It’s been said that sometimes all people need in life is a second chance.
There is no better proof of that old adage than Andrew Nasti.
Nasti was a fine three-sport athlete coming out of Weehawken High School in 2009. He played basketball and football, but his main sport was baseball. It was Nasti’s baseball talents that initially caught the eye of Rutgers-Newark head coach Mark Rizzi more than six years ago.
“I saw him play and pitch and I came away impressed,” Rizzi said. “He was equally talented both as an infielder and a pitcher. He also had that Hudson County attitude that I like, that he was willing to just get right after it and never back down.”
Rizzi was there for Nasti’s final high school game, a loss in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I semifinals.
“He pitched a great game, but Weehawken lost by a run,” Rizzi said. “After the game, he was so upset, crying and all and I thought that was awesome. I thought that this kid cared so much and left everything he had on the field.”
Nasti knew that he was going to Rutgers-Newark to major in education.
“I really wanted to play for Coach Rizzi,” Nasti said. “I was excited to get the opportunity.”
Nasti enrolled at R-N in the fall of 2009, but Rizzi didn’t know that Nasti was already dealing with some major demons in his life.
Nasti’s father, Lou, a long-time employee of the Township of Weehawken and a well respected member of the Weehawken community, was unfortunately dying of cancer. Andrew started to abuse drugs and alcohol. He was running with the wrong crowd. Things were not going well at all.
“He had a lot of things to figure out in his life, outside of school and baseball,” Rizzi said.
Finally, Nasti hit rock bottom. He was involved in an incident in one of the R-N dormitories, where he was accused of robbery. A disciplinary hearing was held to see if Nasti was involved, and he was put on probation from the school.
“I definitely was not in a good place in my life,” Nasti said.
Nasti was told to stay away from R-N for a year, was placed on disciplinary probation, and that if he remained clean and stayed out of trouble, he could apply for reinstatement to the school, then get back into Rizzi’s good graces and play baseball.
“I kind of wrote him off,” Rizzi said. “I thought that there was no way of getting him back into school. In my experiences, there are less than 5 percent of all students that ever leave ever come back. Most want a fresh start somewhere else.”
“I didn’t think I’d play again,” Nasti said. “But at that point, I was willing to do what they told me. They said that everyone deserves a second chance. Coach Rizzi was behind me from the start.”
Rizzi made some stipulations.
“I told him that he had to remain clean and after a year, we would revisit the issue,” Rizzi said.
The time away from R-N allowed Nasti to see the light.
“I matured so much during my time away,” Nasti said. “I was working at Houlihan’s as a food runner. I dreamed of getting back into school and on the field, but I didn’t know how I would get my chance.”
Rizzi made no promises. Nasti had to try out for the team all over again.
In the fall of 2011, Nasti had to work his way back into good graces once again. In the spring of 2012, Nasti not only made the Scarlet Raiders’ roster, but was the starter at second base. Nasti batted .219 with five RBI in 23 games, 20 of which were starts.
“I worked my tail off to get back on the field,” Nasti said. “I had to prove that I was a different person. Coach Rizzi believed in me.”
During the 2012 season, Rizzi called upon Nasti to pitch one game in relief.
“I pitched five scoreless innings coming out of the bullpen,” Nasti said.
“I knew we needed pitching more than we needed an infielder, so he was basically done as a second baseman,” Rizzi said. “After that, he didn’t play the field anymore. Whenever he pitched, we knew we were going to get a great game. He’s such a great competitor.”
Nasti didn’t mind the transformation from infielder to pitcher.
“Whatever I could do to help the team, that’s what I was going to do,” Nasti said. “I wasn’t helping the team much as a second baseman, but I could help them as a pitcher. It gave me my best chance to help the team. Of course, I miss hitting, because I’ve done it my whole life, but I love pitching and that gives us the best chance to win.”
Nasti pitched in 13 games as a sophomore in 2013, posting a 2-3 record with a 2.45 earned run average in 36 innings.
Last year, as a junior, Nasti was the workhorse of the Scarlet Raiders’ pitching staff, hurling 56 innings with three complete games and a 3.20 ERA.
This season, things didn’t exactly work out well on the mound, as Nasti posted a 1-5 record, starting seven games and pitching to a 5.59 ERA. But he pitched 46 innings and struck out 30. More importantly, Nasti was the winning pitcher in his final collegiate game, defeating Richard Stockton by a 6-2 score.
“Things haven’t been going the way I wanted them to,” Nasti said. “But I’ve really enjoyed my time with this team. We have a bunch of great guys. I’m the oldest guy on the team (24 years old), so I have to be ready to help the team any way I can.”
More importantly, Nasti already has a full-time job at the Bergen Center for Childhood Development in Haworth, working with special needs children.
“I work with kids with autism, cerebral palsy, any type of behavioral problems,” Nasti said. “I was always interested in helping people, especially kids. It has enlightened me. The kids are smiling all the time. It’s really so much fun.”
And Nasti juggles night classes along with his baseball schedule so he can work and still graduate with a degree in psychology later this month.
“He has a lot on his plate, but he still tries to play,” Rizzi said. “It’s really a storybook ending. I had my doubts whether he could make it back. I really didn’t know. But the school was willing to give him another chance. He made some mistakes and the school gave him a chance to come back.”
Rizzi was so happy to watch Nasti’s development.
“It’s a wonderful story,” Rizzi said. “He’s such a good kid with a great personality. He’s going a long way in life. Every time he’s around the team, he’s picking up everybody.”
That’s because Nasti is grateful to have received a chance to rectify his life. Sometimes, like it’s been said, all you need is a second chance.
“I’ve really been blessed to have the opportunity,” Nasti said. “I’m glad a lot of people didn’t give up on me. My mom (Diane Nasti) has been my rock and has been with me and supporting me my whole life. I definitely didn’t take the easy route, but this is something I know my Dad wanted me to do. He was there for me all the time and I miss him. It’s unbelievable how this all came about and it’s sad it’s coming to an end. I’m just grateful for the journey.”
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com
You can also read Jim’s blog at www.jimhaguesports.blogspot.com.