The NYU baseball team starts play on Saturday, and after finishing with a 25-13 record last year — 8-8 in conference play — it’s ready to take on this season. Last year tied its best mark in over 10 years, and players think they can go even further this season.

In a tightly contested UAA, the Violets finished in fourth and missed out on postseason play. With the addition of the University of Chicago baseball team to the conference this season, a UAA win would result in an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament, and the stakes have never been higher.

NYU is returning seven out of nine starters from their lineup last year, including graduate student Cam Dunn, senior captain Nate Pallotta and graduate student captain Nick Argenziano. All three earned All-Region 4 honors from the American Baseball Coaches Association and were named to All-UAA teams. Though by many metrics it was a successful season, the team is hoping for more this year.

“Team success will take care of itself,” senior pitcher Mason Morello said. “I think we can compete with anybody and win every game that we want to win. We have guys from 18 to 24 years old, a big gap where things could get separated, but if everybody does their job — does what’s asked of them — the sky’s the limit for us.”

Morello, who had five or more strikeouts in five games last season, sees a lot of potential in this team. He is not the only player that holds this sentiment.

“I’m really excited about our offense,” Dunn said. “We have a really talented staff. In all my years here, this is probably the most talented pitching staff that we have had, and I’m really excited to play behind them.”

Dunn, who led the Violets in hits and doubles and tied Argenziano for the team lead in home runs, is not the only reason for the team’s optimism. The NYU baseball team is experienced, and the players have built significant chemistry over the past several years.

“We’ve all been playing together for the last three, four years, so this is really the end product of everything that this group of guys have all been working towards,” Pallotta said. “This year is going to be a culmination of that end product. I’m really excited to see that on the field.”

Pallotta, who led all qualified NYU hitters in on-base-plus-slugging percentage and was third on the team in home runs last season, is encouraged by the discipline this team has shown.

“I think that from what I’ve been seeing with everyone on the team, top to bottom, we have significantly improved in terms of our collective work ethic,” Pallotta said. “Guys are working harder than they ever have at their time at NYU. I’m proud of everyone.”

Dunn, Pallotta and Morello all have one common goal: being champions of the UAA.

“Winning the UAA is the ultimate marker of success that we can have,” Pallotta said. “We win the UAA, then we also make regionals. We are primed to have a very historic year.” 

The Violets open the season this Saturday with a doubleheader against Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.

Contact Matthew Singh [email protected].