This weekend was filled with positive experiences for many people down in the WWBA Underclass World Championship in Fort Myers. For Massapequa catcher Nick Schwartz, it was potentially life changing as he gave his verbal commitment to one of the best baseball programs in all of the nation; St. John’s University. They are coming off a 42-13 season in which they made an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
Schwartz spoke with Vinny Messana about his decision and here’s what he had to say…
Talk a little about your experience with the college recruiting process and how you wound up committing to St. John’s…
The college recruiting process with St. John’s started last year when I went to their mini camp for the first time. After the mini camp, the coaches became interested in me and started following me. The following year I returned to the St. John’s mini camp again. I sent out emails to the coaching staff to show my interest in the school and in September of 2017 I received a phone call from Coach Hampton indicating they were interested in me and would like me to come for a visit. I went with my parents on a tour of the school and knew that’s where I wanted to be. Soon thereafter I was in communication with the coaches and a dialogue continued. On October 8th, while in Fort Myers, Florida, I received a phone call from Coach Hampton informing me of their interest in me and how they would love for me to become a “Johnny”. And on that phone call my commitment was made!
Who are some influential people in your life?
My parents have been a big influence, always encouraging me to never give up and to follow my dreams, along with my two sisters; Kayla and Gianna. My hitting coach, Matt Donofrio, has impacted me over the last nine years by always giving me the confidence I needed to succeed with my skills to the best of my ability. He always believed in me and said that I would be successful in my baseball career.
Who are some athletes you look up to?
Two athletes I look up to are Yadier Molina and Jose Altuve.
2017 was an amazing season for Massapequa. Talk about that team and that experience…
The Massapequa season all started at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Florida. From there we all continued to grow and bond as a team. We all knew each other so well we were like a huge family. Soon enough, we became Long Island Champions bringing us to States, where unfortunately we lost in the championship game, but still an amazing experience.
What are your goals for 2018?
One huge goal would be to make a huge impact on my high school team bringing us back to receive the title we deserve
St. John’s established themselves as the premier program in the region this past season. What do you know about the history over there?
The history all starts with the Hall of Fame Coach, Coach Blankmeyer. Coach Blankmeyer has lead the team to many victories, including 3 Big East regular season championships and 3 Big East tournament championships.
