Trio of GHS Baseballers Make College Commits

GHS baseball coach Dennis Accomando (far left) with recent college commits (l-r) Daniel Cantafi, Elliot Hamilton, and Dan Beagle at NLI ceromony on Nov 11 at GHS

 Three Glastonbury High School baseball players made their college commits at a National Letter of Intent ceremony on Nov. 11.
 
Seniors Dan Beagle, Daniel Cantafi, and Elliot Hamilton all signed their commitments in front of family and friends at GHS. 
           
“They are all hard-working, talented guys,” GHS baseball coach Dennis Accomando said of the three players, “They’ve earned this.”
           
Beagle has committed to Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Muhlenberg was where former major leaguer Bill Kern played in college prior to his days with the Kansas City Athletics in 1962.  
           
It will be a homecoming for Beagle, who will pitch for the Mules in the Centennial Conference. 
           
“I’m originally from Pennsylvania so I am closer to family,” Beagle said of his decision. “It was a good balance between academics and sports, and I can be competitive and still do well in the classroom.”
           
Beagle recently wrapped up his senior season on the gridiron, where he played linebacker for the Guardians this fall. 
           
Coach Accomando commended Beagle for carrying the pitching staff at the beginning of the last season, “We had some guys hurt and he pitched in some really big games, including four scoreless innings against Southington. He’s shown a potential where we can roll him out with the best.” 
           
Beagle said he is excited for one last time of the GHS diamond, “Glastonbury is super supportive and super competitive and I love going to battle with them every single day.” 
           
He added, “I look forward to the competition in college. I want to go and compete at a higher level.” 
           
Cantafi will pitch at Keene State College in the Little Big East Conference. He’ll be joining an Owls team in New Hampshire led by head coach Justin Blood, who will make his managerial debut at the college this spring after a decade coaching at the University of Hartford.  
           
“It felt like family right off the bat. [Coach Blood] reached out to me and I had a visit the next week,” Cantafi said of his decision to join the university, “It has a great atmosphere. It’s a perfect school for me academically and athletically.”
           
Accomando described Cantafi as “a strike thrower, who is a quiet kid but super competitive and an extremely hard worker.” 
           
Cantafi is currently preparing for final basketball season at GHS, which he said he loves just as much as baseball.
           
“We’re a big school but we all know each other. The community is cool and everybody is supportive,” Cantafi said of GHS.
           
He too looks forward to the competition at the next level, “When you get to college it’s a job, but you still have to have fun. Whenever you can play the game at the next level it’s awesome.”
           
Hamilton will attend Salve Regina University on the beautiful coast of Newport, Rhode Island. He’ll be joining a Seahawks team that is an 11x champion of the Commonwealth Coast Conference, which includes a conference crown in the spring of ‘21.  
           
“It was a combination of things,” Hamilton said of his decision, “I love the coaching staff and everyone’s attitude, and I really like the area.”
           
Hamilton battled injuries last spring but came back to play a pivotal role down the stretch. He said the best part about playing at GHS is, “Getting to play with my best friends. I love all of my teammates, especially my senior buddies, they are my best friends.”
           
Accomando said Hamilton’s talent is boundless, “I don’t think he knows how good he can be. He was hurt most of the year and we were really cautious with him last year, but he’s had a really successful, healthy offseason and he’ll be a main contributor this year.” 
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At Salve, Hamilton looks forward to the grind, “Everybody there clearly wants to be there because they chose to play baseball. I like working and everybody there wants to work just as hard.” 
           
​Accomando added that they might have another player or two commit to play collegiately before the spring. For now, the veteran manager is preparing the team to follow up on last season’s 14-6 campaign.