Michael Venezia
Bridgewater resident Michael Venezia was recently inducted into the Wagner College Athletic Hall of Fame for baseball. Playing from 1987 to 1990, he was an outfielder for the Wagner College Seahawks. This Staten Island native and New Dorp High School graduate batted .406 during his junior season in 1989, a mark that ranked third on the Wagner all-time single-season list at the time, and stands in fifth place today.
In addition, Venezia added five home runs and 31 RBI in leading the Seahawks to an 18-13 record. His four triples that year, which matched his career high set as a sophomore, is tied for fourth on the Wagner all-time single list.
In 1988, Venezia batted .353 with six home runs and 35 RBI, earning him All-State (NY) Division I First Team and First Team ECAC Metro All Conference honors. During one stretch in the season, he reached base safely in 17 consecutive plate appearances, via a hit or a walk.
Venezia backed up his stellar sophomore campaign with another fantastic one the following year, helping him earn a spot on the All-State and All-Northeast Conference First Teams for the second consecutive season. Named a pre-season All-American candidate heading into his senior year, he again led the Seahawks in batting average, this time with a .347 mark.
He remains just one of a handful of Seahawk athletes to ever earn First-Team All-State and All-League honors in more than one season. His .343 lifetime batting average is seventh all-time, while he ranks first all-time in walks (129) and second in triples (11).
At the time of his graduation, Venezia was third in Wagner history with 137 career base-hits, a figure that still ranks 25th all-time despite his playing in an era that saw him play just 136 career games.