Staten Island, NY | Head Coach Michael Mauro and the College of Staten Island baseball program is proud to announce the celebratory signing of Susan E. Wagner High School senior John Esposito.  The pitcher and first baseman is a varsity captain this season with the Falcons, and is expected to hit the ground running as a freshman next year with the Dolphins’ championship squad.

A star on the Junior Varsity and Varsity baseball levels while at SWHS, Esposito was a Varsity Rookie of the Year and a Staten Island Advance All-Star in 2017.  The right-handed pitcher can occupy time on the mound right from the start according to the coaching staff, lending him to the rotation.  He is anxious to matriculate into the college game and to be a part of CSI’s winning program.

“I chose CSI because it was close to home and because it had the Electrical Engineering program I desired,” he said.  “I know that the College of Staten Island has a great athletics program and I feel I can contribute by being a great addition to the pitching rotation and the line-up whenever needed.”

Esposito is also accomplished in the classroom, where he is a member of the school’s Honor Roll.  The team’s ace on the hill this season, Esposito has been playing baseball since he was four years old.  At the age of eight, he played for a Staten Island youth team that made it to the Cal Ripken Mid Atlantic Regionals, where he pitched and won the championship game in Bear, Delaware.  He won numerous regional and state championships and all-star citations as part of the Great Kills Little League American team as well.  Esposito then transitioned to high school baseball, and was awarded the Heart of the Falcon Award during his freshman year.  This season, Esposito is 4-3 with a stingy 1.43 ERA in over 44 innings pitched, fanning 58 batters next to just 12 walks.  In just 36 plate appearances, he has spread nine hits with six RBI and an on-base percentage of .426.

Coach Mauro is understandably excited about his young pitching prospect.  “John is one of the best pitchers on Staten Island,” Mauro noted.  “He’s an extremely hard thrower and has three or four very good pitches.  He has a lot of baseball intelligence and is very controlled and poised on the mound.  We envision him as being one of our top guys in the future.  He comes from a great family and when he came to campus he really fell in love with what he saw.  We are very excited to welcome him into the program.” 

The son of Gerard and Mary Ann Esposito , John’s family is heavily connected with CSI.  His older brother, Gerard, played baseball for CSI after his playing days at Susan Wagner, and his older sister Caitlin is currently a member of the CSI Women’s Volleyball team. 

The CSI Baseball program is fresh off of another terrific season that concluded with a fourth-straight CUNYAC title.  The team graduated a crop of six seniors and are bringing in one of their biggest recruiting classes in time for 2018-19.