Daniel Ammirati during his time with the Factory

We love catching up with Baseball Factory alumni who made an impact on the diamond and now making an impact in life. In the case of Daniel Ammirati, the Maspeth, NY native is currently forging his own path.

His love for baseball can be traced back to as early as two years old, according to his mom, Diana, mimicking the players he saw on television with his family. By six, he was fully into the sport as every day, the inside of their house would take on Daniel’s own personal field, as wiffle ball bats and squishy balls were a constant in the living room of the Ammirati’s. No furniture was safe in the house once Daniel’s father, Eddie arrived home from work.

“As soon as Eddie got home, the negotiations would start about how many innings they would play in the living room,” Diana explains. “The chandelier in the dining room took many hits all day long, but it made him happy and kept him busy. I think that’s when we started to get a glimpse of his love for the game.”

Daniel’s coach for much of that time is a man named Steve Adams, who coached Ammirati in Little League at eight years old, straight through his time as a high school athlete at Holy Cross in New York. Under Adams, their Little League 10U Tournament team finished second in the New York State Championship in 2006 and the next year as an 11U, won it all.

“Daniel was always a hard worker and one of the most versatile players I’ve ever had,” Adams said. “That’s what set him apart from a lot of the kids even at an early age. He wasn’t the best player on the team when I first met him, but, he did everything he could to change that and that mentality never changed throughout his time at Holy Cross.”

A tenacious competitor, Adams once told Daniel him during his senior season to take a week off because he worked out so much, leading to exhaustion. That was just Daniel grinding and working while others weren’t. Whatever was needed of him, he did for the good of the team. He ended his career lettering twice under Coach Adams and was the team’s MVP and an All-City First Team Selection in 2013.

“As a junior he went back to the infield at third and when our short stop got injured, he moved over there and had a great season,” Adams said. “As a senior, I moved him back to catcher because it helped us out the most and he never said a word. He could do whatever we needed. He excelled everywhere and it was no surprise because he never stopped putting in the work necessary to be a better player.”

Daniel also learned the game from others like Greg Modica and Pete Serra, summer coaches on his Midville Dodgers team from 12U through 18U. They were instrumental in preparing Dan and others with a glimpse of how life would be in college if they wanted to be a successful student-athlete. Serra worked endless hours on Dan’s approach to hitting from the time he was 12, through high school. Both of them worked year-round with any players who had the drive to make it to the next level; not just during the summer.

It was a perfect match for the hard-working Ammirati to attend Baseball Factory events where he could continue raising the level of his game, playing with and against other talented players from around the country. His last event, an Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout in September of 2012 was a particularly memorable one, getting the ball rolling on the college recruiting process.

“The evaluation I went to in Pennsylvania sticks out to me because the testing was a good way to see what exactly college coaches and professional scouts look for in prospects,” Daniel said. “The video we received was a great tool moving forward because it allowed me to break down my mechanics and see what I needed to improve on. The video was clear and useful in sending to college coaches and getting exposure.”

His Baseball Factory video led to interest from schools across the country. After a meeting with Belhaven coaches at a showcase in New York, Daniel jokingly quipped to his mom, “I’m going to Mississippi next year for college.”

“Her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped,” Daniel said.

It was an immediate adjustment, going from NYC to Jackson, Mississippi, away from everyone and everything he had known and had grown accustomed to.

“I really didn’t know what to think about Mississippi. I just figured the school was in the middle of nowhere because that’s our perception of places outside of New York City. The first time I realized the difference was at an orientation in the summer right before school started. I talked to a few football and baseball players that were from the South, and just hearing their accents and talking about hunting and fishing had me thinking, ‘what did I get myself into.'”

The Ammirati Family credits Dan Mooney, Baseball Factory’s Executive Director of College Recruiting and Steve Nagler, Daniel’s Player Development Coordinator, with the guidance to navigate the recruiting process.

“Dan (Mooney) and the rest of the staff at Baseball Factory helped show me certain aspects that college coaches look for when recruiting. Dan’s story about his experiences in college showed how important it is to find a school and team that truly makes you happy and gives you the opportunity to show yourself.”

With the help of Mooney and Nagler, the family learned more of what Belhaven could offer to Daniel and in turn the Factory did the research through their contacts to provide a wealth of resources about the school and baseball program.

“When Belhaven showed interest, we contacted Steve (Nagler) because we had never heard of the college or of NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics),” Eddie said. “Mooney did some research about the school, and confirmed what we had heard about the strength of the baseball program and the fact that Coach Denson was well respected.”

Ammirati played sporadically as a freshman, but quickly received more play time between his sophomore and senior seasons, hitting .273 as a sophomore, then upping the average to .331 and .372 in his junior and senior seasons, respectively. In 38 games as a junior, he collected 40 hits total (six doubles, three triples) with 18 RBI and 19 walks. Off the field, he was honored as an American Southwest Conference Distinguished Scholar-Athlete and named to the ASC All-Academic Team.

In his final season, the 6’1″, 195-pound infielder eclipsed previous highs in games played (40), runs scored (29), doubles (11) with 22 RBI and a slugging percentage (.496). It was his work in the classroom that surprised no one, a litany of honors that include: CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team, ASC Scholar-Athlete Medal of Honor and NCCAA Scholar-Athlete to name a few.

“Excelling off the field, especially in the classroom, was always something I strove for,” Daniel said. “My parents instilled the importance of academics in me at a young age. I always felt like the better you do in the classroom, the more opportunities you will have in life.”

As the family prepared for the college recruiting process, it was Modica that first introduced the family to Belhaven’s Head Coach, Hill Denson and recommended him during the showcase that Midville hosted. Denson is highly respected in Mississippi, having coached more than 30 years (18 at Belhaven) and he expected every one of his players to be strong-minded and improve every day, stressing fundamentals and preparation.

“When you’re around him, there’s always a good balance of seriousness and fun. One of Coach D’s best attributes is that he not only pushes us to be great on the field, but he also stresses the importance of becoming men and being good citizens.”

His experience was so special that he decided to make Mississippi his home, and it was Coach Denson that helped him land his first real job with Southern Farm Bureau Insurance.

“Coach D was very helpful when he heard that I was thinking of remaining there beyond graduation. He has a lot of contacts from being so involved in Mississippi sports and the community, one being the former CEO at Southern Farm Bureau. Coach D had some good things to say about me and set up a meeting between us.”

Daniel eventually wants to give back to the sport that he’s loved all his life, remembering the things that helped get him through the process.

“I will definitely look to get involved in coaching baseball. I will be able to take the lessons I learned from shared experiences, like from Dan Mooney, to show high school kids the importance of academics and finding good opportunities. I will also be able to use the tools I learned at Baseball Factory to prepare and train the kids that I coach. Now that I know the tools and attributes that college coaches look for, I can help players reach the next level.“