragedy any time you lose someone close to you, and even more so when it is a member of your family. Joe was and will continue to be a part of the University of Rhode Island Athletics family. On behalf of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators, I want to express our profound sadness for Joe's passing. Our deepest sympathies go out to his family and many friends. We mourn his loss and offer our thoughts and prayers to those closest with him."

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Ciancola family as well as the URI community.