Friends described Christopher Raspanti as a great friend and a baseball lover who was "always there for you."

Raspanti died yesterday after the third floor of his house at 500 E. Beaver Ave., which he occupied with four roommates caught fire.

Kyle Fetch (junior-telecommunications) said Raspanti has been one of his best friends at Penn State for the past year. Fetch said he met Raspanti after transferring from the Hazleton Campus.

"We'd always go out to bars together and hang out together," he said. "I wish I could have known him longer."

Fetch said Raspanti was a fan of Philadelphia sports and he loved baseball.

"He was a big Phillies fan, he went down there opening day," he said. "He bought two seats from the old [Veterans] stadium, that's how much he enjoyed Philadelphia sports."

Raspanti always had time for his friends and everybody enjoyed his company, Fetch said.

"He'd always stop and talk to you and have something nice to say," Fetch said. "He loved being around people and people had a great time around him."

Kate McCormick (junior-philosophy) said she lived down the street from Raspanti and went to Pennsbury High School with him.

"We've been best friends since ninth grade," she said. "He was the perfect friend; he was always fun and happy. He always made everything exciting."

McCormick said Raspanti went to classes in the morning and worked as a chef in the Corner Room, 100 W. College Ave., in the afternoons and evenings.

"He was one of the smartest kids I know," she said. "He worked 40 hours a week and still had more fun than anyone. He still managed to have one of the toughest majors at Penn State, electrical engineering, and he planned to graduate a semester early."

Corner Room manager Melissa Calvanese said Raspanti was popular with the staff.

"He was loved by the staff and he will be greatly missed," she said.

Lindsay Buehler (sophomore-elementary education) said she was a friend of Raspanti's in high school.

"He was a great kid, a lot of fun to be around. He was a widely-liked guy," she said. "He always had an energetic, welcoming personality."

Buehler said her family and Raspanti's were friends in their hometown, near Philadelphia.

"We lived in the same town and our families were friends through sports," she said. "He definitely liked baseball. I met him originally through Little League baseball."

McCormick said Raspanti organized a Wiffle Ball tournament in a field adjacent to the house on Beaver Avenue.

"Any sunny day they were out there, playing Wiffle Ball," she said. "[The tournament] was huge, he had about 16 teams."

Marielle Russack (sophomore-art education) said Raspanti was a great friend.

"I loved him, and everyone loved him; he was just so amazing," she said.

Lauren McFadden (junior-public relations) said she remembered that Raspanti enjoyed the warm weather and having fun.

"I remember him all first semester, he'd sleep outside on his couch when it was warm," she said.

Penn State President Graham Spanier released a statement about the incident yesterday, requesting that the Penn State community provide support to the Raspanti family.

"The Penn State family has experienced a tragedy with the death of Christopher Raspanti in a fire that destroyed the house in which he and his roommates lived," Spanier wrote. "Our heartfelt condolences have been extended to Christopher's family."