Valley Stream Central catcher signs with Hofstra

Valley Stream Central High School student Vito Friscia decided to continue his promising baseball career with a commitment to play for Hofstra University, signing with the Pride at his high school on Nov. 12 as his parents and coaches looked on.

“I’m really excited to be going to Hofstra,” Friscia said. “I’ll be able to stay near my family and continue to receive their support at my games, which will be great. I can’t wait to get started there.”

Friscia was also pursued by Stony Brook University, St. John’s University in Queens, Penn State University and Boston College. He chose Hofstra not only for its proximity to home, but its academic reputation and the sense of welcoming he said he felt there.

“It will be great to be close to home but I certainly don’t feel as if I’m just settling for Hofstra,” Friscia said. “I’m excited to be going there. I’ll be getting a great education and joining a really great team. From the moment I stepped on campus, even before I made my decision to join them, the coaches and players all made me feel like I was part of the team. It’s clear to me that that team is a family and I’m excited to become a part of it.”

Friscia’s father, Vito, said he was surprised when his son announced his decision.

“I always heard him say he wanted to go away, but after we visited Hofstra and the more we talked about it, it was obvious he had fallen in love with the school,” he said. “I asked him, ‘Are you sure this is where you want to be?’ and he told me, in no uncertain terms, that this is exactly the place he wanted to be.”

Friscia’s mother, Lisa, said she knew her son was making the right decision after he brought up the advice she gave him years ago.

“I told him he would find a school that he would fall in love with, and he would just know,” she said. “When I asked him if he was sure about his decision he told me ‘Mom, remember how you said I would love a school and I would just know? Well I know Hofstra is the place to be.’”

Hofstra’s head baseball coach, John Russo, said he was excited about his team’s new addition.

“After watching Vito just one time, it was one of the easiest recruiting decisions I’ve made as head coach,” Russo said. “Watch him take one swing, and you know that there is no way this kid isn’t going to help us. He has a chance to be a transcendent player, the type of hitter you can build your whole lineup around.”

Friscia said he’s looking forward to playing one last season at Central High School, and hopes to improve on his junior season, though it’s a tall order. He batted .445 with three homeruns, and collected All Nassau County and second team All Long Island honors, and was nominated for the Ryan Caulfield award, which recognizes the best catcher on Long Island. Friscia said he still expects this season to be better.

“I can’t wait to play one more season in Valley Stream,” Friscia said. “We should make a great run, we have a really talented team and I think we can definitely improve on last year’s season.”

Nick Clark, Friscia’s hitting coach for nearly a decade, said the young athlete has the potential to do great things at Hofstra and beyond.

“He’s the best hitter I have ever coached, bar-none, and I’ve coached guys that have gotten drafted and played professional ball,” Clark said.“ He’s a great technical hitter with a lot of ability, and his mental approach is there as well. Baseball can be a really frustrating game, but he’s mature and is able to focus and really do well.”

Frank Alesia, Friscia’s coach, said that maturity is something Friscia has shown for years, and it will serve him well in the future.

“He never played junior high ball, and instead he played junior varsity while in middle school and moved to varsity his freshman year in high school,” Alesia said. “It takes a special kid to be able to play up — they have to have both the physical abilities and the maturity. With both of those skills, this is just the beginning for him, and it really is the start of something special.”