Season Preview: Eternally refining for baseball
As the old saying goes, “When winter turns to spring, there will be baseball.” Spring couldn't get here soon enough for the Hofstra baseball team.
Hofstra is surrounded by well-rounded teams in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) and coming onto the playing field, the Pride ranks ninth out of the 12 teams in the CAA preseason media poll.
The 2023 season was a hard couple of months for Hofstra baseball having come off their first CAA championship in program history in 2022. The Pride then had to defend their title, but the reigning champions had a bigger target on their back than they expected.
“We got off to a very slow start starting with Gulf Coast and then we headed over to Nevada,” said Hofstra head coach Frank Catalanotto. “Getting off to that slow start kind of hurt us a bit, and I feel like we finished the season strong. We also had a hard time throwing strikes, we gave too many teams free bases, and when you do that, you give up a lot of runs.”
The Pride finished 13-15 amongst their CAA opponents with a .500 overall record at 26-26, ranking in the bottom four of the conference.
Now in his third year as head coach, Catalanotto was very fond of what the bats did all last season despite the slow start and continues to build a fiery offense that has shown potential.
“I was happy with how we swung the bats,” Catalanotto said. “Our batting average at the end of the season was .305 and that’s an improvement from the previous year where we hit .270 or .275, so we improved on that.”
Moving into the offseason, the team had a big hole to fill, and it wasn't in the offense. Pitching is one of the most important aspects of the game and with the loss of starters Brad Camarda and Mark Faello, Hofstra must now reconfigure their starting rotation with a steady bullpen behind them.
“Through the transfer portal, we intend to pick up a few pitchers,” Catalanotto said.
Catalanotto surely kept his word as he added junior Matt Haggerty and freshmen Joseph Curreri, Nicholas Apollo and Tanner Sanderoff.
“We’re very pleasantly surprised with some of the younger guys that were here last year – the freshmen – that are going to take the next step,” Catalanotto said. “We think there are guys that are going to help us with that a bit, so we’re happy with that.”
But an extreme pause halted any further movement of their starting rotation as they learned that sophomore pitcher Sean Hamilton will be out for the season after having to undergo Tommy John surgery.
“We had high hopes for him, so that was a little bit of a disappointment,” Catalanotto said.
When pitching was already a question mark on the season, Hamilton's injury now puts a little more emphasis than expected on the Pride’s pitching inquiries moving forward.
In an unanticipated move, reliable bullpen piece Michael O’Hanlon will now be a part of the starting rotation. This move strengthens the pitching staff but now leaves a hole to fill in the back of the bullpen.
“He’s probably going to be our Friday or Saturday pitcher,” Catalanotto said.
The Pride will now look to graduate student Mike McKenna as the new closer for 2024 in O’Hanlon’s place.
“At the end of games, it’s probably gonna be Mike McKenna,” Catalanotto said. “He’s been throwing like 95-96 and coming off a Tommy John surgery he had in his first year, you are never really 100%. So, this year with more rehab and rest, he’s at 100%. He’s throwing hard and looks good.”
Catalanotto also mentioned Carlos Martinez as one of their reliable pitchers this season, now entering his sophomore year.
“He got his feet wet a little bit,” Catalanotto said. “But you could tell that he was young and needed some seasoning. He’s taken the next step, and I feel like he’s going to be that guy that we rely on quite a bit.”
Martinez pitched his way to a 12.83 ERA in his first season in 13.1 innings, striking out five batters and only walking nine in seven appearances for the Pride.
Tristan Nemjo will also be a significant piece for the coaching staff to add to the rotation after his junior season in 2023.
“He’s another guy we are going to rely on quite a bit,” Catalanotto said. “Nemjo improved from his sophomore season with a 6.13 ERA in 47.0 innings pitched. Nemjo struck out 34 batters and walked 11 in his 14 appearances throughout the season.
The starting rotation as of now is not set, a couple of weeks out of their first game. “Over next week, we’ll make that determination,” Catalanotto said. “I’m more optimistic about our starting rotation now than I was a few months ago.”
On the other side of the plate, another position was left unexpectedly vacant over the summer with former catcher Kevin Bruggeman signing with the Los Angeles Angels and making his way through the MLB system.
“Losing Bruggeman is huge,” Catalanotto said. “He was one of our best players last year and we’re happy that he moved on to play professional baseball. To fill those shoes, it's going to be tough. Last year he played almost every game, whereas this year it's going to be different.”
Hofstra also signed catcher Mike Dorcean, who will get many looks from behind the plate in 2024.
“Dorcean is a kid with a bunch of tools,” Catalanotto said. “He throws well and he’s got some power at the plate and he’s a good blocker at the plate.”
Dorcean played for the Coppin State University Eagles beginning in 2020 and collected a .283 batting average with 92 hits, 10 home runs and 65 RBIs. In 2023, he slugged a .264 average with 34 hits, 24 RBIs and only four home runs. Dorcean adds stability behind the plate with speed and a strong arm. Dorcean and junior Dom Camera will both share roles behind the plate.
The Pride also added a big piece with the bat and in the outfield with Alex McCoy. McCoy played for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in the Northeast Conference (NEC). McCoy towers over his teammates and opponents standing at 6 feet 6 inches tall and 260 pounds.
“He’s a dynamic player,” Catalanotto said. “He’s got a lot of speed so he’s going to steal a lot of bases and he’s got great power. We had to work on his swing when he first got here and made some adjustments and he’s been so good with those adjustments. I honestly expect him to have a huge year and hopefully, he gets drafted.”
McCoy slashed .253/.357/.347 in 2023 as a junior with seven doubles and three home runs. McCoy was also third on the team having 24 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.
Defensively, the Pride will look a little different than last year. Senior Steve Harrington will now be moved to right field, and graduate student Will Kennedy will play left. Junior Sean Lane will take over at first base with Harrington’s move. Center field is still up for grabs between junior Luke Masiuk and senior Matt Pelcher. The rest of the infield will include sophomore Dylan Palmer and graduate student Michael Florides up the middle at second and shortstop, respectively. Santino Rosso, another graduate student and one of the leaders for Hofstra, will now take over at third after playing at second for most of his career.
“It’s been great,” Rosso said. “I’ve played second base my whole career here. So, it took a little at the beginning to learn different footwork, but I love it there. Hopefully, I can go out there and have a great season, so I'm excited.”
Compared to other years, Rosso feels something different about this team, something he caught on to during the offseason.
“This year specifically, we’ve had a close team, which goes a long way in any sport,” Rosso said. Ever since coming back from break, we put our foot on the gas and make sure we get ready as the season gets closer. Our practices have been intense, and our chemistry is great, which is important this year.”
“I feel like this team is a very tight-knit team,” Catalanotto said. “More so than last year or the year before. They love being together, and they’ve got each other's back. They’re all on the same page and they’re always hanging out, so it does seem a little different. It’s a team that cares for each other.”
That tight-knit attitude will come in handy within the first month of the season. The Pride will start on the road for 13 games before they play a home game at University Field in Hempstead. Having the bad start they had last year, the possibility that 2024 has a similar outcome looms over the team.
“It’s tough being on the road for that long,” Catalanotto said. “Hopefully, we’ll get out of the cold weather here and we’ll be playing good teams, so we have to be prepared. Last year we struggled early on, and it almost felt like we weren’t ready. As the head coach, I've got to make sure that these guys are prepared and make sure they’re ready to go.”
Hofstra will make their season debut on Friday, Feb. 16 in Charlottesville, Virginia against the University of Virginia Cavaliers with the first pitch set for 3 p.m.
Photo courtesy of Alexis Friedman/Hofstra Athletics
