Rocco Baldelli looks on at a ceremony Wednesday at Bishop Hendricken High School, in Warwick, where his baseball and volleyball jersey numbers, above right, were retired.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

Rocco Baldelli, 25, with his mother, Michelle Baldelli, of Cumberland. Video highlights of his career were shown.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

Dan Baldelli, father of Rocco Baldelli, at Wednesday’s ceremony.

The Providence Journal / Connie Grosch

WARWICK — Rocco Daniel Baldelli was a standout physics student who tutored his classmates at Bishop Hendricken High School. He earned a 4.24 grade-point average and graduated in the top 10 percent of his class. His fundraising for his alma mater has paid for multiple scholarships.

But none of that helped him earn the honor bestowed on him Wednesday. For that, he just had to play baseball, and play it well.

For only the fifth time in the school’s 47-year history, Bishop Hendricken has retired a high school uniform, taking Baldelli’s number 22 out of circulation forever.

At an evening ceremony in the new Hendricken auditorium — attended by Baldelli’s former coach, Ed Holloway — school president Thomas Leto praised the former high school athlete for taking his skills all the way to the major leagues.

“If he was a real jerk and great baseball player, [it] probably still would have [been] retired,” said Paul Danesi, the school’s vice president for operations. “This is about athletics.”

Baldelli has long excelled at baseball. At Hendricken, he led his team to four consecutive state titles. In his last game, he hit two home runs at McCoy Stadium, in Pawtucket, propelling his team to a 12-1 victory that clinched his final championship.

After graduating, Baldelli accepted a scholarship to Wake Forest University, in North Carolina, but gave it up when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays selected him sixth in the 2000 draft and offered him a $2.25-million contract.

He debuted in the major leagues on March 31, 2003. Two years later, his career was stalled by poor health. Injuries to his left knee, right elbow and left hamstring made him miss the entire 2005 season and half of the 2006 campaign.

But the 25-year-old, Woonsocket-born center fielder has excelled since returning to uniform, batting .302 in 92 games in the 2006 season. His career batting average is up to .289.

“It’s a very selective company,” Danesi said of Hendricken alumni whose uniforms have been retired. “We have very stringent requirements.”

The other four honorees were Rob Gaudreau, a 1988 graduate who played hockey at Providence College and for four years in the National Hockey League; Stephen King, a 1987 graduate who played hockey at Brown University and for three seasons in the NHL; David Emma, a 1987 graduate who played hockey at Boston College and for five seasons in the NHL and was selected to the 1992 U.S. Olympic team; and Steve Furness, a 1967 graduate who played football at the University of Rhode Island and for 10 years in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

At the ceremony Wednesday, part of the school’s annual Open Alumni Night, Baldelli was also honored for leading Hendricken to a state title in volleyball. His former volleyball coach, Mike Harrington, described his career highlights, and the school then retired his volleyball jersey No. 12.

Though the ceremony was dedicated to Baldelli’s athletic success, Danesi said the school also celebrated Baldelli’s commitment to his alma mater.

Baldelli, who owns a house in in Cumberland, operates a charitable Web site, www.roccobaldelli.com, that sells autographed memorabilia to raise money for Hendricken.

His donations have helped senior Darren Bolden cover the school’s $8,650 tuition for the past two years, after Bolden’s father died during his sophomore year.

“Every opportunity Rocco has to speak about Bishop Hendricken,” Danesi said, “it’s always extremely positive.”