After missing the first 24 games of the season, first-year Paul Calandrelli quickly made up for lost time for the University of Rhode Island baseball team.
Calandrelli made his debut against Quinnipiac University on March 24. He recorded three RBIs and a double in five at-bats, playing a major role in Rhody’s 17-5 win over the Bobcats.
In the three weeks since, Calandrelli went on an eight-game hit streak, recording 11 hits in 36 at-bats, and has been consistently in the batting order for the Rams.
The Connecticut native’s decision to attend Rhode Island was the culmination of several factors, making it a no-brainer that Kingston was the place he’d want to continue his baseball career.
“I thought it was a perfect spot,” Calandrelli said. “It’s an hour and 15 minutes away from my house, and the beaches in Rhode Island are awesome. I love the coaches here, I love the program and I really just love everything that the program stands for.”
With his burst onto the Rhody baseball scene, Calandrelli credits his success to sticking to the basics.
“Just being simple,” Calandrelli said. “Trying not to think too much, trusting my ability, and knowing that even though it is a step up from high school, I can compete with these guys and really prove myself without trying to do too much in the batter’s box.”
While Calandrelli’s contributions have been key to URI’s surge in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings, it came later in the season than he wanted due to a setback he faced during his first semester on campus.
“I had an injury in the fall,” Calandrelli said. “I dislocated my thumb, which set me back a little bit. Since then, I’ve just been grinding it out, and it allowed me to get to where I am now.”
After returning, Calandrelli’s batting average sat at .256 on the year through 10 games, while slugging .326 with an on-base percentage of .319. Not only is Calandrelli off to a promising start to his collegiate career at URI, but he’s making memories along the way, too.
“First bus ride was definitely fun,” Calandrelli said. “Playing down in Richmond was a blast, and then really just hanging around in the locker room. It’s just a ton of fun being around everyone.”
With 18 games on the horizon to close out the regular season, Calandrelli is looking forward to building off his strong start.
“I feel great about everything,” Calandrelli said. “The future is bright for URI baseball, so I’m looking forward to everything here.”
Calandrelli and the Rams will travel to New York to take on St. Bonaventure University, opening the three-game series on April 17, with games streaming on ESPN+.
