STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Monsignor Farrell left-hander Joe Raimonda signed a National Letter of Intent to attend the University of Central Florida on a full athletic scholarship the Advance/SILive.com has learned.

Raimonda, who will be a three-year varsity player in the spring, was immediately impressed by the Division I school. The Knights compete in the Big 12 Conference.

“There was nothing I didn’t like about the school when I visited,” said the 6-foot-6 Raimonda of the Orlando, Fla., institution, according to a Farrell press release. “I loved the campus, facilities and the atmosphere.”

Raimonda will bring an impressive resume with him to head coach Rich Wallace at UCF. For starters, he led the Lions in strikeouts during each of his first two varsity seasons.

Last year, the southpaw boasted a 5-1 record with a 2.08 earned run average and 48 strikeouts.

What’s the secret to his success? Raimonda throws what Farrell head coach Bobby Mulligan refers to as a “wipe-out” slider. The long-time mentor also said the lefty sets up a nasty change-up with a fastball that’s consistently in the 90s.

Mulligan likens Raimonda to former Farrell star left-hander and current MLB free agent Tom Cosgrove.

In addition to being enamored with UCF’s campus life, Raimonda said he admired the strength of the Knights’ program and the fact they compete in the Big 12 Conference. UCF has finished over .500 for nine straight seasons.

In addition, Raimonda said he and his family feel extremely comfortable with UCF’s coaching staff.

“It was a great fit,” he admitted. “My family and I really appreciated how honest and nice the coaches were during the recruiting process.”

During a recent signing ceremony at the Oakwood school, Raimonda signed a few baseballs for some of his teammates. One of them asked him not to forget them when the baseball is ‘worth money someday.’

He had an appreciative response for his teammates.

“I will never forget the love and support that I have received along the way,’’ he said. ”I would not be here without my parents, coaches, teachers and teammates.

“I am honored that you are all here with me today.”