Garrett Laraia, a freshman business major, was raised by ball players. His parents met playing softball and his grandfather was an umpire.
“Baseball is basically in my blood,” Laraia said.
Laraia is like many young adults. Laraia said, “I’m pretty laid back. I mainly stick to sports and video
games, that’s my bread and butter.”
Last fall, Laraia and his travel team had a showcase in the Pittsburgh area. Laraia played great, turning many college coaches’ heads.
Laraia received a call from Cabrini’s head coach, Nick Weisheipl, who was particularly impressed in Laraia’s playing at the showcase.
Laraia was invited for a visit on campus, where he got to hang with the team and feel like a student for the day.
Laraia said,”I came to the campus, met some of the guys on the team, and fell in love with the place.”
Since coming to Cabrini, Laraia has bonded with his teammates.
Tyler Ronayne, a senior criminology major, said, “He’s such a great addition. He’s really just one of the guys and has contributed to the team tremendously.”
Laraia’s freshman season has been a success with 16 hits out of 51 at bats on the season, equaling a batting average of .314.
In the teams third year as a program, the team is currently 11-4 and is currently ranked number one in the Atlantic East Conference for the first time in history. The team looks to continue their success with the help of players like Laraia.
Jesse James Murphy, a junior accounting major, said, “We as a team have worked hard all offseason and we constantly push each other on and off the diamond. Garrett is just one of those kids you don’t have to push, he has a natural love for the game and constantly wants to get better.”
As a student athlete, especially a freshman student athlete, it can be hard to adjust to the college life of balancing school and sports. Once students find that balance, they not only excel in the classroom but on the field as well.
Garret has expressed that his experience at Cabrini so far has made him grow as a individual and that he expects to continue his success in his career at Cabrini.
“So far I’ve loved Cabrini like I thought I would. Between school and sports and all the people I’ve met, it has been a great freshman year. I cant wait to see what these next few years has in store for me.”
