By Jonah Bronstein
Niagara Gazette
LEWISTON —
Daniel Morari was slated to be the No. 1 starter for the Niagara University baseball team last spring. But with two herniated discs in his back causing him pain and restricting his movement, he was forced to take the year off.
The Purple Eagles wound up coming one win short of qualifying for the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament. Coach Rob McCoy believes Morari would’ve made “a tremendous difference.”
“I think we were that one marquee arm short of getting to where we needed to be,” McCoy said this week. “We could’ve had a phenomenal season.”
Morari found it difficult to watch his teammates enjoy success, and even harder to see them fail to reach their goal at the end.
“It was,” the 6-foot southpaw from Saskatoon, Sask. said, “the crappiest period of my life.”
While his back still bothers him on occasion, Morari has been able to manage the pain this season and regain his role as the top arm in the rotation for the Purple Eagles, who are 8-4 midway through MAAC play, good for third place in the standings heading into this weekend’s series against Fairfield (4-5) at Sal Maglie Stadium.
In last week’s matchup with second-place Marist, the fifth-year senior got Niagara its lone win of the three-game series, he didn’t allow a runner to reach third base until the ninth inning, and came within one out of a complete-game shutout.
For his effort, Morari was named MAAC pitcher of the week.
In four conference starts, Morari is 2-1 with a 3.72 earned run average and an opposing batting average of .216.
“He had a rough start to the season. I think he was a little rusty. But now, when it matters, the conference season, he’s really stepped up and put together some good starts,” McCoy said. “He is not a velocity guy. He’s got command and movement. None of his pitches are straight. He does a good job of mixing pitches up and he all of his pitches for strikes.”
Morari spent the summer throwing to Matt Lucchesi, Niagara’s catcher last year, who encouraged him be less predictable on the mound.
“He worked with me all summer on throwing every pitch that I had, throwing any pitch in any count,” Morari said. “That really works in keeping hitters off-balance. I don’t throw very hard so I have to mix it up, a lot of curve balls and changeups.”
An avid hunter, Morari has also brings his experience on the serene outdoor scene with him to the mound.
“Hunting is a peaceful time, you’re outside, it’s calm, you just listen to the breeze,” he said. “And when you are on the mound, you have to find that inner calmness, that still. You’re in the zone and you kind of experience the same thing. You’re locked in and you don’t hear much around you.”
