In 2022, Hofstra experienced a magical run in the Conference Tournament to capture their first CAA Championship in the program’s 86-year history. It was a remarkable Cinderella story, as the Pride not only entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed, but won all four games by one-run with 3 walk-offs. Additionally, they were in their first year under Head Coach Frank Catalanotto, and they were coming off a 17-win season.
Since then, they have been unable to match that level of success in the ultra-competitive CAA.
In 2023, the Pride missed the postseason but last season they qualified and won their first game against No. 3 Northeastern prior to losing their next two against No. 1 Charleston and No. 5 William & Mary.
I spoke with Coach Catalanotto at last week’s Fall World Series about their team and he provided some great insight beginning with the departures from 2024.
Their biggest challenge will be replacing some of the production from last year’s seniors. Steve Harrington was an All-CAA selection at 1st and provided stability in the middle of the lineup. He batted .327 with a strong .902 OPS thanks to 7 HRs.
“He’s a good lefty bat. He really had a good idea how to hit and how pitchers would attack him. The mental part of the game came easy to him – he was always a step ahead of pitchers. He played really well at first base too.”
Although he was only with the team for one season, Alex McCoy made his impact on the program. The 6’6 CF had a monster season after transferring from Maryland Eastern Shores. He batted .306 with 11 HRs and 44 RBIs over 56 games with 22 SBs. He was a great example of the modern era of college baseball how a team can utilize the transfer portal to plug-and-play an experienced player.
“He didn’t have the baseball IQ when he came here. Everything that we taught him, he was hearing it for the first time. He was very raw. But the sky is the limit for him. If he puts it all together he’s an Aaron Judge type of player. Obviously, Judge is an All Star at the big league level but if he figures it out he has the size and speed combo to go very far in this game as long as he continues to learn. He made a lot of mistakes due to his inexperience but he’s a great kid and he dealt with failure really good. He’s a tireless worker – an extremely hard worker.”
Hofstra OF Alex McCoy will sign free agent deal with San Diego Padres. The 6’6 Baltimore native had a huge season for the Pride compiling a slash line of .306/.384/.509 with 11 HRs and 44 RBIs over 56 games pic.twitter.com/IR2jsnaDdr
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 17, 2024
They graduated Santino Rosso who finished his Hofstra career with a .295 AVG over 197 games played. He slugged 19 homers and drove in 133 runs over 764 ABs.
“Santino is a true gamer,” said Catalanotto. “He loves the game more than anyone. He is trying to play pro ball now. Defensively, he was lights out for us. He had a really solid season. He was in the middle of the lineup. He was in the program for a while. He will be missed greatly.”
They also graduated OF Will Kennedy who is a 2019 graduate of Smithtown East. The 6’4 slugger drove in 37 runs over 56 games. He was named to the All-CAA Championship team in 2022.
On the mound, they graduated Michael O’Hanlon, who led the team with 92.1 innings and 7 wins. He was second with 81 strikeouts.
“Mike was the heart & soul of our pitching staff. He was a bulldog on the mound. He was basically hurt all year but didn’t miss any time – he’s had a couple of surgeries since then. He was a reliever his first two years and moved to the rotation. He will be missed.”
As far as the returning players, there is no question that their most significant player is Dylan Palmer. He is coming off a remarkable season in which he batted .386 with 93 hits, 49 runs scored and 27 stolen bases in 30 attempts. He has garnered plenty of draft interest and is expected to go in the top 5 rounds.
“He’s a top of the order hitter and ignites our lineup. He has a high motor and is always one step ahead. Good bat-to-ball guy that has a good idea of how he’ll be pitched. He has great speed and causes havoc on the bases. Can always put him in the outfield or second base and he”ll play well. Just a really good baseball player. Can’t teach some of the things he does. He’s a leader of the team.”
They also return 1B Sean Lane. The St. Dominic grad had a previous stop at Maryland and was on the team in 2024.
“He’s a big strong kid, we’ve seen him hit 4 or 5 homers this fall in games. He was hurt last year and his swing didn’t look that good. We are excited about the project of him hitting homers.”
Matt Pelcher had an outstanding season, he batted .335 with an .809 OPS over 49 games. He drove in 30 runs and had 4 hits in their postseason win against Northeastern. He is a fifth year senior.
On the mound, they did suffer a massive blow with ace Carlos Martinez undergoing Tommy John surgery last week. He led the team in ERA (4.02) and strikeouts (95) while finishing second in wins (6) and innings pitched (78.1). Martinez pitched in their Fall World Series, his fastball sat in the low to mid 90s and has a hellacious slider. He was untouchable. They’ll hope for a full recovery and a return to the mound for the 2026 season.
Despite the loss, Catalanotto is high on their pitching staff.
“I’d say the strength of the team is out pitching – and that’s the first time I can say that. We have some low 90s guys, It stinks Carlos won’t be with us but we have some returning pitchers and transfers that throw strikes. We did lose a lot offensively that helped us out, though.”
Coach mentioned a few pitchers that he expects to play key roles on the mound. He cited Christian Rasmussen, Chris Bedford, Branden Brown and Jackson Bauer as pitchers that he has been impressed with in the fall. Additionally, they have Rocky Point grad Sean Hamilton returning from Tommy John and Coach noted that they are hoping that “he fills that void left by Martinez.”
As for position players, they have a few newcomers as well.
6’4 LHP Jackson Bauer on the mound for Hofstra in their fall World Series. He is a transfer from CCBC Catonsville pic.twitter.com/aqKzzyn5dd
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) October 30, 2024
Our audience is surely familiar with the name Tyler Cox from his outstanding high school career at Clarke. He captured the Axcess Silver Slugger Award and the Diamond Award back in 2021 before heading to West Virginia for his first two college seasons. He is back home and Coach Catalanotto said he has a shot to start in the fall. Coach noted he possesses power and he didn’t get an opportunity at his previous stop.
Tyler Cox rips a 2RBI double down the left field line to give Clarke a 3-1 lead in the top of the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/dhMZlv4Oeu
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2019
A few other players are catcher CJ Griggs, 2B Jake Harring and infielder Tyler Castrataro. He noted that they all have a shot to see playing time and mentioned Griggs is a catcher that he “really likes how he hits.”
They will open up their season at No. 1 Tennessee and will face No. 3 Kentucky the third week. Obviously, a massive challenge.
“We have a tough schedule – it’ll be a challenge right off the bat. The kids like going to the big-time programs, we like bringing them there. We will see some very good pitching and we are excited to see these places. Will get a feel for the best of the best.”
