He’s back on the diamond. Smithtown native and Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Frank Catalanotto, has been named as the new head baseball coach at NYIT.
Catalanotto, who was inducted to the Suffolk Hall in 2011, played 14 years in the big leagues and lives in St. James.
“I really look forward to the challenge of returning NYIT to being a top-notch baseball program here on Long Island,” Catalanotto said in a release. “I’m confident the experience and knowledge of the game my staff and I have will help take this program back to the top.”
Catalanotto appeared in 1,265 major league games. He owns a .291 career average and .357 career on-base percentage. He saw action at five positions — left field, right field, first base, second base and third base — as well as at designated hitter.
NYIT competes at the Division II level and in the East Coast Conference.
He joins fellow Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame inductee Kevin Hamilton, a North Babylon native who serves as the head men’s basketball coach for the Bears.