The Batters Den
About
My name is Mike Dato and I attended Oswego high school where I played baseball all 4 years mainly catching and corner infield. I was apart of one of the most winning teams in school history my senior year but fell short in Regionals.
I then decided to commit to Monmouth College to study Exercise Science and play under Coach Betourne for the Fighting Scots Baseball Team. Just like every freshman I learned a lot and ended up earning a starting position my sophomore year as a designated hitter. It was at this point in my career where I knew I was embarking on something great. I finished that year batting just over .320 with 8 home runs and 39 RBIs. That same year we went on to win our conference and clinch a spot in the NCAA Regional tournament (1st appearance in over 20 years).
It was after this season when I was invited to the 2019 Pre-Draft workout with the Philadelphia Phillies. I was still in between positions at this point but starting leaning more towards first base, where I would start the the rest of my career at Monmouth. During my time there I finished with a couple achievements.
•ABCA 1st Team All-Region (2018)
• 2nd Team All Conference (2019)
•1st in career Home Runs (19)
•1st in career HBP (29)
•1st in Single game RBI’s (8)
•4th in Career RBIs (108)
I finished with a career .300 average hitter with .500 SLG% and .395 OB% as well as a career .986 FLD%
After my college career I was fortunate enough to play at the professional level which started in New York for the Empire league where I had my first spring training. I ended up playing in the PECOS league a season later for the Tucson Saguaros. Unfortunately due to injuries this is where my playing career would end.
Baseball has taught me many lessons throughout my life and has made me the man I am today. I was never the most recruited kid growing up so I worked for everything with a small circle my whole career. If I could do one thing now looking back is to give kids the confidence I was always lacked as a player and get them to their FULL potential on and off the field.