A native of Beaver Falls, Brian Omogrosso was a true all-around athlete at Blackhawk High School, where he lettered four years in baseball, three years in football, and three years in basketball. During the 2001-2002 school year, for his contributions in multiple sports, Brian was named the MSA Sports Male Athlete of the Year and NSN's Male Athlete of the Year.

Brian helped usher the Blackhawk basketball teams to back-to-back WPIAL title games and a championship win in 2000, playing power forward for legendary coach and Beaver County Sports Hall of Famer John Miller. Brian was also a critical member of Blackhawk's football team, where he was named to the MAC coaches All-Parkway team as a middle linebacker and tight end in 2001 and 2002.

But Brian's true passion was baseball. He was a pivotal member of Blackhawk's High School and American Legion teams that were Pennsylvania Region 8 Champions in 2000, 2001, and 2002, as well as WPIAL runners-up in 2002. During that time, Brian made back-to-back Pennsylvania East/West All-Star Games as a pitcher and first baseman. Brian helped lead two Blackhawk American Legion teams to back-to-back state runners-up and to compete nationally for countrywide gold. In 2001, Brian was named the American Legion's Most Outstanding Pitcher in the state of Pennsylvania. During his final two years at Blackhawk in the 2001 and 2002 seasons, Brian was 12-1 with a 1.03 ERA and 142 strikeouts in 87 innings, along with hitting .412 with 13 home runs and 52 RBIs.

From there, Brian played collegiately at Indiana State University, where he was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference teams in 2004 and 2006. In his final season at ISU, Brian broke the single season ERA record with a 1.53 ERA while pitching 40 consecutive scoreless innings. During that final season in 2006, the Missouri Valley Conference named Brian the Most Improved Player of the Year after coming back from Tommy John surgery, where he missed the entire 2005 year while recovering.

In 2006, Brian was drafted by the Chicago White Sox in the 6th round of the MLB Amateur Draft. He was assigned to the White Sox Low A Kannapolis Intimidators in North Carolina, where he began his professional career going 1-2 with a 3.19 ERA in 22 appearances. Brian went on to play for the Winston-Salem Warthogs, the Birmingham Barons, and the Charlotte Knights in the White Sox farm system. He was named a Southern League All-Star while in Birmingham as a reliever. Brian was promoted to the Majors in June 2012 and, in his rookie campaign for the White Sox, he posted a 2.57 ERA, while striking out 18 in 21 innings. In 2013, Brian spent a good portion of the season pitching out of the bullpen for the White Sox before having shoulder surgery, which ultimately ended his career.

Brian resides in Cranberry Township with his wife Rachael and their children: ten-year-old Ellie and seven-year-old Jax.

− Photo © Chicago White Sox / Ron Vesely