Dante Batista, a 2021 goalie from Kent School has made a verbal commitment to play Division I lacrosse with Bellarmine.
The Bellarmine commit has been the starting varsity goalie for the Kent School (Conn.) since his sophomore year. He earned All-New England West – Division 1 honors in 2019 – one of three sophomores to be named all-league that year.
“I chose Bellarmine for the excellent academics and athletics. Coach Whitley is a fantastic person and made me feel super comfortable from the very first call we had,” Batista said. “I am excited about the direction the program is headed and I am hoping to make an immediate impact on the team and hopefully with a conference championship and play in the NCAA national championship tournament.”
Batista plays club lacrosse with Prime Time. He was also considering Hampden-Sydney, Mount St. Mary’s, and Mercer.
“Academics as part of the overall recruiting process can’t be understated,” Batista said of his top takeaway from his recruiting process. “While my recruiting process took much longer than I expected, everyone told me to trust the process and focus on getting better on the field and in the classroom, which is what I did, and ultimately I found a home that was perfect for me.”
Batista is the sixth player reported to LaxRecords.com to have committed to Bellarmine. He is the only goalie confirmed to have committed.
“Thank you to my coaches, family, teammates, and friends who supported me along the way,” Batista added. ” Playing Division I lacrosse has been a dream of mine since the 4th grade and I never would have gotten here if it were not for their support and guidance.”
Bellarmine 2021 Commits
| Name | High School | Club | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dante Batista | Kent School | Prime Time Lacrosse | Goalie | Bellarmine |
| Aidan Fearn | Hill Academy | Edge Lacrosse | Face-off | Bellarmine |
| Jayden Smith | Culver Academy | Six Nations Arrows | D/LSM | Bellarmine |
| Jaden Wilkins | Denmark | 3d National | Midfield | Bellarmine |
| Brady Long | Lenape | Duke's LC | Defense | Bellarmine |
| Ben Hubbs | St. Xavier | L4 | Attack | Bellarmine |
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