JJ Gatti capped a great 2021 season with his recent college commitment to the University of Dayton. The college, which is located in Ohio, competes in the Atlantic-10 conference and reached the conference championship this past season and also the last full season in 2019. Gatti is a a talented RHP that helped lead Chaminade to the CHSAA Championship this season in a sweep over Kellenberg. He will enter the season as one of the favorites to capture the Pitcher of the Year.
I had a chance to speak with him and here’s what he had to say…
Can you talk about your experience with the college recruiting process and why you chose Dayton?
My college recruiting process was filled with many ups and downs as I’m sure goes for most people. I had went from being on nobody’s radar last year to many school’s this year, mainly due to my increase in velocity. Dayton in the end seemed like the perfect fit for me. They have a great coaching staff and a very nice campus, combined with awesome facilities, and the real feel that you are at a Division-I school.
Who are some people who have had a big impact on your career?
Many coaches have made a lasting impact on my career, such as Shaun Manning, Joey Tracy, Coach Jim Bailin, Anthony Papa and Bobby DeMichael. Next Level had a great P3 Program for our pitchers, and many coaches such as John Lynch and Joe Romero helped me a lot. Other then that, my mom has been my biggest supporter. She has done a fantastic job supporting me on her own for all of high school. I couldn’t be in this position without her.
Favorite players in Major League Baseball?
My favorite players are Tyler Glasnow and Jacob deGrom because I love watching how smooth their deliveries are. I also like Luis Castillo because I use his changeup grip.
What was it like winning the CHSAA title this year? Did you guys know that was your ceiling? Talk a little about the guys on the team and also the atmosphere of the championship?
We had been talking about winning the championship since freshman year when we saw the amount of talent we had. We’ve always had great pitching and defense, but this year we really clicked as a group and started raking during the St. Dominic series. Guys like Brian Heckelman, Brady Steinert, Nolan Nawrocki and Tyler Burke really picked up the offense and we knew we had a championship run coming. The atmosphere of being in our dugout was crazy, the group was always electric and we rallied off of each other. We have something special coming this year too, as we only graduated two starters and have a very strong junior class.
What do you want to work on this off-season?
My main focus of training this off-season will be to increase my size while also working on my mobility. One of the biggest things for my development has been getting bigger and stronger in the weight room, and I’m very excited for this off-season.
Favorite type of food?
My favorite food is Chipotle. Bowl or burrito.
Favorite place to get a slice of pizza?
Gino’s of Rockville Centre Sicilian Slice.
Favorite app on your phone?
Any superstitions?
I treat my pre-start warmup pretty superstitiously. I always go through my active movement and stretching, j-bands, plyo balls, long toss, and bullpen. After that, I drink a bang energy.
One teammate that you absolutely could not be quarantined with?
One person that I couldn’t be quarantined with is my Next Level teammate Kenny Hirschfeld. I think you just have to know him to know why.
