by David Moskowitz
2015 was a phenomenal season on a personal level for Nick Girardi of St. Joseph’s. He was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year and All-Long Island by Baseball on the Island. He hit .383 with a .455 OBP while driving in 23 runs. On the hill, he went 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and 27 K’s over 16.1 IP. He is one of the few two-way college players on Long Island.
Our reporter David Moskowitz had the chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say…
You had an outstanding year last year both at the plate and on the mound. It is very difficult to do one of those things well, let alone both. Please talk about the mindset and preparation you did to allow yourself to have such a great year.
I had and still have something to prove after transferring from a DI school and I always keep that in the back of my mind. Something that really helped me on the offensive side was the mindset Steve Springer discusses about having quality at-bats. I believe as a hitter you have to be locked in and timed up to the pitcher on deck and not worry so much about getting swings in. I honestly don’t think I came close to my potential on the mound last year. There is a lot more that I want to accomplish this year as a two-way player.
You were at a D-I school and transferred to a DIII. Not many college athletes do that. Why did you do it? How did you arrive at the decision to make the move?
I loved the allure of playing D-I and am grateful for the opportunities, work ethic, people, and knowledge I gained from that experience. Unfortunately I started turning more into a pitcher and less of a two-way player at Manhattan College. I grew up loving to hit and I wanted to put the bat down on my own terms not on somebody else’s. I knew that I wanted to continue hitting and I was lucky enough that my high school coach Rick Garrett got the job at St. Joseph’s College and that I was able to transfer there.
When you played at St. Dominic High School, you played for Rick Garrett and Paul Parsalano. What’s it like to play for your high school coaches at the college level? Are there any differences between how they ran the team when you played for them in high school versus now at st Joe’s?
It’s great to come into a new school already having a great relationship with both head coach Rick Garrett and pitching coach Paul Parsalano. During my time at St. Dominic High School, I used to always go to them if I needed anything and knew they were always there for me. It’s similar atmosphere at SJC, they keep it light with the understanding that your work needs to be done. Coach Garrett’s goal is to win ballgames and turn young adults into men who will have successful careers.
You train with Billy Rom at Prospect Sports. Please share what made you choose Billy as the guy to train you and enlighten our readers what exactly he brings to the table.
A little more than a year ago Billy took over the gym space and it is now called Superior Athletics. I would challenge anybody to find a better trainer than Bill Rom. Billy is one of smartest guys I have ever met. He has the rare quality of taking complex concepts and explaining them in simple terms. At Superior Athletics, he created an environment where athletes are constantly competing with each other while at the same time rooting for each other. He also takes the time to create a bond with each and every athlete that walks into Superior Athletics. Most of the athletes’ hangout hours after their lifts are over and even come in on off days to hangout. In addition to Billy being an outstanding trainer, he has become a friend and mentor to me. To him its not a typical 9-5 job, he is always in the gym educating himself and his staff. He is always asking athletes how he can make the gym better for them and their goals. Billy truly cares how each and every athlete performs on the field and is constantly available for his athletes off the field. Billy turned me from a baseball player flagged with an injury history into an athlete with zero limitations.
You are hoping to follow in the footsteps of Tim Ingram in that you want to be a drafted D-III pitcher. What do you think you need to do to prove you are worth drafting? Are you confident that you will be drafted?
I want to create my own path. With that being said, what Tim was able to accomplish last year by getting drafted is remarkable. It gives legitimacy to the Skyline Conference. He worked hard and proved everyone wrong by showing a D3 right handed pitcher from the northeast can not only get drafted, but dominate professional competition. All I need to do this year is pitch and win ball games. I am confident that my ability and hard work will create the opportunity to play professional baseball.
In addition to being a good athlete, you are also a good student. How do you balance the two? Any advice for the readers out there how to balance both?
The best advice I can give a student-athlete is to be self-aware of your academic abilities and time management skills. Once you have a rough idea how much time assignments from each class is going to take than you can plan accordingly. I really learned how to manage it all after my first semester and as a piece of advice to incoming freshman, make sure you take the time to excel in your first semester because it sets the tone for the next four years. A good recipe for success in a college setting is to attend every class, do the required textbook reading, and do all the homework. It’s almost a sure way to a 3.0 or better.
Personal and team goals for this season?
My personal goal is to be an All-American. But, more importantly I want to win a Skyline Championship and win a Regional with my team. We have all the pieces to the puzzle of a championship season; we just have to show that on the field.
Regardless of whether you get drafted and go on to play professionally or not, what are your long-term goals?
My dream my whole life is to get drafted and make it to the MLB. But, if I don’t get the opportunity to play professional baseball, I would like to work in financial services. Eventually I would love to own a facility developing youth and elite pitchers/hitters with an emphasis on injury prevention and performance.
