Quinnipiac baseball has always been a part of catcher Lou Iannotti’s life. His father, also named Lou, is a member of the Quinnipiac Hall of Fame for his years and contributions playing on the school’s baseball team.

Growing up, Iannotti spent a lot of time at the Quinnipiac baseball fields.

“I always used to go to my dad’s alumni games that they have every year,” Iannotti said. “I just never thought from where my path was going that I would be here today.”

Initially, it didn’t appear that Iannotti would be following in his father’s footsteps and playing at Quinnipiac. After high school, he went to Siena College to play baseball—but things didn’t go exactly as planned.

“It was probably a week or two into the summer [after my freshman year at Siena] and I was playing summer ball in a local league and I tore my labrum.”

After injuring his shoulder, Iannotti wasn’t sure what to do, but his mother had started working at Quinnipiac during January of his freshman year at Siena, so he knew a transfer would be easy. Iannotti had surgery, rehabbed his shoulder and was able to get an opportunity to play. Now, he’s creating his own legacy on the Quinnipiac baseball team.

Consistently an offensive threat and responsible defensively, first-year head coach John Delaney said Iannotti is a welcome addition to the team.

“He started off the season extremely well, and kind of progressed and come up with some big hits early on in the season and kept us in the ball games,” said Delaney, who was an assistant coach prior to this year. “His spot has been a very valuable spot for us this season.”

The team, 8-4 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play two months into the season, has benefitted from having Iannotti on its roster.

“As a player he’s got a great swing, defensively you can’t beat him,” teammate Ryan Nelson said. “He’s got a great arm, he blocks the ball … he’s doing well for us right now. He definitely has come up clutch in a bunch of situations this year.”

But even as a well-rounded player who seemingly has it all, it was Iannotti’s character as a person that Delaney and Nelson couldn’t stress enough.

“Off the field he’s a real team kind of guy,” Delaney said. “He’s got an energetic vibe around him, he’s always joking around, and loosening the team up. He’s been a great teammate to everyone and a good mentor to our younger kids, especially our freshman and sophomore catchers.”

Nelson echoed that sentiment, and without hesitation called Iannotti one of the top teammates he’s ever had.

“He’s funny, he’s a great guy in general, and he just truly cares about you as a person,” Nelson said. “Not to mention he’s a good leader. He leads on and off the field; he’s all around a great person.”

Iannotti knows the value of having good teammates—his father’s closest friends now were his teammates at Quinnipiac, and two of them were the best men at his wedding.

“He still stays in touch with all of them,” Iannotti said. “They’re all his best friends.”

As for advice, Iannotti’s father has told him simply to enjoy every moment, and “work hard while you’re there.” He’s taking his father’s words to heart. He works hard to improve his game, while enjoying the opportunity to play with his closest friends.

“We preach mental approach in baseball, and he’s one of those guys who really works on those things,” Delaney said. “He’s a player that everyday is reading different materials on stuff from big leagues or reading books from sports psychologists, and that stuff has really grown his game over the last two years.”

And while he’s putting in the work, Iannotti isn’t forgetting to have fun.

“To get the chance to play with your best friends everyday … and the experiences that you have together, you just can’t get it anywhere else,” he said.

With new coaches and players this season, Iannotti is looking forward to the opportunity to win.

“I just think that the energy the team has, everyone is excited,” he said. “We have a lot of good players, good pitchers, and if you look at the stats we have a lot of players who are stepping up this year. I think that this year we’re prepared to win, and we know we can.”