Dowling
Michael Rizzitello on His First Year in Pro Ball
(Editor’s Note: Michael Rizzitello is a 2012 graduate of Connetquot HS and 2016 graduate of Dowling College. He was named to our All-Long Island team last year and he participated in our Battle of the Border. He is currently playing professional ball in the Pacific Association. The following words are his own.) The hardest part about playing the game of baseball is knowing when to hang it up–something that I thought I would have to do at the end of my senior season of college baseball. It was January of 2017 when I was trying to figure out where I would shift my attention to, now that baseball didn’t consume my life. Let me tell you something, I have never been so miserable. I knew that I couldn’t play forever, but I didn’t think it would end so soon. One night, after a long da...
Tyler Badamo Reflects on 2015
Tyler Badamo led the Dowling Golden Lions to within one game of the College World Series in 2014. His numbers were eye popping–9-3 record, 0.83 ERA, 108.1 IP, 129 Ks (led the nation and set a program record) with an opponent batting average of .197. Less than a month later he was selected by the New York Mets and assigned to the Gulf Coast League. He pitched to a 1.74 ERA over 31.0 IP. This season he was assigned to the Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York Penn League. He was victimized by some poor run support–he went 5-6 with a 3.10 ERA over 81.1 IP. He struck out 66 and compiled a terrific 1.02 WHIP. Ever the competitor, Badamo will be looking to advance through the minor leagues and join the already-stacked rotation of the Mets. Earlier in the year you said you were excited to...
