Eric Cattoni

Classroom

Cattoni maintains a 4.0 grade point average while taking pre-med courses. When asked about his success in the classroom and if it comes easy to him, he just smiled. “I don’t think it is ever easy to receive good grades. Some people say it is because I have a good memory. But I think I have excelled in the classroom because I enjoy learning. I put as much into the books as I do baseball - I am diligent about it. My parents used to tell me, ‘What you are is what you know.’ In a fall semester chemistry course Eric scored a 100% on his first test - the first perfect score his professor had given in 16 years of teaching at SMC. The class average was 56%.

Character

Cattoni’s father was diagnosed with a neurological disease when he was in his mid-twenties. “Despite all the doctor visits and all the bad times, my father was always positive and never let his ailment become a disability. He has beaten amazing odds to have his good health today. Looking at my dad and all he has been through has motivated me to be my best. If all I have to worry about is a test or a game, it’s nothing in comparison.”

A pre-med major is not very forgiving of college baseball player’s schedule. With chemistry labs, calculus classes, and physic lectures all in direct competition for Eric’s time with baseball, juggling time becomes second nature. “Time management has also been a big part of my success. The key for me so far has been to set short academic goals and make sure I see them through. I always make sure that I have all of my work done, so when I get to the field I can leave all of the distractions in the parking lot.”

Community

He has been a volunteer at the Concord Youth Center for the past two years and he volunteers at youth baseball camps in Moraga, CA and in his hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta. He is a peer tutor for international students at Saint Mary’s and is also a freshman tutor and RA of a freshman dormitory on campus. He was awarded the CRC Press Chemistry Achievement Award for his outstanding scholastic achievement in chemistry.

Competition

On the season Cattoni is batting .344 and paces the West Coast Conference with 22 stolen bases and 39 runs scored. Cattoni is also second in on-base percentage with a .487 mark. Cattoni jumped into sixth place all-time at SMC in stolen bases with 39 in just one and a half seasons. Cattoni is nine away from being tied for fifth in the annals with 48. With six more runs scored this season, Cattoni will crack the top-10 in runs in a single season. As a junior, the Lethbridge Alberta native led the squad with 16 doubles, 30 walks and 17 stolen bases.