June 24, 2024

Nicky Garritano named DI Defensive Player of the Year

Charlotte, NC - Southern Nevada's Nicky Garritano has been named the 2024 NJCAA DI Baseball Defensive Player of the Year.

This season for the Coyotes, Garritano made only two errors to collect an incredible .990 fielding percentage. In his two years at Southern Nevada, he only made 4 errors in the infield for a .989 career fielding percentage.

Head Coach, Nick Garritano- "This is an incredible honor for such a young man. Our program could not be prouder of Nicky. He is a tireless worker and the ultimate detail-oriented defender. He took more pride on the defensive side of the game than any player I have ever coached. This prestigious award would not have been possible without the help of his teammates and coaches. Our pitchers produced many ground balls, and teammates provided front and back halves of double plays. Our coaches did a great job of positioning our defense throughout the season. Being a Head Coach/Father to Nicky over the past two seasons has been a blessing beyond what words can describe. As a father, to be able to share the field with your son in Grand Junction for the JUCO World Series was a dream come true. Now, for him to win the NJCAA DI Defensive Player of the Year is icing on the cake. I couldn't be prouder of Nicky as both a coach and father."

Offensively, Garritano recorded 47 hits at the plate with 5 doubles, a homerun, and 32 RBI for a .264 batting average this season. Last season, he had 37 hits with 5 doubles and 17 RBI.

Infield Coach, Mike Eshragh- "Great honor and award for Nicky. His tireless work ethic and pride in his defense is astounding. His commitment to being the best possible defensive player he could be showed every day at practice and in his pregame preparation. Hard work and determination absolutely earned him this incredible award amongst many great defensive players throughout the country."

Pitching Coach, Bryan Gidge- "Nicky Garritano is irreplaceable in our infield. As the pitching coach at CSN I cannot express how important he was to our success. Not only was he great in our games, but he excelled in practice. Nicky never took a rep off. He always plays hard. Nicky exemplifies what a leader is, and his leadership is present at both practice and during games."

Director of Athletics, Yvonne Wade- "Nicky is so deserving of this honor, and I am so proud of him and his commitment to the team and the game. He was an important part of the success of Coyote Baseball this season all the way through the JUCO World Series and has a bright future ahead of him."

The two-time NJCAA DI Baseball ABCA & Rawlings Gold Glove recipient will be continuing his athletic and academic career at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas next season.

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