Baseball has always been more than just a game to Daniel. It was a constant brought into his life by his family. At an early age, he would run upstairs to his grandfather and recap Mets games, a tradition that has never faded. He would call his dad all day and leave him messages at work to let him know he couldn't wait for him to get home so they could practice in the backyard. They would be outside until the sun went down and even then Daniel couldn't get enough. His parents would then support him spending springs, summers and falls traveling to little league games, travel games, then eventually high school varsity games, and now college club games to support him. He grew up a Mets fan, teaching himself every bit there is to know about the game, the players, their techniques and stats. Although he is known to come off timid at times, his presence has always been loudly known on the field. Whether it was in the newspaper, Lohud naming him Rockland's top players to look out for in High School, making 2015 Fourth Team All-State, or simply striking out a player looking, his presence was known.
In 2016, Daniel chose to pursue a career in Journalism at Stony Brook University. Here, he was guaranteed a path still connecting to the sport he loved most. The summer going into his freshman year of college was coming to an end. He was finishing up a competitive baseball summer season. I received a text from Daniel, concerned, "What if I don't get to ever play another competitive game of baseball? I'm not ready to stop". It was that moment that we both decided we wouldn't let that be his final game.
Stony Brook University did not have a Club Baseball team- as far as we knew. We googled it and found nothing. We couldn't find a listing on the school's website for clubs and organizations. After searching over social media, I found a Facebook page titled, "Stony Brook Baseball Club". There was no way Daniel was passing up this opportunity, so he reached out. Upon arriving at a new school, it turned out the team had just been formed. It just became a club at the University. It wasn't even considered a Club Sports team, just a baseball club. The team consisted of a few guys, but they didn't face any opponents outside of the area, just other students also attending the University. They didn't have steady practice plans, they didn't have uniforms, hats, equipment, or much funding from the school at all. Although this was not the expectation we had, or what we were hoping for, it would suffice for the moment. He met some great people and had a platform to build on. His sophomore year came and he was patiently waiting to run for an E-Board position to help the team build on the potential they had.
Not only did Daniel take over and become the President of the team, but he officially began coaching the team as well. His junior year began, unlike any other year. In a matter of four semesters, new members joined, new bonds were made and new goals were set. This was going to be the year to push to play competitive baseball again. The club did a great job of making themselves well known on campus. Word spread and new people were wanting to join, longing to play competitive games. They only had a few problems. No field provided by the school (in fact, the use of the only one on campus was denied), originally $100 given to the team by the University- not to be spent on transportation, a field, or apparel, and everything had to be organized by the club itself. The club didn't even have an account to put the money in. No outside help, no guidance, no equipment, no baseball field, no transportation other than their own cars, no uniforms. Meanwhile, other club teams are given thousands of dollars.
The Club managed to organize 8 away games for the Fall 2018 semester and are scheduled to play a few games to end the Spring 2018 semester including two home games at Joe Nathan Field, something they were initially told they were not going to be able to do in the near future. The team has recently raised enough money to join the NCBA to join a Division 3 league, all due to the individual efforts of the team because unfortunately the school still does not fund them well enough. While this is a big step for them, they still are fundraising for umpire fees and athletic trainer fees. The team is continuing to strive for greatness and has set the bar high in just their first year of competitive baseball. This baseball club has a tremendous amount of potential and is filled with a great group of guys on and off the field. None of this would be possible without their time, dedication, bond, and love for the game they all share. As for Coach, President and member, Daniel Marcillo, he is yet again making his presence well known on the diamond and contributing to the game of baseball in a bigger way than he ever has before.
The team is scheduled to play their first home game at Joe Nathan Field this Saturday, April 13th at 10 am.
