Steve Harrington with a walk-off HR in a 7-6 victory for Hofstra ! pic.twitter.com/r7tJHFgMqA
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 2, 2022
There are not many better feelings in the world than proving people wrong.
Hofstra was picked to finish ninth in the preseason CAA coaches poll. On May 29 in the CAA Championship, they defeated Northeastern, 7-6, in walk-off fashion on a hit by pitch by Ryan Morash to score Brian Morrell. It was a truly stunning finish considering they had never won a conference championship in the program’s history and they won all four games by one-run including three walk-off wins.
Despite losing both games in the regionals, the program is still riding high off the momentum from that CAA Championship. Perhaps no school in the country can boast that they have a head coach that has 14 years of Major League experience, and has brought not just one, but two different schools on cinderella runs.
Frank Catalanotto experienced a similar rapid ascension when he took over New York Tech and brought the Bears to the Division-II College World Series in 2019. The program had been stagnant and suffered through a poor 2018 season as a Division-II program in the ECC. Under the guidance of Frank Catalanotto and his assistants, Chris Rojas and Jimmy Goelz, they made a miraculous run – running through the East Regional at Adelphi and defeating powerhouse Southern New Hampshire in the Super Regionals before losing in the College World Series. COVID ended their 2020 season prematurely and then in August 2020, NYIT announced it would be suspending its athletic activities for at least two seasons.
Fast forward to the summer of 2021, and Hofstra announced they had hired Catalanotto to be their 15th head coach in program history. Even the most optimistic Hofstra fan couldn’t have expected such a quick turnaround. Hofstra has the inherent disadvantage of playing in the extremely competitive CAA against some high-octane teams like Elon, UNC-Wilmington, Northeastern, Charleston, William & Mary, James Madison and Delaware.
They did not simply compete, they thrived and achieved 30 wins for the second time in program history (first in 10 years). As the season went on, it became increasingly apparent that they could play with anyone.
“It was a magical run,” said Catalanotto. “You go to the championship and nobody is thinking you will pose much of a threat. But we had three walk-off wins and all four games were decided by one-run. We just didn’t give up. Every time we gave up runs, we just answered back,” he said.
Armed with the swagger of a championship winning club, Hofstra enters 2023 as the hunted instead of the hunters. Catalanotto acknowledged it’s a bit different being the team with the target on your back.
Don’t be fooled, though, and think they aren’t confident.
“The attitude is totally different than a year ago – they expect to win. They know what to do and what to expect. I don’t have to yell and scream at practice. The practices run like a machine,” he added.
A knew wrinkle this year is the addition of a local rival into the CAA. Stony Brook University is now in the CAA and Catalanotto is excited for the possibilities.
“I love it,” he said. “I hope it forms some sort of rivalry. Those games means a lot. We are trying to prove we are the best team on Long Island and in New York. Whether we go there or they come here – the trip is close. I’m looking forward to it.”
The Pride were the definition of a team last year. They had contributions up-and-down the roster. One player that truly stood out was Brian Morrell. The Shoreham-Wading River graduate transferred over from St. John’s after beginning his collegiate career at Notre Dame as a pitcher. If you’ve been following us from the beginning, you are certainly familiar with Morrell. The two-time Carl Yastrzemski Award winner was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2017 draft as a pitcher but opted to attend college. After getting Tommy John, he transitioned to the outfield where he quickly became the biggest offensive threat in the Pride lineup. He enjoyed a career renaissance in 2022 and was outstanding. He was their only player to hit over .300 (.346) and have an OPS over .900 (.958).
They had a number of other quality players. Catcher Kevin Bruggeman batted .293, hit 7 home runs with an .827 OPS. Catalanotto noted he will hit in the middle of the order and he will play a critical role in handling their pitching staff. He caught 46 games last season. They also brought in talented catcher Dom Camera, who transferred from George Washington and played for coach Jimmy Goelz at St. Dominic HS.
Mikey Florides, who has found a home at Hofstra after attending Boston College and Felician, has had a huge impact at SS pic.twitter.com/kuY8lHmaBL
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 6, 2022
Coach stated that their strength is defense. A big reason for that is the double play duo of Santino Rosso and Mikey Florides. They played a big part in their run prevention and they will be counting on that once again. In CF, they return Anthony D’Onofrio who was a three-time Long Island Champ at Wantagh and the definition of a winning player. He plays with reckless abandon and a win-at-all costs mentality. While his numbers were down offensively last year, they will be looking for a bounce back season from him.
Hofstra CF Anthony D’Onofrio (Wantagh 2018) getting his swings in. He slashed .407/.508/.519 over 54 at bats in 2020 and won the Diamond Award in 2018 given to the top hitter in Nassau County pic.twitter.com/rMkRhoVMd8
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) December 18, 2020
Will Kennedy was batting well over .300 before he crashed into the outfield wall and separated his shoulder. He came back and hit a huge HR in the CAA Championship. He finished with a .331 AVG over 130 ABs. He will man LF and bat towards the top of the order. His presence is important for the Pride.
The pitching staff will have to replace Brad Camarda, who led the staff in innings (95.1), wins (8), ERA (3.87) and strikeouts (76). They will be leaning on Mark Faello to step into that role and anchor the staff along with John Mikolaicyk. They have a number of potential candidates to get big outs for them. One thing that really changed last year was their abundance of quality arms to get big outs whereas in years past they relied on a couple of pitchers to carry the load.
As far as new players, Catalanotto mentioned freshmen RHPs Sean Hamilton and Carlos Martinez as two guys that could potentially help right away. That is high praise from the former big leaguer. They also brought in a couple transfer pitchers such as Brian Hart (Stony Brook) and Cade Henry (South Alabama) who could help. One X-Factor is senior LHP Ryan Rue. He missed all of last season due to an injury so this coaching staff has yet to see him, but he’s a hard-throwing southpaw with experience at this level.
Hofstra sophomore LHP Ryan Rue showing fluid mechanics and sitting 88-89 MPH pic.twitter.com/GJ2ktxH43z
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) January 24, 2020
The Pride open up their 2023 season at Florida Gulf Coast in February. They will look to continue the incredible momentum that they have built up. Make sure to head out to University Field this spring if you’d like to watch some high-quality baseball.
