From JVs To Seton Hall Commit For D'Amico

Patrick D'Amico 3B / SS / St. John's, MA / 2021

LYNNFIELD, Ma. - After playing junior varsity ball as a high school sophomore, Patrick D’Amico had concerns about his college recruitment.

“I know I’m a pretty good baseball player but I didn’t think I’d have that much interest after playing JVs,” D’Amico admitted. “I thought you had to play varsity for three years.”

Batting just once and getting a hit when his school team St. John’s was up 15-0 was the only appearance D’Amico made during the 2020 campaign. But it didn’t stop colleges from showing an interest in the 60th-ranked junior in New England.

“I was playing in a tournament at the beginning of summer and I was invited to a camp,” D’Amico reflected about making a connection with Seton Hall, where he recently committed. “I visited the school and loved it. Two days later they gave me an offer and a day later I accepted it.

“I really didn’t expect to get an offer that early after playing JVs,” continued D’Amico, who lives five hours away from Seton Hall. “But I knew I had the talent to make my dream come true.”

Hard work played a vital role for D’Amico, who had also visited Boston College and had interest as well from UMass-Lowell, Maine and UMass-Amherst.

“I’ve lost 15 pounds since the beginning of the year and I feel I’ve gotten a lot quicker,” the 5-11 170-pounder said. “Every day after school I’d come home and run four miles on the treadmill and then do my workouts. I was surprised how fast I lost weight. Then I started hitting the gym to get more muscle. I’m a more versatile player now, I feel I can play anywhere.”

More improvement came at the plate.

“I’ve fixed my swing a lot,” D’Amico noted. “I’ve widened my stance and now I can hit it over the fence.”

That is an area of his game that stood out to Seton Hall.

“They like my hitting,” D’Amico said of the Big East Conference school. “They see me as a good athlete that’s going to grow and work hard.”