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Frank Catalanotto on NYIT suspending baseball for 2 years: It 'blindsided everyone'
By Gregg Sarra
Updated August 22, 2020
New York Institute of Technology’s decision to terminate its athletic program for the next two years hit baseball coach Frank Catalanotto hard.
College president Henry C. Foley announced Thursday that the school would not compete in the East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II for two years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the costs as a major factor in the decision.
“We had no idea. The announcement completely blindsided everyone,” said Catalanotto, who led the Bears to the Division II College World Series in his first season in 2019. “I’m very angry, but I don’t know who to be angry at. This was handled so poorly. The coaches and players should have been told sooner and given the opportunity to figure out what they wanted to do with their careers. This is way too late in the process.”
A once-proud baseball program had fallen on hard times before Catalonotto was brought in for the 2019 season. He delivered, winning a program-record 37 games and a berth in the Division II World Series.
“We brought in an excellent coaching staff, people who gave up other jobs to buy into my vision of what this program could be,” Catalanotto said. “We worked very hard to recruit players to attend this college, play in the Northeast, and be a part of a special baseball program. I love coaching and I want to continue to coach.”
Jim Goelz left as head coach at St. Dominic High School and brought pitching coach Chris Rojas with him to build the Bears’ staff with Catalanotto, his best friend.
Catalanotto had his sights set on a return to the College World Series in 2020. That was before the pandemic shut down college sports on March 13.
The Bears struggled in Division I play from 2012-17 (composite 55-231-1, .193) and dropped to Division II for 2018, finishing 13-25-1. Catalanotto then took over the program and compiled a 37-16 record in winning the ECC championship. It was the second-largest turnaround in Division II baseball history.
The Bears started 9-5 in 2020 and had just finished a 12-1 win over Felician College in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 13 when they were told they were going home.
“We had a championship-caliber team,” said Catalanotto, a native of Smithtown who played 14 years in the major leagues. “Now we’re dismantling what we were building and scrambling to get these kids placed in other programs. It’s absolutely devastating.”
In his statement Thursday, Foley said the school will honor all athletic scholarships. There are 12 teams and nearly 250 student-athletes enrolled at New York Tech. The school will still offer club and intramural sports, and keep its esports club team, the CyBears, active.
Christian Marinelli, a sophomore on the NYIT cross country team and a graduate of East Meadow HS, was upset that tuition and fees were due prior to the school’s announcement.
“The athletic department was like our family and they took that away from us,” Marinelli said. “The administration’s rushed announcement to cancel all sports for two years was bereft of any input from stakeholders at the college. The announcement was delivered by a ‘tweet’ sent out by the school president’s Twitter account . . .
“They were signing incoming student-athletes the day before the announcement ... What is most noteworthy is that this announcement occurred exactly two weeks after the deadline to pay tuition. I find it highly unlikely that this decision was made in less than two weeks.”
NYIT outfielder EJ Cumbo, a redshirt sophomore, had plenty to think about on his 24-hour drive home from North Dakota to East Meadow on Friday. The ECC and ECAC Player of the Year was playing in the Northwoods Collegiate League this summer.
“I’m driving home alone and all I’m thinking about is all the great memories of our championship run,” Cumbo said. “The last 24 hours have been nuts. I love Cat and the coaching staff. We were his first team and he turned the program around in less than six months and that’s special. I spoke with coach Goelz and he only found out an hour before the announcement.”
Cumbo, a draft prospect, accepted a full scholarship to play for top-ranked University of Tampa, the defending NCAA champion. He leaves Wednesday for school. “Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
That wasn’t the case at NYIT. “We all lost our jobs,” Catalanotto said. “These coaches need to provide for their families and put food on the table. This was brutal.”
By Gregg Sarra
Updated August 22, 2020
New York Institute of Technology’s decision to terminate its athletic program for the next two years hit baseball coach Frank Catalanotto hard.
College president Henry C. Foley announced Thursday that the school would not compete in the East Coast Conference and NCAA Division II for two years, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the costs as a major factor in the decision.
“We had no idea. The announcement completely blindsided everyone,” said Catalanotto, who led the Bears to the Division II College World Series in his first season in 2019. “I’m very angry, but I don’t know who to be angry at. This was handled so poorly. The coaches and players should have been told sooner and given the opportunity to figure out what they wanted to do with their careers. This is way too late in the process.”
A once-proud baseball program had fallen on hard times before Catalonotto was brought in for the 2019 season. He delivered, winning a program-record 37 games and a berth in the Division II World Series.
“We brought in an excellent coaching staff, people who gave up other jobs to buy into my vision of what this program could be,” Catalanotto said. “We worked very hard to recruit players to attend this college, play in the Northeast, and be a part of a special baseball program. I love coaching and I want to continue to coach.”
Jim Goelz left as head coach at St. Dominic High School and brought pitching coach Chris Rojas with him to build the Bears’ staff with Catalanotto, his best friend.
Catalanotto had his sights set on a return to the College World Series in 2020. That was before the pandemic shut down college sports on March 13.
The Bears struggled in Division I play from 2012-17 (composite 55-231-1, .193) and dropped to Division II for 2018, finishing 13-25-1. Catalanotto then took over the program and compiled a 37-16 record in winning the ECC championship. It was the second-largest turnaround in Division II baseball history.
The Bears started 9-5 in 2020 and had just finished a 12-1 win over Felician College in West Palm Beach, Florida, on March 13 when they were told they were going home.
“We had a championship-caliber team,” said Catalanotto, a native of Smithtown who played 14 years in the major leagues. “Now we’re dismantling what we were building and scrambling to get these kids placed in other programs. It’s absolutely devastating.”
In his statement Thursday, Foley said the school will honor all athletic scholarships. There are 12 teams and nearly 250 student-athletes enrolled at New York Tech. The school will still offer club and intramural sports, and keep its esports club team, the CyBears, active.
Christian Marinelli, a sophomore on the NYIT cross country team and a graduate of East Meadow HS, was upset that tuition and fees were due prior to the school’s announcement.
“The athletic department was like our family and they took that away from us,” Marinelli said. “The administration’s rushed announcement to cancel all sports for two years was bereft of any input from stakeholders at the college. The announcement was delivered by a ‘tweet’ sent out by the school president’s Twitter account . . .
“They were signing incoming student-athletes the day before the announcement ... What is most noteworthy is that this announcement occurred exactly two weeks after the deadline to pay tuition. I find it highly unlikely that this decision was made in less than two weeks.”
NYIT outfielder EJ Cumbo, a redshirt sophomore, had plenty to think about on his 24-hour drive home from North Dakota to East Meadow on Friday. The ECC and ECAC Player of the Year was playing in the Northwoods Collegiate League this summer.
“I’m driving home alone and all I’m thinking about is all the great memories of our championship run,” Cumbo said. “The last 24 hours have been nuts. I love Cat and the coaching staff. We were his first team and he turned the program around in less than six months and that’s special. I spoke with coach Goelz and he only found out an hour before the announcement.”
Cumbo, a draft prospect, accepted a full scholarship to play for top-ranked University of Tampa, the defending NCAA champion. He leaves Wednesday for school. “Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
That wasn’t the case at NYIT. “We all lost our jobs,” Catalanotto said. “These coaches need to provide for their families and put food on the table. This was brutal.”