DiRito Ready To Make Impact At Hartford

PLYMOUTH, Ma. - An older brought the drive needed for Nick DiRito to take his game to the next level. The Catholic Memorial junior is now a Hartford commit.

“When I was in junior high school my brother inspired me to take the next step,” DeRito said about his older sibling Andrew, who went on to play baseball at Dean College. “He constantly helped my game, working with me in the cages and on defense. He also really got me into lifting. He said if you want to play college baseball at the D-I level you’ve got to get lifting. He took me under his wings and really helped me out.”

Interest from Hartford picked up in late summer, eventually leading to an offer and commitment to the America East Conference school.

“I went to the Simsbury Camp with PBR and they saw me there,” DiRito noted about the showcase in August. “They also watched me live-stream at the Fall Top Prospect Games with PBR. They couldn’t come see me, so seeing me there (on live stream) was huge.”

The 6-1 180-pound shortstop/right-handed pitcher made an impression.

“They love my attitude,” DiRito said. “They like how I work hard and want to win. They like how I command the zone and use all my pitches. They also love my bat and how I play the game.” 

The 17-year-old found what he was looking for with Hartford.

“I really love the staff,” DiRito related. “They have a winning program and the coaching staff is all about the players and development. I love how the staff approaches things and how the program is run.”

The opportunity to be a two-way player helped make the college decision easier.

“That definitely was very important,” DiRito admitted. “It’s always been a goal of mine to pitch and play middle infield since I was a little kid. All the colleges I talked with were two-way.”

University of Maryland Baltimore County, Fairfield and Merrimack were others being considered by the Catholic Memorial 2022.

“It was a lot more stressful that I thought it would be,” DiRito said about the recruiting process. “I talked with Hartford my freshman year but nothing serious. With Covid, my sophomore year was cancelled. September first of this year things kind of took off. I wanted to commit by the end of fall, that was a goal and luckily it happened.”

Improvement helped the cause.

“On the pitching side I worked on making my offspeed better, locating my change and making it look like my fastball,” DiRito explained. “I also worked on a slider and getting my fastball velo up.

“Hitting wise, I’ve worked on consistently hitting the ball hard. Good pitch selection is the key. Defensively, I’m trying to be smooth, know where I’m going with the ball and being smart.”

In addition to his older brother, DiRito had others he pointed to that have been influential.

“My whole family has helped, traveling with me to games and being there at all the games,” DeRito said. “My dad is the one who initially said to try baseball. He was always out there playing catch with me in the yard. The whole family helped me achieve my goal.”

With a commitment comes relief for DiRito, who carries a 3.5 GPA and is looking at a major in business at Hartford.

“I’m kind of in shock,” DiRito admitted. “I can’t believe it’s all over but it’s an amazing feeling.”

Once at Hartford, which is close to two-and-a-half hours from his Plymouth home, DiRito sees the potential to play a major role.

“I think of myself as a great teammate,” DiRito said. “I’ll bring good competitiveness and a winning attitude. Hartford always wins, so I’ll fit right in. My goal is to help in any way I can as a freshman. I want to make an impact when I step on campus.”