ROSS NATOLI
Head Coach
Natoli enters his 38th season as the head baseball coach in 2023.
In 37 seasons, Natoli ranks 37th all-time in Division III history with 747 career wins, which include a Landmark Conference record 357 since joining the league in 2008. He has led Catholic to a league-best five Landmark Conference championships and 71 all-conference selections. The Cardinals have also made four appearances in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.
Natoli led the Cardinals to one of the best seasons in school history in 2022 as the team posted a school record 34 wins and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III World Series after winning the Winchester Regional and Ithaca Super Regional along the way. As a result, he was selected as the Region 5 Coach of the Year by both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com.
Catholic totaled a then-school record 31 wins in 2018 while winning its fifth Landmark Conference championship. The Cardinals had six players earn All-Landmark Conference honors while Natoli was named Coach of the Year for the fifth time. The Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional while Brennan Cotter was selected as a Third Team All-American by D3baseball.com after set a new Landmark Conference single season record with 70 RBIs.
The Cardinals won 28 games in 2017 and had five players earn All-Landmark Conference honors, three of whom received all-region accolades in Paul Burmester, Brennan Cotter and Jon Mierzwa. Catholic led the Landmark Conference in batting average, runs, RBIs, on base percentage and slugging percentage. On the mound, the team struck out a league-best 314 batters.
In 2015, the Cards posted a 27-16-1 record, competed in their eighth consecutive Landmark Conference tournament, capturing their fourth championship. They advanced to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional.
In 2013, the Cardinals posted a 26-17 overall record winning the Landmark Conference regular season with an 11-7 mark. Offensively, catcher/1st baseman Chris McCloud, catcher Mark Kalokitis and third baseman Marc Hanna led the way while All-Landmark pitchers Robin Mowatt and closer Chris Nee excelled on the mound.
The 2012 Cards won 24 games, including 11 Landmark Conference victories. Five Cardinals were named First Team All-Landmark. Pitcher Justin D'Alessandro, a senior Architecture major, signed with the Toronto Blue Jays organization and is currently playing professional baseball in Australia.
The 2011 season was one for the ages for Natoli and CUA as the Cardinals captured their third Landmark Conference championship in the previous four years and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1977. CUA won 23 games on the year and defeated the nation's third ranked team, Kean University, 3-2 in the NCAA Regional opener behind a terrific pitching performance by senior Ron Esposito. Individually, the Cardinals placed five players on the All-Landmark Teams and seven scholar-athletes were named to the Landmark Academic Honor Roll.
In 2008, the Cardinals won the inaugural Landmark Conference Championship and finished the season with a ten-game winning streak en route to a 26-13-1 overall record. The Cardinals repeated as Landmark Conference Champions in 2009, winning 10 of their last 12 games including an 11-3 victory vs. Merchant Marine Academy in the Landmark Championship. CUA placed six players on the 2009 All-Landmark Conference team, with five Cardinals earning first-team honors.
Under Natoli's direction, the Cardinals' team culture reflects his own philosophy that team unity, preparing and competing to the fullest and a commitment to academic and athletic excellence form the foundation for a successful program. He continues to strive to develop his teams with the goal of being consistent contenders for NCAA tournament play, while emphasizing the importance of academic excellence. From 2008-2022, the Cardinal’s team grade point average has been 3.2 or higher and at least 14 Cardinals have earned a spot on the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll each of those years.
A native Washingtonian, Natoli was a standout outfielder at George Washington University, earning his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering in 1981. After playing for two teams that advanced to the ECAC (1977) and NCAA Division I (1979) tournaments, Natoli served as GWU’s top assistant coach from 1981-1984. Natoli became the Cardinals' head coach in the fall of 1985, and is also widely recognized for founding and directing the Ross Natoli Baseball Camps & Clinics for Washington area youth and college prospects since 1987.
Throughout his career, Natoli has continually upgraded CUA's baseball facilities, which are widely regarded to be among the finest in the East. In the fall of 2002, Natoli's significant fundraising efforts produced the baseball field's first electronic scoreboard. It coincided with the dedication of Robert J. Talbot Field, named for the former CUA Athletics Director, Hall of Famer and baseball coach, who in 1977 led the "Cardiac Cardinals" to the NCAA Division I playoffs.
Since 2007, through the generous contributions of CUA alumni and program friends, several significant baseball facility upgrades have come to fruition. These include the installation of lights on Talbot Field in 2023, a newly resurfaced infield provided by the Ripken Design Group, installation of 300 stadium-style chair-back seats for spectators, a modern press box, sound system and professional quality bullpens, and enhancements to both outdoor and indoor batting cages. Natoli feels that the Cardinals’ state-of-the-art playing and practice facilities are among the finest in all of NCAA Division III baseball and provide the Cardinals with the ideal environment to prepare for success.
In addition to serving as Catholic's head baseball coach, Natoli works as an Environmental Protection Specialist at the U.S. Department of Energy.
Natoli and his wife, Nancy, live in Silver Spring, Md. The couple has three children, Rachel, Rebecca and Nicholas.
BOBBY PICARDO
Associate Head Coach
Picardo enters his 10th year as Associate Head Coach at Catholic in 2023. He also serves as the Coordinator for Athletic Services and as a certified Strength and Conditioning Instructor for Catholic Athletics.
Since returning to Catholic in 2013, Picardo has led the Cardinals’ recruiting efforts while serving as lead hitting, base running and strength and conditioning coach. His expertise and diligent efforts have been instrumental to the Cardinals' Landmark Conference Championships in 2015 and 2018 and regular season titles in 2013 and 2017. Picardo also serves as the Academic Support coordinator for the Cardinals.
Picardo helped coach the team to 31 wins in 2018, the most by the Cardinals since joining the NCAA Division III ranks in 1983. Catholic went 31-15 and won its fifth Landmark Conference Championship. Six players were named to the Landmark's All-Conference teams, and Natoli was honored as Coach of the Year. They advanced to the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in York, Pa. and were led by first basemen Brennan Cotter, who set the Landmark's all-time single season RBI record with 70 and became Catholic's second-ever All-American in the Cardinals' Division III era.
In 2017, the Cardinals led the Landmark Conference in average, runs, RBIs, on-base and slugging percentage. Paul Burmester and Brennan Cotter were named all-conference and all-Region. Cotter’s eight home runs tied the single-season school record. The 28 wins in 2017 are .
Five Cardinal hitters garnered all-conference recognition in 2015 while Stefan Poggioli was named all-region after winning Most Valuable Player of the Landmark Conference tournament.
In 2013, Catholic clubbed a conference-best 17 home runs and placed four on the all-conference team.
Picardo has also fostered a relationship between Catholic baseball and the Washington Nationals. Twice a week, Cardinal baseball players can be found working at the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Southeast Washington, giving underprivileged children the opportunity to learn academic and life skills through baseball.
A 2009 graduate, Picardo arrived in the nation’s capital following a four-year stint with the Double-A Trenton Thunder. While in Trenton, Picardo served as the manager of the team’s ticket sales and internship program, overseeing a staff of four sales executives and 24 college interns. He also coordinated the Thunder High School Baseball Series, hosted collegiate showcases and prospect workouts.
During his time with the Thunder, Picardo also served as an assistant baseball coach at his alma mater, Middletown High School South.
A four-year member of the Catholic baseball program from 2005-09, Picardo helped the Cardinals to back-to-back Landmark Conference championships in 2008 and 2009. His .360 batting average in 2007 ranks 20th in school history.
Picardo currently resides in Washington, D.C., with his wife, Jenny and their 8-month old son JR.
CHRIS NEE
Assistant Coach
Nee enters his 9th year as the Pitching Coach at Catholic in 2023. In addition, he also plays an integral role in player development and recruiting.
In 2022, Nee developed a pitching staff that led to a program record 34 wins, including 3rd team All-American Tucker Alch who posted a 10-3 record, with an ERA of 3.31 and 117 strikeouts in 92 innings, Danny Fitzgerald who was 6-3 with 54 strikeouts and 2 saves over 48 innings pitched, and Cormac Terry, who notched 34 strikeouts over 24 innings pitched while holding opponents to a .188 batting average .
Led by 2019 Landmark Conference Pitcher of the Year Jon Mierzwa and all-conference selections Joe Salzano and Mason Belcher, the Cardinals established a deep pitching tradition with a promising future under Nee’s leadership.
In 2017, Nee oversaw a staff that led the Landmark Conference in strikeouts with 314 which was 60 more than the second place team.
Nee is a native of Somerville, New Jersey and a graduate of perennial baseball power Immaculata High School. He was a two-time all-conference selection at Catholic and ranks among the school's career leaders for relievers, including single year and career records for appearances. In 2013, Nee led the Landmark Conference with nine saves as the Cardinals claimed the regular season title.
Nee has also served as a pitching coach in the Cal Ripken Collegiate League for the DC Grays.
A 2013 graduate of Catholic, Nee also obtained his master's degree in Business from Catholic in 2015. He currently resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife Ashleigh.
JAKE MOSS
Assistant Coach
Moss begins his second year as an assistant coach after serving as a graduate assistant at Catholic in 2020-2021.
Moss joined the Cardinals after spending the 2019 season as an assistant coach with the club baseball team at Drexel University. The Dragons finished the season with a 29-11 record, clinching their fourth division title in six years and advanced to the regional semifinals before falling to Boston College.
Prior to becoming an assistant coach, Moss played five seasons for the Dragons as a pitcher.
Moss has completed internships with the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), Philadelphia Eagles, University of Penn football and Boston College Athletics.
A native of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, Moss graduated from Drexel in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in Sports Management and a minor in Business Administration. He is currently working towards a master's degree in leadership and management at Catholic.
ETHAN RISSE
Assistant Coach
Risse enters his second year as a graduate assistant coach on Ross Natoli's staff in 2023. He will work primarily with pitchers and baserunners while also contributing to advanced scouting and statistical analysis.
During his first year on staff in 2022, Cardinal pitchers set multiple Landmark Conference records for strikeouts and innings pitched while booking the program’s first ticket to the DIII College World Series.
No stranger to Talbot Field, Risse is a graduate of the class of 2021 where he was a mainstay on the mound all four years of his career.
As a freshman, Risse started the elimination game on the Landmark Tournament Championship Sunday, when the 2018 team claimed two victories over Scranton on their home field. Risse appeared in multiple games that weekend, as the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Earlier in the year, Risse pitched seven innings in relief against Juniata in an extra-inning thriller as the Cardinals clinched the No. 1 seed in that year’s conference tournament.
Risse was consistent in his high leverage role throughout his undergraduate career. He earned two saves during his sophomore year, along with two wins out of the bullpen. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the right-hander factored in three of the Cardinal victories. Risse had one win and two saves, one of which came against regional rival Penn St. Harrisburg. In 2021, Risse had the second-most appearances of any Cardinal pitcher, highlighted by a save against Drew in the first game back after the pandemic layoff.
A native of San Diego, Risse attended the Francis Parker School playing alongside current Oakland Athletics shortstop Nick Allen. A three year letter winner, Risse pitched and played first base on a Sectional Championship team his freshman year.
Risse earned his undergraduate degree in finance from Catholic, and is in the final year of his Masters in the Science of Management. His brother Aidan is currently a junior pitcher at Bard College who earned All-Liberty League honors in 2022.
